Taylor Farms San Juan Bautista (TF SJB) is predominantly an organic fresh produce processing facility that services retail partners with chopped salad kits and leafy greens trays. With approximately 900 employees, the plant produces around 170 million pounds of products each year.
TF SJB started their zero waste journey in 2020 by assembling a facility Green Team and exploring the what, why, and how behind zero waste with Taylor Farm’s sustainability team. The outcome was a redesigned material management program with new signage, strategically placed waste receptacles, and comprehensive trainings for all employees to encourage proper source separation. With regular meetings and collaborative work, TF SJB officially became TRUE certified in February 2024.
With organic waste dominating TF SJB's waste generation, the facility finds multiple avenues for its diversion. A significant volume, consisting of by-products of vegetable processing such as the stems, skins, tails, and cores, are sent to animal feed lots. Rejected finished products that are still fit for human consumption are donated to local food banks, while those that are no longer fit are sent for de-packaging and composting. Organics aside, the facility also implements recycling, repairing, and reusing practices to achieve a 12-month average diversion rate of 91.7%.
"We feel that certifications play an important role in making environmental claims, especially in the area of waste, as there aren't many standards/certifications that exist today to validate a company's zero waste efforts," said Wyatt Maysey, Director of Sustainability, Taylor Farms. "For our claims, we wanted to utilize a certification that helps set a foundation for continued material management improvement and proper diversion methodologies. We think we have found that in TRUE certification."