Why Should I Avoid Using Water in my Bottling and/or Canning Facilities?

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:07:22 GMT

As an industry, corporate sustainability efforts are more important now than ever before - especially for bottling and canning facilities that use water in their daily operations. Bottling and canning facilities use large amounts of water for many different areas in their manufacturing processes, including cleaning, cooling, rinsing containers, steam generation, ingredient moving, sanitation, and more. Not only does this cause operational and product quality issues for a company, it also has an impact on the environment and the planet as a whole. By recognizing the impact and consequences of using such a large amount of water, companies can take the first step in improving their energy consumption and their impact on the world to create a greener, more sustainable future.

Here are some aspects to consider when deciding to use water in your bottling and canning operations:

Energy Costs Increase
Almost every stage where a bottling and canning facility uses water (moving, treating, heating, cooling, and disposing of water), requires a significant amount of energy.

Facilities constantly pump water through cleaning systems, cooling systems, filtration equipment, and wastewater systems. This means that the longer the motors and pumps run, electricity consumption and costs increase.
When heating water for cleaning and sanitation purposes, large amounts of natural gas and electricity are used because of the high temperatures needed to kill microbes, ultimately increasing energy costs.
Cooling equipment is also one of the largest electrical costs for bottling and canning facilities as it requires more pumps to run, more chillers to operate, and a great compressor workload, thus increasing energy consumption and costs.

Packaging Line Problems
Using excess water in bottling and canning facilities can lead to major problems within packaging lines as it interferes with packaging materials, machinery performance, and product appearance.

If too much water is used in a packaging line, the moisture can soak into and weaken packaging materials. Packages can lose their strength, tear more easily, collapse during stacking, and fail during shipping – ultimately leading to damaged and lost products, as well as increased waste.
When labeling, any water that remains on cans and bottles can cause the labels to not properly adhere to products surfaces, leading to peeling, wrinkling, bubbling, and misalignment of labels. As a result, products are rejected, and time, money, and materials are wasted.
Water accumulation can also affect machinery performance within packaging lines from slipping containers, sensor malfunctions, jammed packaging equipment, and increased corrosion on metal components. Water can also wash away the lubricants that are needed for smooth mechanical operation which can lead to increased downtime and maintenance costs.

Wastewater Disposal Problems
When disposing of industrial water waste, the water must be collected and treated as it can contain chemicals, sugars, cleaning agents, alcohol, and sanitizers that can't be discarded into the environment.

When using expensive industrial wastewater treatment systems, facilities pay for pumps, aerators, chemicals, filters, and more, which significantly increases the cost of the treatment process alone and can become one of the plant’s largest utility expenses.
In order to treat wastewater, this requires a large amount of electricity and fuel to power aeration blowers, heating and cooling systems, and pumping systems, which causes extremely high energy consumption.
Facilities also face environmental pollution risks if treatment fails or discharge exceeds permit limits, leading to the pollution of rivers, lakes, and groundwater. This can ultimately suffocate aquatic life, kill fish, trigger algae blooms, and ultimately harm our natural world in the long run.

Corrosion and Equipment Damage
Excessive water use in bottling and canning facilities causes wear on machinery over time for multiple reasons.

Because water often contains dissolved minerals, excessive water use can lead to mineral buildup (scale) on pipes, valves, and other equipment, which can cause restricted flow, reduced heat-transfer efficiency, and increased wear on pumps and valves. This ultimately results in increased downtime and reduced efficiency.
Repeated exposure to water also causes protective coatings and layers on metal surfaces to deteriorate and corrode faster, leading to shorter equipment lifespans and increased maintenance.

How Can Paxton Products Help?
To avoid the downsides that come with excessive water use, Paxton’s Ionizing Bottle and Can Rinsing Systems are the ideal solution for bottling and canning facilities. The Ionizing Rinsing Systems efficiently remove particulates, dirt, and debris from targeted surfaces with the help of Paxton’s air delivery devices and industry leading centrifugal air blowers. They are designed to dissipate the static charges that cause dirt and debris to adhere to surfaces, and then air blasts the contaminants away using ultra-efficient blower driven air. With Paxton’s patented design, you’re able to increase performance while reducing maintenance, all while eliminating the need for water all together.

To learn more about Paxton’s Ionizing Bottle and Can Rinsing Systems, feel free to contact us or click here to get a quote today.

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Why Should I Avoid Using Water in my Bottling and/or Canning Facilities?