11 December 2023

Creating Value from Waste

The largest share of the Iceland Seafood waste, 73%, comes from our factory Achernar, in Argentina, where shrimp processing generates significant volumes of solid and liquid waste. To counteract the large volumes of waste and ensure the proper treatment, we, along with a group of other processing plants in the area, invested in a waste treatment plant to upcycle the waste and create valuable by-products.

The Patagonian Environmental Centre for Fisheries Research and Development (CAPIDP) was launched in the city of Puerto Madryn in 2021. The plant was built to ensure proper waste treatment streams for organic waste generated from the fishing industry in the area. It is modular, and the operational volume can be increased when needed. The treatment plant is designed with the circular economy in mind, aiming at upcycling waste for different value-added production processes.

Various research projects have already been initiated following our investment in the treatment plant. For example:

The heads and shells of shrimps, categorized as organic solid waste, can be processed into shrimp flour and oil for animal feed.
There’s also an ongoing project with YPF AGRO and Universidad Politécnica Nacional regarding developing fertilizer from the sludge.
After the liquid waste has undergone certain treatment and filtration steps it ends up in a lagoon where the water can be reclaimed. From there, it’s used in water for reforestation e.g., eucalyptus and olive trees. It’s also used to wash sand and gravel quarries and water dirt and gravel roads.

The waste treatment plant is located about 20 km from the urban area, considering the orientation of the prevailing winds as well as ensuring that the trucks carrying the waste streams from the different processing plants would not pass through the city.

The initiative is constantly growing and under continuous improvement to achieve responsible waste treatment in the area and create value from by-products. It reduces our environmental impact and promotes social responsibility. We are proud of this project and excited to see it grow and prosper in the future while advancing the circular economy in Argentina.