Mars Food Water Recycling Plant, Australia

What is it?

A water treatment and recycling plant serving Mars Food Australia’s manufacturing site in Berkeley Vale, NSW. The plant employs ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis technology to treat both wastewater and stormwater at the site, reducing the company’s reliance on mains water in a drought-afflicted region.

Who is responsible?

Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies designed and supplied the RO unit, with Siemens Memcor supplying the UF technology. Bekaert provided the RO membrane modules.

What makes it special?

• Water resources are at a premium in New South Wales, which has been particularly hard hit by Australia’s "Big Dry". Following the commissioning of the tertiary treatment plant in February 2009, Mars Food Australia was able to halve its water consumption, drastically reducing its reliance on local groundwater resources.

• The new state-of-the-art facility not only recovers and treats wastewater streams from the food manufacturing process. Mars also expanded its spill management ponds to collect and store stormwater from all hard surfaces at the site, meaning that every drop of rainwater is captured, recycled and reused.

• The importance of the project is underscored by the fact that 17% of the capital cost was provided through a grant from the New South Wales government’s Central Coast Water Savings Fund. It is a clear demonstration of how constructive collaboration can result in a "win-win" situation for industry and the environment.