Case Studies

HVACR Manufacturer

Customer Profile

A leading provider of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) systems, components, controls and services for residential, industrial and transportation applications, in addition to food service equipment.

Situation

  1. In two of the company’s plants wood pallets were being sent directly to landfills, resulting in high disposal costs.

Solution

  • Developed a separate wood waste diversion plan for each facility:
    • Texas: Used 100% of wood from pallets as boiler fuel to generate electricity and steam for company plants.
    • Georgia: Focused on recycling 100% of wood through reuse and rebuilding of pallets, as well as grinding remaining materials for mulch.

Financial and Environmental Benefits

  1. Texas:
    1. 446 tons of wood diverted from landfills annually.
    2. $48,000 estimated savings per year, cutting costs by 29%.
  • Georgia:
    • 430 tons of wood diverted from landfills annually.
    • $20,000 estimated savings per year, cutting costs by 20%.

Working Towards Zero

  1. Both wood waste diversion programs are highly scalable and offer the potential for replication to realize an even greater cost savings.