Key points
Water use is under real pressure in the food and drink industry. Costs keep going up, discharge rules are getting stricter, and in some areas, long-term supply just isn’t a given anymore. A reality many of the sites I work with are dealing with every day.
Water Recovery has become one of the most practical and reliable ways to reduce this pressure. Instead of treating water as single use, recovery focuses on how to reuse or recycle it within your process, safely, effectively and with measurable benefit. It’s worth briefly explaining the difference:
From my perspective, working with production and utilities teams, the most successful recovery projects are rarely complex. They’re targeted, well understood internally, and built around how your site actually operates.
“Recovered water is treated to drinking quality and returned to production.”
Most sites I visit have already done good work to reduce water use. But recovery lets you take that next step. It is not just about reducing intake but using what you have more than once, often with only minimal treatment, in places where it makes operational sense.
At one facility, we reused rinse water from cleaning systems for washdown. At another, pasteuriser overflow was diverted to cooling. These are not radical changes. They are grounded in a solid understanding of the process and a willingness to rethink assumptions.
That is why I always advise to start with a clear water balance. Map where water enters, where it is used, and where it leaves. Once you see the flow patterns, the opportunities for reuse and recycling often become obvious, especially when you pair the data with your own experience of the site.
Carlsberg’s brewery in Fredericia, Denmark, is a great example of what recovery can achieve when it is embedded in the utility strategy from day one. For several years, the site has been successfully operating a large scale water recycling plant that now recovers over one million cubic metres of water each year. That has helped reduce their reliance on freshwater by more than half.
Recovered water is treated to drinking quality and returned to production. It is a technically advanced system, with biological treatment, membrane filtration, reverse osmosis and advanced oxidation. But it has been designed around the needs of the site and the people running it. That is what makes it work.
Not every project needs to be this large. But it is a strong reminder of what is possible when recovery is made part of everyday operations.
More often than not, it’s the smaller, well-aimed changes that make the biggest difference. One chilled food site we supported in the UK had rising mains water bills and more restrictive discharge limits. Water use was particularly high in veg preparation and washdown areas.
Rather than start with solutions, we ran a detailed water mapping exercise. That meant going beyond the meters and looking at actual flow volumes, quality and consistency throughout the day. We quickly saw that rinse water from veg washing and tray cleaning was relatively clean and suitable for recovery.
The team installed a system using membrane filtration and ultraviolet disinfection. That water is now recycled for use in washdown and cooling, cutting mains water use in those areas by over 35%. The system paid for itself in under two years. What made the project work was its simplicity. It was designed around existing operations and required very little adjustment from staff.
Every site is different, but there are common areas where recovery tends to make sense. You might want to look at: final rinse water from clean in place systems, overflow from pasteurisers, blowdown or overflow from cooling towers, and dilute waste streams from low risk processes.
What I often advise is to avoid making assumptions and trust your data. If a stream looks like waste but is relatively clean, low in solids, and steady in temperature, it could be a strong candidate for recovery, especially for non-contact applications like washdown or utilities.
“Once you see the flow patterns, the opportunities for reuse and recycling often become obvious, especially when you pair the data with your own experience of the site.”
The first question I often hear when water recovery is mentioned is around quality and safety. That concern is entirely valid, especially in food and drink. My approach has always been that safety and recovery are not at odds. But you do need to be clear from the start.
Every recovery project should begin with a risk assessment. Understand the biological, chemical and operational risks. Define how those risks will be mitigated. Put in place clear monitoring. At Carlsberg Fredericia, for example, this thinking was embedded right from the design phase and it is still an active part of how the system runs today.
For smaller systems, the same logic applies. If you are recovering water for washdown or cooling, the treatment might be simpler, but the principles remain the same. You need to be confident in the quality and clear on the controls.
When recovery works well, it becomes a routine part of how the site operates. It reduces pressure on incoming supply, cuts effluent volumes, and helps teams take more control over their water use.
The wider benefit is retailers, customers and regulators are paying closer attention to how manufacturers manage resources. Recovery gives you something real to show, a way to demonstrate that water is being used responsibly and with purpose.
What I have seen is that the most effective recovery systems are the ones that work with the existing culture because they are familiar and not disruptive. They help your team do what they already do, but more efficiently.
“Recovery gives you something real to show, a way to demonstrate that water is being used responsibly and with purpose.”
Most projects I have worked on begin with a walkthrough and a basic water balance. From there, we look at areas of high use or consistent flow. We take samples. We review costs. You do not need a complete strategy to get going, just a clear sense of where your biggest opportunities might be.
Focus on one or two areas first. That keeps the project manageable and helps build momentum. Once the results come in, especially when payback is within two to three years, it becomes easier to make the case for expanding the system.
If I could offer one piece of advice, it is this: do not treat water recovery as a separate initiative. Build it into your wider utility and resource planning. See it as a way to make your site more resilient, more efficient and better able to adapt to future demands.
Recovery supports compliance and add flexibility. It lets you make better use of the assets and systems you already have. And as pressure on water continues to grow, it is likely to move from an opportunity to a necessity.
With water scarcity and cost pressures increasing, recovery is shifting from an opportunity to a necessity. The tools and techniques already exist. What matters most is taking the first step — mapping, monitoring and implementing recovery measures that fit your operations.
What is the difference between water recovery reuse and recycling
Water recovery is capturing water that would otherwise be wasted, reuse is using that water in another part of the process without treatment and recycling is treating the water so it can be safely reapplied
Why is water recovery important in the food and drink industry
Water recovery helps reduce mains water use, manage stricter discharge rules, cut costs and improve resilience in areas where water supply is under pressure
What are examples of successful water recovery projects
Carlsberg Fredericia brewery in Denmark recovers over one million cubic metres annually using advanced treatment and a UK chilled food site cut mains water use by 35% through filtration and UV disinfection
Where should manufacturers start when looking at water recovery
Begin with a water balance to map inflows and outflows, identify areas of high use or clean waste streams, take samples and target one or two manageable opportunities first
How can safety be ensured in water recovery systems
Every project should start with a risk assessment, identify biological chemical and operational risks, and put monitoring in place to ensure recovered water is safe for its intended use
What are the long term benefits of water recovery
Water recovery reduces supply pressure, lowers effluent, strengthens compliance, improves sustainability credentials and helps manufacturers become more efficient and resilient
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