Waste & Spills
As we continue to develop innovative solutions for our customers, our environmental impact is a constant consideration.
We acknowledge the potential impact that solid waste disposal or spills of hazardous materials could have on the environment in our local communities. Therefore, we take a targeted approach to minimize waste through a hierarchy of management practices, and we work toward zero spills at our facilities. We also believe that finding alternative uses for waste materials and byproducts presents opportunities to further contribute to a circular economy. As such, we have updated our waste goal to reduce the amount of waste generated at our facilities that is not beneficially reused or used for energy recovery by 20% and to ultimately eliminate waste disposal from our production facilities.
In 2021, we installed a new air pollution control system at our Franklin, LA, USA facility, which resulted in a new waste stream of gypsum. This, in addition to an increase in overall production, has dampened the positive effect of our waste reduction initiatives. We are working to identify beneficial use outlets for the gypsum byproduct produced by the newly installed air pollution control system in Franklin, LA. Our total waste generation decreased by 45% from 2020. This change was driven by a planned reduction in hazardous waste at one facility which utilizes deep well injection.