Three Innovative Uses for 40 Tons Per Week of Egg Shells

In the late 1980's, SWIX did various targeted mailings of their printed catalog of exchange listings. They often used SIC codes in order to generate lists of companies that might benefit from participating in the Southern Waste Information eXchange.

One such company was a Florida-based egg cracking facility that was generating 40 tons of egg shells per week and paying substantial disposal costs. Once they discovered SWIX, they placed a listing in the catalog, and were eventually contacted by a research laboratory that had some ideas for all those egg shells.

After considerable research and experiementation, the laboratory developed three different practical uses for the egg shells.

The first use was to add the calcium-rich egg shells to animal feed, including both dog and chicken food.

The second idea was to provide the egg shells to a fertilizer manufacturer for use in their products.

The most unexpected brainstorm for all those egg shells was to grind them up as a pigment additive for ceramic tile.

By subscribing to the SWIX catalog, the research laboratory was able to learn about this 40 tons per week waste stream and then innovate three different ways to significantly reduce it while helping three other Florida-based businesses improve their products and/or reduce their costs.

Southern Waste Information Exchange, Inc.

The Southern Waste Information eXchange, Inc. (SWIX), has as a primary objective the recycling and reuse of solid and hazardous waste. Since its inception in 1981, the emphasis of the SWIX has been on encouraging and facilitating sound environmental and cost-effective alternatives to the landfilling, incineration or treatment of solid waste through direct interaction with waste generators in both the public and private sectors.

To facilitate this objective, the SWIX Catalog is published and distributed to government agencies and private firms in the southeastern United States. The SWIX maintains toll-free hotlines (1-800-441-SWIX) that are used to assist generators with their waste management needs with an emphasis on the recycling, use, and reuse of waste materials. The SWIX is a resource that can be used directly by the thousands of public and private waste generators in the southeast. The SWIX Catalog provides up-to-date information on waste materials that are "available" from as well as "wanted" by private firms and government agencies. In addition, the SWIX Catalog lists a wide range of waste management services (e.g., recycling services, collection and transportation services) which can be used by waste generators and managers.

Visit the web site for Southern Waste Information Exchange, Inc..