Can Your Company Reduce Its Carbon Footprint and Disposal Costs?

by | Aug 18, 2014

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devroom, dawn, idr environmental servicesAn often overlooked area in which companies can reduce their carbon footprint relates to the transportation of the hazardous waste they generate. Out of sight out of mind is often the mindset that permeates the industry, but understanding where your waste is being transported to and by whom can drastically reduce the carbon footprint generated from the waste that a company produces.

Granted, while the carbon footprint is actually generated by the trucks used to transport the hazardous waste, where the hazardous waste disposal actually takes place can have a meaningful impact on emissions produced and the total cost of the waste disposal.

As we take a closer look at some actual scenarios, it’s important to note that the actual carbon footprint calculations can vary somewhat. For example, fuel consumption is not a constant. There are several factors that can alter the fuel consumption, such as the age of the truck, aerodynamics of the truck, if it is traveling uphill or downhill and the general maintenance of the truck. For the purposes of the demonstration, we will assume 6 miles per gallon as a reasonable estimate.

The following calculations can be used to determine the carbon footprint of any type of disposal. Whether you are disposing of light bulbs or highly toxic hazardous waste, the calculations would be the same. The only adjustment you would need to make is determining how much of the load you are responsible for. For example, if a typical truck load holds 44,000 lbs. of material and you are responsible for 22,000 lbs., then you would need to reduce the final carbon footprint result by 50%.

Carbon Footprint Calculation

  • miles driven/mpg x 2.77 KG per gallon

Example 1. Full Load

Full Truck Load Fuel Consumption: 6 Miles per Gallon Miles traveled: See Below Carbon per US Gallon of Diesel: 2.77 KG

A full truck load of Hazardous Class 3 Flammable Liquids is being disposed of by your company. Your hazardous waste transportation company picks up the waste and is ready to transport the waste for disposal. The transportation company has two options for the disposal since there are only facilities in the United States that handle the disposal of flammable liquids.

Route 1.

Disposal Facility Located in Benton Arkansas

Los Angeles to Benton Arkansas.

3400 miles/6 mpg = 567 gallons x 2.77 = 1,570 kgs

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