Tielts company wants companies to use more waste water
And because of the increasing drought, more and more companies are aware that they have to take measures. A frozen vegetable company from Staden has recently set up such a water purification installation.
Up to 3 million liters of water per day
“The entire installation is operated and monitored from here, because we are in the food industry and the water must always be of maximum quality. This means that all suspended matter and all minerals have been removed.”
The manager of the Tielt-based company Ekopak is standing at the water purification installation of the deep-frozen vegetable company Westfro in Staden. His company posted it a month ago. At peak times, Westfro needs about 3 million liters of drinking water per day, an Olympic swimming pool full. Now this installation purifies 25,000 liters per hour and they only need a fraction.
“With this installation we can actually reuse our water as much as possible. Our own waste water is converted back into drinking water. We need that water to wash and blanch our vegetables,” says Frederik Debeuckelaere of Westro.
(read more below the photo)Water increasingly scarce
The Tielt-based company Ekopak already has customers in 12 countries, which means that it saves 10 billion liters of drinking water annually and wants to turn this into 50 billion in three years. According to the company, this is also necessary, because water is becoming increasingly scarce and the drinking water price is also expected to rise to a fifth in the coming years.
“All indicators are red. If a wave of water arrives, that would be good, but unfortunately that is not the case. It has hardly rained in the last five to six years, but we do not change our habits. We are already calling ten years that water recycling and water efficiency is necessary. I think in recent years it has become clear why,” says Pieter Loose from Ekopak.
“More awareness campaigns”
Pieter misses government awareness campaigns. He learned how to handle water with care.
“I have lived in a region in the rainforest where there was very little drinking water in the village. If you realize that this is very important for your health, you will think twice what you use that water for. If you brush your teeth, for example is that in one gulp.”
Our Belgian companies account for a quarter of drinking water consumption and Ekopak wants to eliminate that consumption.