OREANDA-NEWS. Power management company Eaton is recognizing its aerospace facility in Irvine, CA, for achieving “zero waste-to-landfill” by nearly eliminating all wastes sent to landfills through recycling, re-use, new work processes and other means.

Eaton is encouraging its manufacturing sites to achieve zero waste-to-landfill as part of its waste management program and also as a means to reduce the release of greenhouse gases (GHG) associated with landfills, especially methane, a GHG 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. In 2015, Eaton reduced its landfilled wastes by over 23 percent -- more than 6,000 metric tons -- as part of a global zero waste-to-landfill program. This eliminated 5,300 metric tons of CO2 that otherwise would have been released during the transportation and storage of landfilled wastes in 2015. Together, 90 Eaton sites around the world have achieved the goal of sending zero waste to the landfill, including 30% of our manufacturing sites.

“Waste reduction is environmentally responsible and the right thing to do for our facility and our community,” said Ricardo Sandoval, plant manager. “Doing what’s right for the environment is part of our culture of doing business right.”

The 180 employees working at the facility produce The Irvine, California facility manufacturers and supports airframe fuel pumps and systems including boost pumps, transfer pumps, in-line pumps refueling sub-systems, fuel feed sub-systems, aerial refueling pumps, and fuel computers.

Eaton defines “zero waste-to-landfill” as consistently achieving a landfill waste diversion rate of 98 percent through either reuse, composting, recycling, or incineration – but only if the heat generated by incineration is collected and used in order to create more energy than was required for the incineration process. Eaton zero-waste sites undergo an intensive audit process that includes verifying that at least 98 percent of a site's waste is diverted consistently for three months.

The Irvine facility’s waste reduction program began in 2015. A plan was developed that called for landfilled materials such as metal scrap, cardboard, pallets, plastic, general office trash and other wastes to be recycled, reused, converted to energy or eliminated from work processes. Employee training was another major plan component.