NEW YORK, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- As the push to be environmentally conscious increases, many of us try to practice what we preach -- reduce-reuse-recycle. But according to the Environmental Protection Agency, 55 percent of everyday garbage and trash still ends up in giant landfills across the U.S. Now, a new extreme form of "going green," called "landfill free," is changing the landscape.
(See video from General Motors at: http://media.medialink.com/WebNR.aspx?story=35536)
Companies like Anheuser-Busch, Subaru and General Motors have committed themselves to a landfill free manufacturing process -- meaning all the materials generated as a result of regular production operations are either recycled or reused in some way. Today, twelve of GM's U.S. plants and 43 worldwide have achieved landfill free status. At these plants, everything from aluminum chips to plastic trays to used gloves are recycled and reused -- eliminating nearly 8,000 tons of waste a year. The environmental benefits of just one of these plants' waste recycling efforts include the prevention of over 44,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions being emitted into the atmosphere and the preservation of over 3,000 mature trees annually.
Increasing and improving environmental awareness is not a one man job. To achieve zero-landfill goals, companies often work with recyclers like Goodwill. These partners work to remove waste, turn it into usable parts and find homes for the products -- all while creating needed jobs and a better environment.
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