Reducing consumption and reusing and recycling raw materials is a basic component of the company’s operations. Office paper, cardboard, glass, stretch wrap, plastic strapping, construction materials, pallets, and hop burlap are just some of the many materials recycled at the brewery.
In 2007, Sierra Nevada diverted a total of 33,038 tons of materials-98.2% of the total waste-from the landfill; including 631,681 pounds of cardboard, 685,874 pounds of glass, 39,860 pounds of paper, 110,081 pounds of plastics, and 192,201 pounds of wood and scrap metal.
In 2007, Sierra Nevada began a new program to utilize spent vegetable oil from the Taproom and Restaurant as an alternative fuel source for their fleet. Sierra Nevada purchased a Springboard biodiesel processor which produces 50 gal batches of biodiesel in 48 hours and is currently doing a batch a week. The finished biodiesel is used in the Sierra Nevada long haul and local route trucks.
Sierra Nevada has received the WRAP Award (Waste Reduction Awards Program) from the State of California yearly since 2001, and in 2002 was named one of the top ten recipients of the WRAP of the Year Award for the company's extraordinary waste reduction awareness programs.
Most of our spent brewing materials find a beneficial secondary use in our local agricultural community. Many local dairy cows also enjoy our brews (although without the alcohol). In conjunction with the Agricultural Department at California State University, Chico, Sierra Nevada provides feed for dairy and beef cows through the spent grain, hops, and yeast it has collected. Spent trub produced from the wort boiling process is almost pure protein, and is added to the spent grain.
The surplus spent yeast from fermentation is used as a nutritional supplement for cows, and the compost from the cow manure is used as fertilizer for Sierra Nevada’s onsite 9-acre experimental hop field.
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