Establishing and Implementing a Waste Minimization Program in the Chemical and Oil Industries

Abstract

The incentives for establishing and the expertise for implementing successful waste minimization programs can be found in every company. The “in-house” expertise that discovers, designs, builds and manages manufacturing processes understand chemicals and chemical processes, and are the best equipped to manage and reduce waste. It is the responsibility of all companies that manufacture a product or generate a waste to understand the meaning of proper waste management hierarchy, waste minimization as the first and most important option to pursue. Neither regulators nor environmentalists will ever understand the unique and specific individual means available to a company for effectively incorporating waste minimization into the daily organization structure of its business or manufacturing process. However, if industry does not re-emphasize the need for waste minimization and begin to initiate more organized waste minimization programs and ultimately demonstrate progress, then government, with the assistance of environmental groups, will develop legislation, and an opportunity to design truly effective waste minimization efforts and to control the manufacturing process will be lost. Manufacturing processes are very diverse and complex, like people, each plant site and unit has unique characteristics. Hence, no one solution or approach to waste minimization can be a panacea. However, there are several similarities with the basic program elements and organizational structure that can be communicated and shared by manufacturing companies to effectively start or augment existing waste minimization programs. Many companies have already successfully established and implemented programs which contain the key ingredients such as dedicated group to manage the program, a defined target of waste to reduce, and a means to track the performance of the program.