A broad range of science courses at ESF led Tyler Harvey ’11 to one focused quest at work: reducing his employer’s solid waste footprint.
Harvey graduated from ESF in 2011 with a degree in environmental science, specifically the renewable energy option. He is now sustainability supervisor at F.X. Matt Brewing Company in Utica, New York, the maker of Saranac beer.
“My daily responsibilities are to manage all the end-process material — cardboard, plastic, glass and wood,” he said.
The company’s recycling success has been recognized by the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority, which in 2015 awarded Matt a Recycling Champion Award. The company was praised for incorporating sustainability into “every aspect of its operations, including daily production, marketing and warehousing while achieving a 98.4 percent recycling rate.”
Harvey’s job involves finding ways to recycle the plastic containers, made from high-density polyethylene, that arrive at the facility filled with extracts and flavor enhancers used in the brewing process. One of his biggest challenges is finding a way to deal with containers called one-way kegs, used frequently in craft brewing, that are made from recyclable material although the different elements are difficult to separate for recycling.
“These are the challenges we deal with,” Harvey said. “Overall, recycling is difficult right now. Natural gas and some raw materials are relatively cheap. If a company can make something new from scratch cheaper than using recycled parts, they are going to do that.”
Harvey’s job grew out of an internship that began after he graduated from ESF. In those early days, he did wastewater treatment work, involving both water from the brewing process and effluent from the on-site wastewater treatment plant. Now, in addition to leading Saranac’s recycling efforts, he works occasionally in the company’s labs, filling in for a chemist and microbiologist, and does some quality control work.
“I enjoy getting experience in all these different areas,” he said. His broad-based graduate program prepared him for the range of experience. “I took all the sciences: chemistry, microbiology, calculus and social sciences. It played well into what I’m doing now. “
Matt employs roughly 100 people and makes about 75 different recipes each year. Most of the beer is produced under the Saranac label, including its flagship Legacy IPA. The facility also brews the Utica Club pilsner line and makes other beers under contract for outside brewers.
