Page 460 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

438 INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL MACHINERY INCLUDING AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING

34.4 Constraints and Considerations

The machinery and automotive-manufacturing sector faces several unique challenges
and considerations. As mentioned in the previous section, the economy of this sector
has taken a downturn, reducing potential funding for environmental projects. This cre-
ates a situation where only low-cost process changes may be justified and larger
capital-investment projects may have to be put on hold.
A key consideration in this sector is public image. Competition can be fierce and the
perception of a brand can significantly impact sales and customer loyalty. Many of these
organizations are using advertising to demonstrate their levels of environmental aware-
ness in terms of waste reduction and lower vehicle admissions. This also trends to the
suppliers in this sector, creating pressure for these organizations to become green as
well. This impacts the supply chain and purchasing decisions throughout the industry.
Another constraint that is gaining support from headquarter offices is to implement
waste reduction or any other similar projects. Particularly in the automotive sector, the
decision process to justify capital expenditures extends well beyond the facility. In
some cases, even if a proposed project is justified economically it can be rejected at
the headquarter level due to lack of capital funds or the lack of perceived integration
into corporate strategy.
From a facility level, constraints and considerations include contamination issues
and the use of available space to stage and store recyclables. Cutting fluids, oils, and
paints are used frequently in machinery manufacturing. If not controlled properly,
these fluids can contaminate normally recyclable materials, rendering them hazardous,
for example, if lubricating oil from a crankshaft contaminates wood pallets. From a
space standpoint, many manufacturing facilities are utilizing all available space, cre-
ating difficulties when an area must be identified to stage recyclables. This applies to
both the interior and exterior of the building. Loading dock congestion and determin-
ing an outside space to stage a roll-off recycling container can be challenging.

34.5 Potential Technologies

and Strategies

Several low-cost strategies are available to reduce or eliminate solid waste generation.
Once the waste audit has been conducted and annual generation amounts and compo-
sitions have been determined, the hierarchy of solid waste reduction can be applied to
reduce, reuse, and recycle components of the waste stream. Several very common
waste minimization applications in the sector, in order of preference, include

■ Waste elimination—Several process changes or packaging can be implemented to
eliminate waste. This range from reducing packaging materials, scrap and defect
rates, paperless faxes, and setting copier defaults to print on both sides of the paper.
■ Waste reuse—Several relatively simple options exist to reuse materials that have
been traditionally disposed of at landfills. Two very common examples are pallets