For the past 12 years, the Governor's Awards for Excellence in Waste Reduction have recognized North Carolina businesses and industries that demonstrate excellence in eliminating and reducing wastes. The awards program honors large and small businesses for their successful efforts to protect the environment and public health through source reduction recycling and reuse. The winners are selected by a panel of five judges representing industry, government, and the general public. Each applicant is evaluated for:
- environmental and economic benefits,
- technological innovation,
- management commitment, and
- leadership in communicating awareness to others.
The award winners and case studies for the 1993 Governor's Award for Excellence in Waste Reduction were presented by Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., at a reception on September 21, 1994. Kemet Electronics of Shelby and PolyMask of Conover won the highest honors, Outstanding Achievement Awards, for the large and small business categories, respectively. Memorex Telex of Raleigh and CommScope of Catawba received Significant Achievement Awards for the large business category. These companies have demonstrated that waste reduction can make a facility more profitable, competitive, and environmentally friendly. The 1993 cumulative waste avoidance costs, material and labor savings, and earnings from material sales by these four companies amount to over $5,000,000. A summary of these outstanding accomplishments in waste reduction follows.
Outstanding Achievement for Large Business: Kemet Electronics, Shelby, NC
Kemet Electronics produces ceramic capacitors for televisions, computers, cellular phones, missiles, airplanes, and space shuttles. The capacitors are made of numerous layers of ceramic sheeting which produces considerable amounts of wastes that are strictly regulated and expensive to properly manage. Kemet won top honors for the large business category by eliminating a lead-based waste stream and significantly reducing solid waste and air emissions at the Shelby facility.
- Traditionally, a lead-based dielectric was used for the ceramic bodies of the capacitors. In 1993, Kemet took on the challenge to replace the lead-based material with one that is less hazardous and easier to manage. As a result, the lead-based product was replaced with a barium-based dielectric that is continually reused, and 474,000 pounds of lead-based wastes were eliminated. The company has realized annual savings of $96,000 in disposal costs.
- To further minimize wastes from the manufacturing process, Kemet designed and implemented a process to reclaim residual product and reuse it as raw material. All scrap capacitor sheeting is collected and reused to make the less critical layers of the ceramic chips. Reuse of the residual material reduces by half the amount of mix and preparation time required for virgin product. The 1993 savings from this collection and reuse waste reduction technique are $814,000 in material purchases are 44,000 pounds in solid waste generation.
- Kemet's multimedia approach in waste minimization also led to impressive reductions in 1,1,1-trichloroethane air emissions. This solvent, which is one of the most widely used ozone-depleting substances, was used as a release agent in the sheet-forming process. In May 1993, Kemet implemented a waste-based carrier system that eliminates the use of 1,1,1-trichloroethane. The water is consumed during the sheet forming and removal process and does not create a new waste stream. The new release agent, which is not regulated and non-polluting, has saved Kemet $27,000 annually in solvent waste management costs.
For 1993, these projects saved Kemet a total of $941,000 in material and disposal costs.
This facility has also taken a leadership role in its community to protect and preserve the public health and environment of its citizens. In 1991 and in conjunction with the Shelby Chamber of Commerce, Kemet established a countywide Industrial Environmental Group that meets monthly to share information on environmental issues. Kemet Electronics is well deserving of the outstanding achievement award for its accomplishments in waste elimination and reduction. This facility represents a company that chose not to be satisfied with regulatory compliance but to make an extra effort to modify manufacturing procedures and equipment to prevent waste generation. Kemet's investment in time, money, and effort in pollution prevention has resulted in a more efficient and productive facility.
Outstanding Achievement for Small Business: Polymask Corporation, Conover, NC
The winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award for the small business category, PolyMask, manufactures protective tapes for polished metals, electronics, furniture, and other surfaces.
During tape manufacturing, a water-based acrylic adhesive is applied to polyethylene film. The adhesives stick and accumulate to the coating equipment. The adhered materials must be removed routinely and the equipment cleaned with toluene. The use of this cleaner created most of the solvent wastes at the facility.
PolyMask developed an employee training and solvent management program to reduce the quantities of solvent wastes.
- Employees are trained on waste identification and generation and the effect of waste on the company's profits and their jobs.
- All solvents and kept in a locked safety cabinet, and employees must receive supervisor permission to access the materials. A record of solvent usage is also maintained.
- To further reduce solvent wastes, PolyMask had the surfaces of the coating station and other application equipment coated with Teflon, which allows the adhesive to dry without sticking to the surfaces. The dried material is now removed by dry methods without solvents.
- As a result of the employee awareness program and design of special material-handling appliances, the amounts of waste adhesive and tape were significantly reduced.
- The reductions also improved working conditions and employee safety at the facility.
- By segregating, collecting, and recycling polyethylene, PolyMask has reduced landfill waste by 56 percent.
PolyMask is a small business that has succeeded in source reduction, employee involvement, and recycling.
Significant Achievement Award: Commscope, Catawba, NC
CommScope is the world's largest producer of fiber optic and coaxial cable for the cable television industry. The cables manufactured by CommScope are made of polyethylene dielectric which are blown to a specified density. The chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) Freon 11-12 was formerly used as the blowing agent.
- To eliminate use of ozone-depleting CFCs, CommScope switched to an inert, environmentally friendly gas.
- Other environmental successes include a recycling and reuse program for the wooden reels on which the cable is shipped. The reels can be returned by customers for reuse, and those that participate receive financial credits.
CommScope also analyzed each waste stream to determine the potential for material reclamation, recycling, and reuse. Collection and selling of these waste materials have resulted in significant environmental and financial benefits for the company.
In 1993, with 36,569 reels returned for reuse and 11,053,000 pounds of recyclables sold, total sales and savings were $3,464,000. This corporation has proven that waste reduction results in both sizable profits and environmental benefits. This success story illustrates that a North Carolina business can provide a healthy environment and sound economy for its employees and community.
Significant Achievement Award: Memorex Telex, Raleigh, NC
Memorex Telex provides a wide variety of networking and storage products and systems along with a comprehensive advanced services offering. The array of products available from Memorex Telex includes:
- displays,
- controllers,
- printers,
- tape and disk storage,
- superservers,
- gateways,
- emulators,
- personal computers, and
- hubs.
Because these products are typically fragile and expensive, a large quantity of packaging materials is required to protect the products during shipping and handling. Memorex Telex was challenged to design minimal packaging that would provide the necessary protection and also would be easy to separate and recycle.
To reduce the amount of materials used, the Raleigh facility developed innovative packaging designs for the assembled products.
- The cushioning in all containers has been reconfigured to stay in place without adhesives.
- The packaging materials are purchased from a recycler when possible.
- Disposable assembly trays have been replaced with plastic reusable units.
- The company also replaced 200-pound-test, double-wall corrugated cartons with 250-pound-test, single-wall cartons for a reduction of 74 trailerloads of corrugated cardboard per year.
- Stringent specifications for incoming packaging materials have been written. The containers must be constructed according to requirements and cannot contain foam products with CFCs and inks with heavy metals.
- The final assembled products are shipped out in the original incoming packaging materials and containers.
- Memorex Telex has also made agreements with suppliers that all goods provided to them are environmentally friendly and can be reused or recycled.
The net effect of these efforts to reduce the amount of packaging materials used to improve recyclability resulted in a savings of $639,000 in 1993.
1994 Governor's Awards for Excellence in Waste Reduction: Case Study Honorees
Other entries in the 1994 awards program also demonstrated noteworthy contributions to North Carolina's pollution prevention and waste reduction efforts. The following companies received special recognition as facility case study honorees in the 1994 competition:
- Alandale Knitting Co., Troy
- IBM Corporation, Research Triangle Park
- American & Efird, Mt. Holly
- Miller Brewing Company, Eden
- Amoco Fabrics and Fibers, Rocky Mount
- Mitsubishi Semiconductor America, Inc., Durham
- Flynt Fabrics, Inc., Hillsborough
- PCA/Jackson Paper Manufacturing Company, Sylva
- Hornwood, Wadesboro
- Reliance Electric Engineered Motor Plant, Kings Mountain
The Office of Waste Reduction will be soliciting applications for the 1994 Governor's Awards via a mailing in November this year. Applications will be due February 1, 1995. Contact Norma Murphy of the Pollution Prevention Program at (919) 571-4100 for more information.