2020 Responsible Care® Waste Minimization Award
–
The Challenge:
As part of WTS’ core operating philosophy and as a demonstration of our
commitment to Sustainability, we strive to offer Sustainable Solutions options to our clients in terms of responsible management of hazardous and non-hazardous byproducts and waste materials. These Sustainable Solutions seek to avoid the traditional waste management practices of landfill, treatment and incineration without energy recovery.
Our Sustainable Solutions are categorized and tracked as:
• Beneficial reuse
• Energy from waste
• Recycling
• Resource Reclamation, and
• Natural Resource Preservation
Innovation, value engineering or sustainability enhancement as implemented:
WTS enhances the sustainability of our stakeholders by employing a systematic approach to directly reusing, recovering and re-purposing chemical by-products. Our methodology is custom designed to improve the productive utilization of facility resources in alignment with the guiding principles of Responsible Care®. Sustainable Materials Management is the WTS process designed to use and reuse materials more productively by evaluating material inputs and outputs. We connect producers of by-products to our network of chemistry and service providers that
allows for collaboration on new ways to deliver sustainable solutions throughout the supply chain.
The Results – Environmental Benefits and Sustainability Enhancements achieved:
In 2019 WTS responsibly managed 130,013, 806 pounds of hazardous and nonhazardous wastes into Beneficial Reuse as Sustainable Solutions! Included in that number is 51,750,632 pounds of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes generated by 11 different ACC member companies and successfully diverted from traditional disposal methods using WTS’ systematic approach and methodology. In addition to reducing reliance on traditional disposal methods, the sustainable solutions resulted in an array of economic and environmental benefits, including but not limited to:
• Reusing regulated solid wastes as raw material ingredients
• Reducing the quantities of regulated waste requiring disposal by source
segregating material to enhance their value.
• Recycling discarded packaging and liquid by-products.
• Beneficially reusing liquid and solid wastes as a sustainable source of energy
• Minimizing the risks posed by the discharge of wastewaters, while enhancing its reuse.
• Reducing the costs associated with high temperature incineration by beneficially reusing materials
Technical Approach:
WTS, Inc. was able to assist our customers enhance their sustainability performance by employing a unique WTS By- Product Management Process that employs a systematic approach for:
• Managing, objectively and responsibly, production by-products and
regulated wastes, including hazardous and non-hazardous industrial solid
wastes, recyclables and industrial wastewaters for beneficial reuse.
• Implementing Sustainable Solutions that are designed to use and reuse
materials more productively over their entire lifecycle. By objectively
collaborating with customers and analyzing their material inputs and
outputs with the goal of connecting producers and end-users of discarded
chemicals and by-products.
• Deploying sustainable technologies and value-recovery solutions that include, but are not limited to:
➢ Using solvent distillate as raw material supplement in asphalt product
manufacturing blends
➢ Diverting mixed hazardous waste solvent to facilities capable of
reusing the solvent as supplemental raw material
➢ Source controlling production losses and, in the process, reducing
chemical loadings in wastewater requiring treatment and discharge.
➢ Directly reusing unused caustic for waste hydrolysis process
All of these transactions were tracked for all clients in a centralized data base using WTS’ custom-designed Logistics Management Waste Tracking System (LMwts). The LMwts design features and functionality support our customer’s as well as WTS’ reporting requirements, including regulatory submittals and Continuous Improvement Updates for Programs focused on the Minimization of Waste, Sustainability Goals and Responsible Management of hazardous wastes.
The significance:
WTS, Inc. continues to demonstrate its ability to enhance the sustainability of its stakeholders by promoting chemistry, the science behind our sustainable solutions. Our business strategies all play a key role in powering a circular economy while ensuring each business solution aligned with chemistry is safe, secure, and sustainable. WTS continues to improve the productive utilization and management of facility resources by:
• Taking a systems approach to managing discarded chemical products, byproducts and wastes (hazardous and non-hazardous), including wastewaters
• Developing and implementing sustainable material management solutions designed to reuse, reclaim and reduce chemical by-products and packaging as a precursor to circularity
• Integrating the unique elements of WTS’ By-Product Management Planning Process with sustainable strategies resulting in:
➢ Zero Waste and Zero Waste to Landfill
➢ Developing In-plant engineered solutions that create economic value with Resource Efficiency Improvements
➢ Optimizing the effectiveness of material handling equipment as well as
material logistic solutions
➢ Responsibly managing regulated wastes Beyond the Fenceline
