Finding the Best Available Techniques for an Environmental Sustainable Waste Management in the Fish Canned Industry

Abstract

This work proposes the use of the life cycle assessment (LCA) to identify the best available techniques (BAT) to the management of the residues generated in the anchovy canning sector. This industry generates huge amount of solid and liquid wastes, and their management is one of the hotspots of the canned anchovy life cycle. The application of BATs can improve the environmental performance of the canned anchovy. However, sometimes it is not clear which BAT is the most appropriated, and an environmental analysis is required. In this sense, several BATs are proposed based on the circular economy concept, which promotes the reutilisation of wastes and they were evaluated under a life cycle approach: (i) valorisation of the anchovy residues into fishmeal, fish oil and anchovy paste, (ii) incineration and (iii) disposal in a municipal solid waste landfill. The LCA was conducted from cradle to gate using the global warming (GW) indicator. The results showed that the disposal of the anchovy residues in a landfill was the least environmental-friendly option, while the valorisation was the best alternative.