Eaton's Mississauga Ontario Electrical Distribution Centre Honored for Reducing Waste, GHG Emissions through Zero Waste-to-Landfill Program

February 18, 2015

Mississauga, Ontario — Power management company Eaton is honoring its Mississauga Distribution Centre facility in Ontario, Canada, for achieving “zero waste-to-landfill” by nearly eliminating all wastes sent to landfills through recycling, re-use, new work processes and other means.

Eaton is encouraging its sites to achieve zero waste-to-landfill as part of its waste management program and also as a means to reduce the release of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas and potential contributor to global warming. In 2013, Eaton reduced its landfill wastes by approximately 18 percent, or 4,900 metric tons, as part of a global zero waste-to-landfill program. Together, more than 40 Eaton sites around the world have eliminated 2,500 metric tons of CO2, which is released during the transportation and storage of landfilled wastes.

“Waste reduction is an achievable and environmentally responsible goal for our facility and our community,” said Steve Long, plant manager, Mississauga Distribution Centre. “Doing what’s right for the environment is part of our culture of doing business right.”

The facility warehouses and distributes electrical products for the Canadian market and also encompasses corporate offices.

Eaton defines “zero waste-to-landfill” as consistently achieving a landfill waste diversion rate of 98 percent through either reuse, composting, recycling, or incineration – but only if the heat generated by incineration is collected and used in order to create more energy than was required for the incineration process. Eaton zero-waste sites undergo an intensive audit process that includes verifying that at least 98 percent of a site's waste is diverted consistently for three months.

The Mississauga facility’s waste reduction program began in 2013. A plan was developed that called for landfilled materials such as metal scrap, cardboard, pallets, plastic, general office trash and other wastes to be recycled, reused, converted to energy or eliminated from work processes. Employee training was another major plan component.

“Projects such as zero waste-to-landfill help deliver the environmental performance that reflect Eaton’s commitment to be a leader in sustainable business practices,” said Harold Jones, senior vice president for Environment, Health and Safety, Eaton. “And, we are striving to get better. Eaton has pledged to reduce GHG emissions by 25 percent, indexed to sales, in 2015. It all starts with our employees generating the ideas and enthusiasm to help reach Eaton’s goal.”

Eaton is a power management company with 2014 sales of $22.6 billion. Eaton provides energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more efficiently, safely and sustainably. Eaton has approximately 102,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries.