Implement Waste Management Plan Under ASC Feed Standard

Responsible waste management under ASC Feed Standard

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council established mandatory operational waste rules under Criterion 1.19 in version 1.2 of the ASC Feed Standard. This affects quality managers, compliance leads and environmental management personnel at certified feed manufacturing facilities. Feed manufacturers must demonstrate systematic waste reduction, resource recovery, safe chemical handling and legal disposal. Conformity Assessment Body auditors verify these measures during initial and annual surveillance audits.

Effective waste management ensures that facilities use resources efficiently and prevent hazardous pollution in surrounding soil, air and water ecosystems. The standard applies to all operational activities from ingredient receiving through processing to final product dispatch. In addition, waste handling rules extend to employee accommodation provided by the feed mill under Criterion 1.14. Failing to implement required waste management procedures indicates a dysfunctional quality management system.

Auditors examine physical storage areas, environmental operating permits and waste disposal invoices to verify full compliance. Where local authorities mandate specific recycling thresholds or hazardous waste storage authorisations in environmental permits, feed mills must maintain full legal compliance. Feed mills must also ensure that external waste contractors collect and dispose of waste materials responsibly.

Developing a documented Waste Management Plan

Indicator 1.19.3 requires feed manufacturers to develop and implement a documented Waste Management Plan. The plan must establish meaningful measures and realistic timelines to move away from poor practices towards responsible resource recovery. Under footnote 53, the Waste Management Plan must be embedded within the Risk Management Framework detailed in Appendix 7. The predefined intent of the plan is to avoid waste and recover resources where possible.

The risk management process must evaluate the risk of failing to achieve the intent of the Waste Management Plan within a six-year period. Measures in the plan must target six specific operational objectives:

• Practice improvement: Facilities must replace bad practices such as burning plastics or unmanaged littering with organised material separation and recycling routines.
• Waste generation reduction: Feed mills must work with raw material suppliers and internal production teams to reduce unnecessary packaging and process waste.
• Waste recovery increase: Facilities must expand material re-use, composting and recycling channels for all recoverable non-hazardous waste streams.
• Substitution of hazardous waste: Operating procedures must adapt activities to replace hazardous chemicals and materials with non-hazardous alternatives where feasible.
• Responsible waste disposal: Feed mills must direct non-recyclable waste to official landfill sites or energy recovery incineration facilities.
• Leakage and loss removal: Facilities must eliminate points of waste loss, unmanaged littering and informal waste dumping across site grounds.

Mandatory controls for hazardous waste storage

Feed manufacturers must implement strict operational controls for chemicals and hazardous waste under Indicators 1.19.4 and 1.19.5:

• Chemical accounting: Facilities must maintain an up-to-date inventory accounting for all chemicals, solvents, pesticides and hazardous waste on site.
• Safe storage conditions: Chemical storage areas must feature spill retention bunds, adequate ventilation and clear separation of incompatible chemicals based on updated safety data sheets.
• Authorised waste disposal: Hazardous waste must be transferred exclusively to companies officially authorised by local authorities for transport, storage and final treatment.

Calculating waste generation and reporting metrics

Indicator 1.19.1 mandates that feed manufacturers calculate annual waste generation using the standardized methodology in Appendix 2, Section A4. The calculation covers the previous calendar year from 1 January to 31 December across all manufacturing processes. Facilities must categorize waste streams into hazardous and non-hazardous waste. Where precise weighing per category is impractical, feed mills are permitted to estimate waste quantities based on output records.

Under Indicator 1.19.2, feed mills must report total annual waste generation per site to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council using official data submission procedures. The calculation sums waste quantities across seven defined destinations:

• Recovery by re-use: Volumes of materials collected and reused directly within facility operations or external processes.
• Recovery by recycling: Tonnage of waste sent for material recycling, including organic waste composting.
• Recovery by other means: Quantities of waste recovered through other specialized recovery operations.
• Disposal by incineration with energy recovery: Tonnage sent to authorised incineration plants that capture energy.
• Disposal by incineration without energy recovery: Quantities destroyed in thermal incineration facilities without energy capture.
• Disposal by landfilling: Tonnage delivered to officially designated landfill sites managed by public authorities.
• Disposal by other means: Quantities handled through other specified disposal routes such as open dumping or burning where permitted.

What to do now

• Update chemical inventory logs: Audit all chemical storage zones to ensure every hazardous material and waste stream is fully accounted for on site.
• Review safety data sheets: Check that updated safety data sheets are accessible in chemical handling areas and verify that spill retention controls are functional.
• Formalise the Waste Management Plan: Align the site Waste Management Plan with the Appendix 7 Risk Management Framework, incorporating six-year targets for waste reduction and recovery.
• Reconcile annual waste data: Aggregate waste generation figures across all seven Appendix 2, Section A4 destinations for annual data submission to ASC.

Reference documents

• ASC Feed Standard, V1.2, Criterion 1.19, Indicators 1.19.1, 1.19.2, 1.19.3, 1.19.4, 1.19.5, 1.19.6, Appendix 2, Section A4, Appendix 7
• ASC Feed Standard Interpretation Manual, V1.2, Criterion 1.19, Criterion 1.14