NewAge Industries is now a zero-waste organization, according to the company. All of the tubing manufacturer’s waste is reportedly reused, recycled or disposed of by combustion at a local EfW (energy from waste) facility.
“This has been a goal of ours as part of our sustainability program,” says Ken Baker, CEO. “We went solar in 2011. Plant investments followed in the form of new windows, energy efficient lighting, building insulation and high efficiency motors and capacitors. Going landfill free was a logical step.”
As a manufacturer of plastic and rubber tubing, NewAge generates waste material during the production process. Plastic tubing that is extruded at the start of a production run is a manufacturing by-product; it isn’t used until the tubing meets the required dimensions. This scrapped material, of which there can be thousands of pounds each year, is reused and made into new tubing whenever possible. Some rubber tubing scrap is able to be recycled as well and is incorporated into other industrial products.
NewAge has reportedly had a recycling plan in place for well over 20 years. Each team member has two trash containers: a black one for non-recyclable waste and another in blue for recyclable materials such as paper, plastic and glass. Separate containers store both types of waste outdoors before pick up and transport to an appropriate facility, either a recycler or an EfW facility. Used cardboard boxes and cardboard packaging is recycled separately. It, too, goes into its own container, where it is compacted into manageable bundles for recycling.
Non-recyclable trash is taken to a nearby EfW facility and burned as part of an energy recovery system. There, metals are removed from the waste and recycled, and the remaining trash is burned and used to heat water. The heated water is converted to steam, which then drives turbine generators to produce electricity.
For more information, visit: www.newageindustries.com
