Eaton Facility Cuts Waste, GHGs with Zero Waste-to-Landfill Program

Power management company Eaton’s Mississauga Distribution Centre facility in Ontario, Canada has achieved zero-waste-to-landfill by nearly eliminating all wastes sent to landfills through recycling, re-use, new work processes and other means.

Eaton is encouraging its sites to achieve zero-waste-to-landfill as part of its waste management program and also as a means to reduce the release of CO2.

In 2013, Eaton reduced its landfill wastes by about 18 percent, or 4,900 metric tons, as part of a global zero-waste-to-landfill program. Together, more than 40 Eaton sites around the world have eliminated 2,500 metric tons of CO2.

The Mississauga Distribution Centre facility warehouses and distributes electrical products for the Canadian market and also encompasses corporate offices.

Eaton defines “zero-waste-to-landfill” as consistently achieving a landfill waste diversion rate of 98 percent through either reuse, composting, recycling, or incineration — but only if the heat generated by incineration is collected and used in order to create more energy than was required for the incineration process. Eaton zero-waste sites undergo an intensive audit process that includes verifying that at least 98 percent of a site’s waste is diverted consistently for three months.

The Mississauga facility’s waste reduction program began in 2013. A plan was developed that called for landfilled materials such as metal scrap, cardboard, pallets, plastic, general office trash and other wastes to be recycled, reused, converted to energy or eliminated from work processes. Employee training was another major plan component.