As the push to be environmentally conscious increases and Earth Day approaches, many of us try to practice what we preach – reduce-reuse-recycle. But according to the Environmental Protection Agency, 55 percent of everyday garbage still ends up in giant landfills across the U.S. Now, a new extreme form of “going green” called “landfill free” is changing the landscape.
Companies like Anheuser-Busch, Subaru and General Motors have committed themselves to a landfill free manufacturing process, meaning all materials generated as a result of regular production operations are recycled or reused in some way. GM’s Flint Engine South Plant is one of the first manufacturing facilities in the U.S. to achieve zero waste. The environmental benefits of the plant's waste recycling efforts include the prevention of over 44,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions being emitted into the atmosphere, and the preservation of over 3,000 mature trees annually.
