Page 442 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

420 PRIMARY AND FABRICATED METAL INDUSTRIES

■ Purity—Measures the contamination in the pure metal; most recycling vendors
establish minimum contamination levels for acceptance
■ Contamination—Measures the amount or level of harmful materials in contact with
the metals, such as hazardous cutting fluids or cleaning agents
■ Ease of collection—Rates the level of difficulty required for the facility to collect
the metal materials for recycling
■ Marketability—Measures the ability to contract with vendors to perform recycling
operations
■ Sortability—Measures the ability to sort the various metals for recycling
■ Public support—Measures the level of public awareness for recycling metals; the
higher the level, the greater the impact of public opinion on the organization to recycle
■ Legislative support—Measures the amount of government support and assistance
for recycling metals; includes government grant and support programs

32.5 Potential Technologies

and Strategies

One of the most cost-effective strategies to minimize waste is to reduce the amount of
scrap generated by reduction of off-specification products. This can be accomplished
via statistical process control and data analysis.
Consider outsourcing of nonessential sheet metal operations. Carrier Corporation gen-
erates scrap metal (copper, aluminum, and steel) from the fabrication processes through-
out the Carrier Plant. Fabrication includes the following processes: heavy presses, brake
presses, fin presses, cutoff shears, uncoilers and straighteners, maintenance, and tool and
die operations. Their current strategy is to continue with the outsourcing of nonessential
sheet metal fabrication throughout the plant. Educate the hourly and salary workforce and
explain to them the adverse factors of the waste that is being generated from the fabrica-
tion process. Educate all employees of the benefits from recycling the metal products we
use and ask them to participate. Urge employees for suggestions to help minimize waste
generation in their work areas and all other areas of the plant. Develop vendor certifica-
tion to ensure purchased scrap contains only trace amounts of lead.
Loss prevention and housekeeping are two low-cost methods to reduce solid waste.
Introducing inspections methods for incoming raw material will avoid the disposal of
unusable or damaged material, hence reducing scrap. Ordering materials in reusable
packaging will reduce the disposal of these containers and may reduce the need for
cleaning incoming materials.

32.6 Implementation and Approach

The segregation of metal dust and scrap by type is the best method to increase the
value of the metals for resale. When on-site recycling is not possible due to space or
economic constraints, utilize a subcontractor—most will take these materials at no
cost due to the relatively high resale value.