Who We Are
Midwest Dairy Recycling (MDR) is located in North Manchester, Indiana.
MDR is the sister company of Midwest Livestock, which raises calves in the Midwest. We founded MDR in 2002 when we noticed milk bottling companies throwing away outdated, nearly outdated, or damaged products. MDR saw this as an opportunity to minimize food waste and feed our own livestock at the same time, creating a circular food system.
Since starting this program in 2002 we have expanded exponentially, having diverted over 100 million pounds of liquid milk, 5 million pounds of food, and over 4 million pounds of plastic away from landfills and into recycling centers.
Today, we feed more than just our own farms, partnering with other local farms all over Indiana, as well as pig raising operations.
How it works
Large grocery chains and food companies looking to get rid of milk deliver their product in refrigerated trailers, ensuring the product doesn’t spoil. Products arrive at our facility in a variety of sizes, from small, 8 oz plastic containers, up to 1 gallon plastic containers. Our specialty equipment removes the product from the plastic. Plastic is sent to recycling centers and the product is reformulated by, Midwest Livestock, who sends the reformulated milk to its own animal raising operations as well as other local farms.
Environmental Impact
Our operations mean less waste all around—energy, water, and food waste. Standard calf feeding practices typically involve purchasing powdered milk, mixing it with hot water, then feeding. By feeding MDR’s repurposed milk, farmers eliminate the need for a host of other processes, since the milk is a complete feed, ready to serve. There’s no longer a need for water to mix with the powder, feed bags, or the energy required to heat water. Many of our livestock operations are operated by Amish families that rely on coal fired hot water heaters. This is eliminated as well when recycling dairy milk.
As we’ve grown, we can now repurpose more than just dairy. Orange juice and other dairy products are fed to pigs who are usually fed water and grain. These operations now have an addition, sustainable option for feed.
