Developing Solutions to Manage Waste (Culls, Wastewater) on Tomato Packinghouses.

Florida tomato packinghouses generate approximately 150,000-400,000 tons (20 to 40%) of tomato culls each year. In addition, more than 40 million gallons of wastewater are produced per year by packinghouses. Practical and cost-effective solutions to manage these waste materials are needed to environmentally sustain tomato industry while protecting the environment. Knowledge of chemical constituents in the culls will aid in exploring the potential of culls to be used as animal feed and/or for composting. Likewise, limited information exists about the chemical constituents present in the wastewater from packinghouses. Influent (prior to treatment) from packinghouses is typically rich in phosphorus, copper, and nickel, and contains trace amounts of volatile organic compounds (trihalomethanes, dichlorobromomethane), insecticides (Endosulfan), and herbicides (2,4-D). Information about the extent and variability of these contaminants in the wastewater will lead to identification of sources of these contaminants in wastewater. This would allow to develop solutions to remediate the wastewater and alleviate concerns of water quality deterioration.