In pursuit of its commitment to the environment, General Motors has announced its 109th landfill-free facility, a 75-year old manufacturing plant in Rochester, New York. The facility not only reuses, recycles, or converts all of its waste into energy, but it also saves the company money in the process. It is estimated that GM gets 2 cents for every pound of cardboard that it recycles – as opposed to paying 3 cents for having it sent to a landfill. According to GM, in the past year alone, the Rochester plant has recycled 115 tons of cardboard, and saved 950 cubic yards of landfill space.
GM has previously stated it wants to increase its amount of landfill-free facilities globally to 125 by the year 2020.
GM enlisted the aid of Mobile Fluid Recovery to assist in the recycling of oil, metal shavings, and filter paper from a machine at the plant that is used to cut metal for fuel injector and manifold components. After several failed attempts at solving the problem, the oil now gets to be reused and the metal particles and filter paper gets converted into energy.
However, reaching landfill-free status would not have been possible were it not for the hard work and perseverance of its employees, all of whom contribute to the reuse and recycling of all waste generated at the plant. One of the easiest, yet most effective, means of achieving this was to simply make recycling bins more accessible. Gail Finkelstein, environmental engineer at the plant, said, “The key to lasting behavioral change is putting employees at the center of the challenge.”
In addition to having the most landfill-free facilities of any automotive manufacturer, GM is exploring different ways that they can make their facilities be even more energy-efficient. Starting next spring GM’s Hamtramck assembly plant will be getting most of its power from municipal solid waste that is converted into steam energy. GM sets a good example for other companies by proving that they can not only reduce waste but they can also save money at the same time. We can expect to hear more good news in the near future as the Detroit-based automaker continues to pursue its commitment to the environment.