GM’s Quest for “Zero Landfill”

February 15, 2012 4:00 pm ET

Not only is the Chevy Volt doing its part to clean up our environment, but so is the factory it’s manufactured in:  bringing one bag of trash to the curb each week provides more trash to landfills than GM’s factories!

Let’s let that sink in for a minute….

GM is taking major strides in the auto manufacturing industry to ensure that its plants are using every bit of material they possibly can.  81 of GM’s manufacturing facilities are 0 landfill plants.  Not 1 percent goes into landfills.  How is that possible?  GM’s taking every stride to recycle and 97% of extra waste that comes off the line go right back into the production of the next car.  But what about the other 3%? Energy! What GM can’t recycle is reused to provide energy for the plants.

And where lesser groups would have stopped, GM powered on.  New ideas such as turning 227 miles of old oil containment booms into Air Deflectors for the Chevy Volt is just one example of the thinking behind GM’s zero landfill quest. Realizing that cardboard from the packaging of parts was a major issue, GM mandated that their suppliers tighten their belts and cut back on extra packaging.  Some of GM’s plants are now landfill free because it takes it’s cardboard packaging to recycling centers.   One of GM’s Michigan plants actually decided to cut the middle man out and start using a fully biodegradable option, cornstarch, in their manufacturing process.  So next time you drive and see a Chevy Volt, just remember that it was made in a facility that cherishes the environment.

To read more about how GM is cleaning up the auto industry visit GM’s Quest for Zero Landfill

All photos are of GM recycling at their plants