Updated March 2025
Two of the latest buzzwords being thrown around by large and successful manufacturers in North America are zero waste and zero landfill. Taking this approach to your waste management proves that your company is acting responsibly enough to either completely limit the amount of waste your process produces or that you've been canny enough to find ways to sell or recycle the waste that you do have.
In other words, zero waste means you're operating at peak efficiency.
Zero Waste vs. Zero Landfill
Practically speaking, the concept of zero waste has yet to be fully realized, although many manufacturers have made enormous strides. Most businesses that have focused on waste elimination have taken the approach of recycling or reusing waste products, thus being able to claim the accolade of achieving zero landfill.
Honda is a prime example of how zero-waste initiatives can be realized in practice. Many of the automotive manufacturer's facilities have been certified as zero waste to landfill, dating back to their plant in Lincoln, Alabama, achieving this in 2001. Honda's Triple Action to Zero approach includes a goal of achieving 100% use of sustainable materials, alongside net zero CO2 emissions and 100% utilization of carbon-free energy.
Zero waste isn't just a goal for industry; it's also a keen focus for governments and regulators. The city of San Francisco has implemented a Striving for Zero Waste program that aims to prevent waste, reduce and reuse first, and increase recycling and composting. So far, the program has achieved an impressive 80% reduction in waste sent to landfills.
Why Zero Waste Works
Of course, the end goal of zero waste is difficult to guarantee and achieve, as it ultimately means that not a single scrap of waste was generated or thrown out instead of being resold, repurposed, or recycled.
However, this doesn't mean zero waste is a failed concept - quite the contrary. Rather, zero waste should be a guiding principle for all manufacturers. It is the act of striving for zero waste itself that is leading the manufacturing industry to be greener and more cost-efficient. By embracing zero waste as a concept, industry leaders are improving their resource management and making progress toward significant waste reductions.
Waste reduction isn't just about "being green" – it's a money-saving technique that has proven itself time and time again to be a worthwhile investment. At the most basic level, the more waste you produce, the more waste you need to ship out and/or process. And that means the more frequently you have to pay for waste management.
The zero landfill facility literally pays nothing for shipping waste to a landfill. And fewer trucks shipping waste means fewer emissions and a smaller carbon footprint.
In one case, an ERA client was able to track their waste output to discover that money was being lost in a paint spray booth due to inefficient practices. By tracking (and then reducing) this waste, they were able to save some significant money.
Implementing Zero Waste
Even though some large and international businesses are making some major moves toward zero waste, it's not solely the realm of big industry. Even small & medium businesses can experience serious benefits from reducing their waste generation.
In fact, the best way to start is to incorporate the basic building blocks of any sustainability project – those same ones taught to you in school – reduce, reuse, & recycle. (You can read our popular article on the Three R's for manufacturing here).
The other important step is to make smarter choices about the materials you use in your facility well before they ever get used in your processes. By engaging in Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP), you can cut off a lot of your waste generation at the source. Read more about it here.
Pursuing Zero Waste Certification
Organizations can choose to demonstrate their commitment to zero-waste goals through third-party certifications. Going through this process can improve an organization's reputation among the public, industry partners, and investors. However, there are many different companies that provide certification, and they vary in their reputation and rigor.
SCS Global Services provides a wide range of certifications, validation, and verifications for organizations, including their Zero Waste Facility Certification. The certification process includes an onsite audit where facilities must demonstrate at least 50% waste diversion.
Green Business Certification Inc (GBCI) provides third-party credentialing and verification across a variety of environmental and sustainability areas. Their Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) certification has been sought out for facilities at Microsoft, Tesla, and more. Organizations must achieve 90% waste diversion.
Meeting the standards set by these and other third-party certification bodies requires providing accurate and reliable data on your waste management practices. ERA's Hazardous Waste Management Software automates the entire waste management process, providing robust data on the treatment, reuse, and disposal of both hazardous and non-hazardous waste.
Exploring New Avenues for Waste Minimization
One of the key reasons why zero waste represents such a challenge is that every facility faces its own unique hurdles to overcome. Manufacturers aren't facing a single problem here, but instead countless projects aimed at improving operations, exploring alternative technologies, and reducing waste.
Luckily, committed manufacturers can find just as many solutions as there are challenges – if not more. There's no end to the innovative ways that organizations can reduce, reuse, & recycle. The team at ERA Environmental has developed a variety of waste minimization guidance documents that explore actionable steps to reduce waste across a wide range of industries and processes. These documents are free to download, so please take a look, and you might just find something that works for your organization.
We'd also love to hear about any unique ways that your operations are cutting waste and avoiding landfill to meet your zero-waste goals!
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