Waste reduction

We focus our waste reduction efforts on diverting waste from the landfill in order to reduce our environmental footprint, conserve valuable operational resources and help the communities that we serve.

Our zero waste-to-landfill programme has engaged our employees in sustainability and removed waste and GHGs from landfills in our local communities. It also supports our operational excellence and manufacturing efforts by focusing on redesigning our processes to eliminate waste.

In 2010 we committed to reducing our waste to landfill by 30 per cent, indexed to sales, by 2015. We significantly beat that goal through the success of our zero waste-to-landfill programme, reducing our landfill waste by 44 per cent during the period.  

We encourage our facilities to achieve zero waste-to-landfill as part of their waste management programme and also as a means to reduce the release of GHG associated with landfills, especially methane, a GHG 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

An Eaton facility is designated as a zero waste-to-landfill site when it consistently achieves a diversion rate of 98 per cent through recycling, reuse, composting or incineration (when the heat generated is collected and used to create more energy than required for incineration). We modelled our zero-waste benchmark on standards set by an internationally recognised certifying organisation.

Zero waste-to-landfill is a goal set by our most senior leadership. Our programme prioritises beneficial diversion (source reduction, then beneficial reuse, then recycling).

Eaton facilities participating in zero waste-to-landfill will:

• Emphasise source reduction by reducing the total amount of waste generated and, where possible, by removing waste streams entirely.
• Identify new suppliers, where possible, to divert remaining waste streams from a landfill. Zero-waste sites typically deploy a combination of recycling, re-use, composting and incineration (with energy recovery).
• Engage employees to cultivate a culture where diverting waste from landfill is standard practice. Activities such as “dumpster dives,” suggestion boxes, games and prizes help to encourage participation.
• Capitalise on efficiencies of scale. Best practices are shared among sites in specific regions or with similar operations. In North America, for example, our waste management broker helps identify common solutions for all our sites in the region.

Internal audits are conducted to ensure site compliance with the zero waste-to-landfill programme benchmarks. Audits include the validation of diversion rates, diversion methods and reported data.

All Eaton sites must manage waste responsibly in accordance with regulations and our internal EHS Management (MESH) standards, including identifying all waste streams and creating waste minimisation plans.

Eaton is proud to have strong internal processes and controls for managing our sustainability performance. Many of these controls connect individuals and teams across our company and include management at each level of the organisation.

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Our emphasis on zero waste-to-landfill energises our sites into action and has inspired them to reduce their waste sent to landfill in excess of our annual reduction percentage goals.

In 2014, the year the programme was launched, 15 of our sites were certified as zero waste-to-landfill. To date, over 120 Eaton sites are zero waste-to-landfill.

Indexed to sales, our waste to landfill, which includes waste incinerated without heat recovery, decreased by 6.8 per cent in 2017 compared to 2016. On an absolute basis, we decreased our waste generation by 4.2 % (from 26,200 metric tons in 2016 to 25,000 in 2017), a total decrease of 1,098 metric tons.