Protecting our Natural Resources

The fundamental nature of our business is recycling. Valley Proteins collects and recycles animal by-products that would otherwise be disposed of in landfills, and converts these raw materials into value-added feed ingredients and biofuels. In addition, we are committed to undertaking environmentally-friendly initiatives to further contribute to the protection of our natural resources.

Each and every day, Valley Proteins strives to be a good neighbor in our communities, and adhere to practices that meet, and surpass, government requirements for the preservation of our environment. Our production facilities are equipped with the latest technologies for maintaining clean air and water.

Clean Water and Air

Our state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facilities recycle over 250 million gallons of water per year — water that would otherwise be drawn from wells, surface waters or municipal water supplies. Our treated wastewater is used to irrigate over 650 acres of hayfields that produce enough hay to make over 90,000 square bales each year.

At Valley Proteins, our air pollution systems, odor control devices, steam conservation and water reuse practices, and electrical energy conservation measures are all designed to improve the quality of our air, and conserve water and energy.

Alternative Energy

Our commitment to ongoing research in emerging environmental technologies continually leads us in new directions in energy conservation. This includes the burning of renewable biofuels in our boilers and biodiesel in our truck fleet.

The biofuel we burn in our boilers is a renewable alternative fuel developed from our rendered animal fats. Switching from conventional petroleum-based fuel oils to biofuels saves an average of approximately 200,000 barrels of oil per year while significantly reducing sulfur emissions. Additionally, by using three million gallons of biodiesel fuel blends in our trucks each year, we save over 10,000 barrels of oil annually.

To learn more about our commitment to the development and use of biofuels, please visit the Energy section of this site.