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Waste & Spills
As we continue to develop innovative solutions for our customers, our environmental impact is a constant consideration.
We acknowledge the potential impact that solid waste disposal or spills of hazardous materials could have on the environment in our local communities. Therefore, we take a targeted approach to minimize waste through a hierarchy of management practices, and we work toward zero spills at our facilities. We also believe that finding alternative uses for waste materials and byproducts presents opportunities to further contribute to a circular economy.
In 2022, we adjusted our waste goal to reflect changes in our portfolio by removing the volumes associated with the divestiture of the Purification Solutions business and accounting for the additional waste associated with our underground injection well operation at our fumed metal oxide (FMO) plant in Tuscola, IL, USA. Operations have changed within the Tuscola facility to treatment and packing of finished products generated in our other FMO locations. The shift of production from our Tuscola facility to our Carrollton, KY, USA facility created the opportunity to partner with our fence-line neighbor, a Dow silicone facility, to supply a beneficial waste stream for use in their processes and for us to achieve a reduction in waste disposal from the Carrollton and Tuscola facilities.
In 2022, we achieved an important milestone and met our 2025 waste goal of reducing disposal from our operations by 20%. Overall, our total waste disposal decreased by 24% from 2021, and 57% from our 2019 baseline volumes. Following the waste minimization hierarchy in our approach, we have a robust program to minimize production of off-quality products, increase beneficial use, and develop waste plans to drive improvements. In 2023, we expect our Franklin, LA, USA, facility will be diverting the gypsum generated as beneficial re-use to other applications such as fertilizer for agricultural operations and wallboard production.
In conjunction with minimizing waste, our spills management program aims to reduce the risk of spills and ensure that controls are in place if a spill or release occurs. We define significant spills as both reportable to an agency and classified as Tier 1 and Tier 2 process safety events. In 2022, we observed improvement from previous years and did not have any spills that qualified as a significant classification.
Reducing Plastic Waste
Expanding on our pledge to reduce plastic waste in some of our masterbatch facilities, our teams in Loncin and Pepinster, Belgium, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates launched a plan to implement Operation Clean Sweep®. Through this comprehensive program, each site assesses its facilities and equipment to identify any risks of plastic pellet loss, along with opportunities to reduce the risk of release at areas such as loading, transport, drainage and wastewater access points.
Our Billerica, MA, USA facility has reduced waste generated and disposed of from the facility through several initiatives including the implementation of a campus-wide food waste composting program as well as the beneficial re-use of waste rubber and reinforcing and specialty carbons material. As a result, we eliminated approximately 35 tons of reinforcing and specialty carbon and rubber waste from disposal through beneficial re-use. In addition to recycling waste from production processes, the SH&E team in Billerica partnered with locally owned Black Earth Compost to implement a food waste composting program on the campus. Throughout the year, approximately 8,000 pounds of food waste was separately collected in dedicated bins at the facility. The food waste was then processed into compost that is used in home gardens and yards as well as for local farming and landscaping needs.
Performance
View our latest sustainability report to learn about our progress and goals.
Download Here
