Residuals and Solid Waste Management
WE MAKE THE MOST OF EACH LOG
Weyerhaeuser uses almost every portion of every log in our manufacturing processes. In fact, we use an average of 97 percent of each log in our North American operations. Wood chips left over from making lumber are used to make pulp and paper. Logs too small for dimensional lumber are processed into engineered wood products such as oriented strand board. And we generate a substantial amount of energy from biomass fuels, including wood residuals.
Many of our mills actively seek partners and customers who are able to use wood residuals in their products or processes, further reducing waste. Obtaining maximum use of raw materials is a key consideration in process improvement, capital modifications, product changes and manufacturing operations.
CELLULOSE FIBER MILLS RESIDUAL MANAGEMENT1
Estimated pounds of residuals per ton of production
| |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
| Burned for energy2 |
3,536 |
3,483 |
3,476 |
3,387 |
3,407 |
| Deposited in landfills |
138 |
143 |
124 |
106 |
103 |
| Land-applied for soil amendment |
9 |
11 |
22 |
27 |
20 |
| Beneficially reused other than for land application |
30 |
13 |
20 |
6 |
4 |
| Recycled |
3 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
| Incinerated |
0.4 |
0.1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Disposed as hazardous waste3 |
0.02 |
0.02 |
0.594 |
0.004 |
0.005 |
WOOD PRODUCTS FACILITIES RESIDUALS MANAGEMENT
Estimated pounds of residuals per ton of production
| |
2006 |
20073 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
| Burned for energy1 |
340 |
368 |
340 |
336 |
374 |
| Deposited in landfills |
22 |
19 |
14 |
11 |
12 |
| Land-applied for soil amendment |
4 |
10 |
8 |
14 |
12 |
| Shipped off-site for use in other products |
120 |
128 |
123 |
119 |
103 |
| Beneficially reused other than for land application |
37 |
52 |
17 |
43 |
49 |
| Recycled |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| Incinerated |
0.6 |
0.2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Disposed as hazardous waste2 |
0.05 |
0.06 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
HAZARDOUS WASTE GENERATION STATUS
In 2010, 95 percent of our manufacturing facilities in the United States generated no hazardous waste or were in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's lowest-risk category for hazardous waste generation.
2010 HAZARDOUS WASTE GENERATION STATUS1 OF WEYERHAEUSER FACILITIES IN THE UNITED STATES
| |
Conditionally Exempt2 |
Small Quantity Generator |
Large Quantity Generator |
| Cellulose fibers mills |
67% |
17% |
17% |
| Wood products manufacturing facilities |
97% |
0% |
3% |
| Wood products distribution facilities and other |
100% |
0% |
0% |
Sustainability in Action
Kenora associates earn gold-level honors for waste minimization
Each fall, the Recycling Council of Ontario hosts the Waste Minimization Awards, which recognize leadership and innovation in waste reduction and elimination across industrial, commercial and institutional sectors. The council whittles down hundreds of nominees and chooses winners based on best practices and commitment to the environment.
Among the 17 winners in the business category, Weyerhaeuser’s TimberStrand® plant in Kenora, Ontario was one of only four to receive gold-level honors. In the recognition program's 25 years, the plant is also the first forest products manufacturer to win an award.
As president of Weyerhaeuser Company Limited, Anne Giardini is familiar with the eight-year-old facility and its commitment to environmental excellence.
"Kenora's leaders and associates have always focused on reducing the site's environmental footprint, and it's obvious in everything they do," she says. "Right from the beginning, they wanted to be a good neighbor — through their hiring practices, work systems and environmental program."
Cecil Burns agrees. Burns is the environmental coordinator at the TimberStrand facility, which cuts low-grade species into thin strips and bonds them together under high pressure and temperature to form studs, beams, headers and rim board. Hired at the plant's startup in 2002, he knows the environmental challenges of running an operation that produces its own energy and uses many materials to make a highly engineered product.
"From day one, people worked together to reduce our environmental impact," Burns says. "Kenora was the first site to get ISO 14001 certification for our environmental management system and has always focused on conservation and waste reduction."
Not only did Kenora win an award in the gold category, but based on the site's best practices, the council also asked Burns to help develop a standard for its new provincewide Waste Minimization Certification program.
"It means a lot," he says, "to show our associates they're recognized across Ontario for the good environmental work they do."
"You only have to spend five minutes at Kenora to see they live this philosophy every day," Giardini says. "Their commitment reflects a community spirit that transcends rules and regulations."
To reduce and eliminate waste, the operation recovers and reuses wood fiber by selling OSB-sized strands and other fiber and by cleaning up yard waste for hog fuel. In addition, the site:
- Established a structured process for removing wrap cores and pallets.
- Instituted a Blue Box program for recyclables.
- Developed a specific energy-/resource-conservation program for natural gas, diesel, propane, electricity, biomass and potable water.
- Follows a five-year waste-management plan that reviews each waste stream and opportunity for reuse, reduction or recycling.
- Conducts an annual waste audit that goes beyond environmental-regulation requirements.
RECYCLING
In addition to these best practices relating to wood fiber, our manufacturing operations recycle other materials where possible. These efforts add up — in 2010, over 3.7 million tons of waste were recycled and diverted from landfill.
PERCENT OF FACILITIES REPORTING RECYCLING THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS IN 2010
|
|
| Post-consumer paper |
80% |
| Plastics |
58% |
| Metal |
77% |
| Batteries - vehicle |
80% |
| Batteries – other |
75% |
| Used Tires |
72% |
| Used Oil |
81% |
| Beverage containers |
75% |
| Corrugated Cardboard |
70% |
| Wood pallets, dunnage and construction debris |
60% |
NORPAC, a joint venture in which Weyerhaeuser owns 50 percent, produces newsprint and premium uncoated mechanical papers for publishers and printers. These products are made using some post-consumer recycled content.
The NORPAC facility has the capacity to consume 600 to 700 tons of recycled newspapers daily, the equivalent of more than 1.5 million newspapers. That's the same number of old newspapers collected daily in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
Our use of recovered paper keeps it out of landfills and ensures we get the maximum value out of wood fiber.
Can all paper eventually be made from recovered paper? The answer is no.
Wood fiber gradually wears out, and a single fiber in a sheet of paper can be recycled only between four and 10 times. Beyond that limit, the fiber loses its strength and is no longer useful in making new paper. Papermakers must introduce a continuous stream of new fiber to replace fiber weakened through repeated recycling.
Recycling in office buildings
Our expanded recycling program in our Corporate Headquarters region includes composting food waste from our cafeterias, which diverts hundreds of tons of material from landfill. In 2010, our efforts resulted in approximately 75 percent of our residuals being recycled or composted.
Recycling in our manufacturing operations
Our manufacturing operations also recycle materials where feasible. In 2010, 80 percent of our operations recycled post-consumer paper.
