Costs of waste generation

A major issue for manufacturing processes is the need to minimise the generation of waste, whether it be solid, liquid or gaseous. The reasons for this are two-fold Firstly the need to operate within agreed regulatory consent limits for emissions and waste disposal, and secondly the increasing cost of waste generation and treatment. 

Figure 2.2. summarises the basic aspects which make up the key costs of waste generation. As can be seen, there is a complex web of inter-relationships which go far beyond pure money considerations. It extends over the activities and future viability of the whole enterprise. With such wide coverage, it can be seen that the earlier statement suggesting that the impact of waste costs is inversely proportional to the scale of business, can clearly be justified. The overall impact on smaller companies could be terminal. Larger companies can better afford the infra-structures necessary to deal with the various aspects but, ultimately, reducing the overall costs of waste will provide significant benefits in all areas of operation. 

Segregation of hazardous from nonhazardous waste streams, of one type of hazardous waste from another, and of liquid from solid waste can greatly facilitate waste management operations, and result in lower volumes of waste generated and reduced management costs. 

The cost of the Duolite GT-73 is much higher than the other resins selected in the Navy study. The volume of waste generated at our facility is a thousand times less than the volume generated in the Navy study and the local discharge limit is not as low. Therefore one of the other three resins may be more cost-effective. 

Costs of waste processing (less waste generated in process-intensive plants)... 

Onsite recycling It is the reuse of waste materials at the site of generation. It may be used in the same or another process (like the reuse of cleaning washes and of solvents in the production process). This type of recycling reduces the cost of raw materials as well as the cost of waste disposal. 

There are numerous areas of environmental concern that can be directly influenced by the consumer s actions. The first issue, which is described above, is that of waste generation. Second, energy conservation has significantly affected Americans and has resulted in cost-saving... 

The inefficient equipment can be replaced to reduce waste generation. The required capital for new equipment can be justified by the higher productivity, the reduction of raw material costs, and the reduction of waste generation and its management. Many equipment changes are inexpensive and simple that make their use imperative, considering the cost of the reduced waste material. 

Because of the high costs of waste disposal and treatment, regulatory pressures, and concerns about legal liabilities, industries are scrutinizing their hazardous-waste-generation practices. This applies not only to process wastes, but also to wastes from the cleaning of process equipment. 

It is important, however, that the above-listed benefits are not gained at the expense of synthetic efficiency. Even a small decrease in yield, catalyst turnover or selectivity of a reaction can lead to a substantial increase in cost and the amount of waste generated. Fortunately, many theoretical and practical advantages of the use of water as a solvent for organic synthesis exist. These will be elaborated upon later but are briefly introduced here ... 

In conclusion, at the Input/Output stage (Level 2) the computation of the Economic Potential considers only material costs, including the treatment of waste generated by by-products and impurities, following the relation ... 

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