Waste Reduction 

Activities of Selected

WasteWi$e Partners

Electric Power Industry

United States 

Environmental Protection 

Agency

EPA530-R-97-017

August 1997

1EPA

Solid Waste

and Emergency Response

(5306W)
WasteWi$e is a voluntary partnership

program aimed at reducing municipal solid waste. Partners set waste

prevention and recycling goals, as well as goals

for buying or manufacturing products with recycled content. Each year, partners report on their

progress in meeting waste reduction goals to

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

In 1996, WasteWi$e began a study of solid

waste reduction practices within the electric utility industry, through a combination of site visits,

interviews, and literature reviews. This report

highlights some of the most effective and innovative solid waste reduction activities

implemented by the industry. While EPA considers coal ash to be an industrial waste as

opposed to municipal solid waste, this report

also documents ways utility partners are reducing coal ash. EPA included this waste stream in

the report because partners have undertaken

innovative waste reduction efforts in this area

and because coal ash constitutes such a large

portion of the utility waste stream. 

During the study, WasteWi$e worked with the

following partner utilities: Baltimore Gas &

Electric, Commonwealth Edison, Florida Power

Corporation, Florida Power & Light, Illinois

Power, Northeast Utilities, Northern States Power,

Pacific Gas & Electric, Pennsylvania Power &

Light, and Public Service Electric & Gas.

This report was compiled with the assistance of

the Edison Electric Institute, a WasteWi$e

endorser. Edison Electric Institute helped select

the utilities profiled and reviewed the content of

this report prior to publication.

i

FOREWORD
Foreword................................................................i

Chapter 1

Making Waste Reduction a Success ......................2

Chapter 2

Waste Reduction Opportunities: 

Generating Stations ..............................................4

Chapter 3

Waste Reduction Opportunities: 

Distribution and Transmission ................................7

Chapter 4

Waste Reduction Opportunities: Investment 

Recovery and Warehouse Operations ..................11

Chapter 5

Additional Opportunities for 

Waste Reduction ....................................................14

Conclusion ............................................................16

Appendix: WasteWi$e Utility Partner Profiles

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Solid waste management is an area many utilities are

examining. Waste reduction initiatives are helping utilities to reduce purchasing, transportation, and disposal

costs, as well as to conserve resources. Many utilities

have been recycling scrap metal and other materials for

years; however, the more ambitious programs covered in

this report emphasize waste prevention activities such as

reconditioning and reuse of materials. In fact, waste prevention programs are now integral to many utilities’

strategic business plans. 

Waste prevention—eliminating waste before it is created—is the hallmark of the WasteWi$e program.

Partner organizations, including utilities, assess their

current operations to identify areas where waste can be

prevented, establish waste prevention goals, and then

take action to achieve those goals.

Based on the experiences of WasteWi$e partners,

including utilities, manufacturers, and service providers,

three key elements are necessary for a successful solid

waste reduction program:

2

T

he U.S. electric power industry is

undergoing a series of changes

fueled, in part, by the move toward

deregulation. Traditionally, utilities have been

heavily regulated, but impending deregulation is prompting these utilities to closely

examine their operations and seek opportunities to improve efficiency. Utilities are

merging, consolidating vendors, reducing

their labor and compliance costs, and seeking new profit centers to remain competitive.

CHAPTER 1

MAKING WASTE REDUCTION A SUCCESS
• Obtaining corporate support. Solid waste and recycling program managers all agree: the biggest savings and efficiencies are achieved when management asks all employees across all operations to

commit to waste reduction.

• Involving company employees in all phases of the

waste reduction campaign. Several partners achieve

a high level of employee participation by offering

innovative incentives and rewards for employees

who contribute to the success of company waste

reduction efforts. 

• Tracking and measuring waste reduction progress.

Many partners discovered that tracking progress

helps to justify their program to senior management

and stockholders and enhances productivity among

utility employees.

Solid Waste Management and

Utilities

Before developing or expanding a waste reduction program, solid waste and recycling managers should first

assess their operations to identify unique opportunities

for waste prevention. While some waste prevention

techniques are applicable to all utilities, opportunities

are often unique to specific utilities, operations, or geographic regions. To uncover some of these unique

opportunities, solid waste and recycling managers

should examine the following questions:

• How are waste management costs currently being

allocated? What corporate, division, or facility incentives are in place to encourage waste reduction?

Utilities that allocate waste disposal costs to individual

divisions or facilities, as opposed to general overhead

or environmental affairs accounts, create an incentive

for employees of that division to reduce waste.

• What level of involvement can be offered to the

service area? Can a cost-effective centralized 

collection system for recyclables be established? 

If recycling is part of the corporate philosophy, having a mechanism in place to frequently drop off

and pick up materials from power plants, substations, and other field offices helps determine the

profitability of recycling and reuse programs.

Centralized collection systems are often more successful in smaller service areas. 

• Do local markets exist for selling reusable materials or recyclables? Strong local markets are often

rich with customers interested in either purchasing,

or hauling away at no cost, materials a utility previously paid to dispose of.

Report Overview

This report details the numerous waste prevention,

recycling, and buying recycled programs many utilities

have already implemented. Also highlighted are factors

influencing the decision-making process within the utility industry, approaches utility solid waste and recycling

managers are taking to overcome barriers and obstacles,

and efforts being undertaken to find waste reduction

solutions for several difficult solid waste streams. The

success stories featured here can help other utilities

develop programs to reduce their solid waste costs

through waste prevention, reuse and refurbishment

activities, recycling efforts, and by donating materials to

outside groups and organizations.

The remainder of this report is organized according to

the functional areas in which waste is generated at utilities. These areas include generation, distribution and

transmission, warehouse, fleet, and administrative offices. 

Making Waste Reduction a Success

3
With an average management cost of $12 per ton1,

handling ash waste is an expensive operation. Yearly ash

management costs can run as high as $20 million, especially for large utilities such as Pennsylvania Power and

Light (PP&L), which generates more than 1 million

tons of ash per year.

One method for managing ash is to mix it with water

to create a resulting slurry that is then pumped to a dewatering impoundment. This management method is

very expensive, particularly when new impoundments

are required. Taking into account the costs for labor,

land, and regulatory requirements, a new de-watering

impoundment can cost upwards of several million dollars. In addition, this wet management method limits

the reuse potential of the ash. One way utilities are

addressing the costs of wet management is by switching

to dry ash handling systems, which use air to vacuum

the ash and blow it into storage silos. By converting to

dry ash handling systems, PP&L avoided building new

wet ash disposal units, for a net savings of $14 million.

PP&L anticipates additional savings through the sale of

4

T

he type and quantity of waste 

generated by an electric utility

depends on station configuration,

size, and age, as well as the type of fuel

used to generate power. For coal-fired

power plants, the largest and most costly

solid waste stream to manage is ash. Each

year, nearly 90 million tons of bottom and

fly ash, flue gas desulfurization sludge, and

boiler slag are generated at coal-fired

plants. To understand the magnitude of this

waste stream, picture filling the Houston

Astrodome nearly 369 times!

CHAPTER 2

WASTE REDUCTION OPPORTUNITIES:

GENERATING STATIONS
the ash since dry ash is a more marketable commodity

and can be readily sold as an alternative to Portland

cement, flowable fill, and blasting grit.

Ash reuse programs do not need to generate large

amounts of revenue to be both environmentally beneficial and financially sound corporate investments.

Avoiding ash management costs is incentive enough to

establish a reuse program. Utilities that choose to

aggressively seek markets and opportunities for reusing

their ash avoid significant ash management costs and

can often generate revenue from the sale of ash.

Coal Ash Reuse Opportunities

There are numerous uses for coal fly ash, including as

an alternative to Portland cement, as blasting grit, or as

structural and flowable fill. Most of the utility companies interviewed in this report market fly ash as an alternative to Portland cement in the production of concrete.

Another common practice implemented by utility companies, such as Northeast Utilities and Illinois Power

(IP), is to market bottom ash for the production of

asphalt pavement, roofing, and roofing shingles. Other

common uses for ash include roadway antiskid material

(road deicer), drainage materials, and sand for onsite

septic systems. In 1995, Northeast Utilities reused thousands of tons of fly ash, generating $579,000 in avoided

disposal and purchasing costs. Florida Power

Corporation (FPC) facilitates the reuse of nearly all of

its fly ash for the construction of concrete products. In

1995, FPC reduced 430,000 tons of fly ash waste by

putting it in these products. 

Several companies use or sell bottom ash as blasting

grit for cleaning metal and other items. Northeast

Utilities saves $2.6 million annually in avoided disposal

costs by bagging bottom ash on site and selling it to

end-users as a blasting grit for paint and rust removal.

In 1994, one Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) power

plant marketed 21,000 tons of bottom ash for reuse 

as blasting grit.

BGE found a way to reuse its fly and bottom ash for

structural fill. In 1995, the utility sold and reused more

than 3 million tons of ash in a variety of highway, office

and industrial park, and utility projects. With numerous

road and bridge construction projects currently underway in the state of Maryland, BGE is expanding its marketing effort to find uses for ash in road embankments.

BGE also uses ash as a component in flowable fill. By

combining ash with other elements, the company creates

a controlled low-strength material. In addition to using

the fill for nonstructural applications, such as backfilling

around gas lines, BGE sells it as a replacement for compacted soil. This material has been used in projects to fill

underground storage tanks and missile silos.

PP&L generated more than 1 million tons of coal ash

in 1995—enough to cover a football field to a depth of

400 feet. As a disposal alternative, PP&L mixes hydrated lime with its fly ash to create a new chemically stable

alternative to soil-based fill. The resulting product,

Stabil-Fill, initially was used for onsite construction during renovation and expansion to build a coal pile liner

and to raise storage areas and roads to prevent stormwater flooding. PP&L estimates that one of its facilities

saved $700,000 in avoided purchasing costs by using

Stabil-Fill for construction purposes rather than purchasing material from an outside source. Stabil-Fill is

also marketed outside the company and has been used

to backfill coal mines, in the construction of airport

runways and roads, in industrial sites, and as a base for

ready-mix concrete.

New markets for ash reuse are constantly being developed. Ash use is being evaluated for a number of products, such as sports equipment, insulation, automobile

bodies, marine craft bodies, paints, coatings, and fire

and heat protection devices. Ash use also shows promise

in mine reclamation, as a soil amendment, and in the

manufacture of tires and wallboard.

Factors That Impact Ash Reuse

Efforts

Utilities considering creating or expanding an ash reuse

program should take into account the following factors:

• How much ash is generated? The goal of ash reuse

programs is to avoid disposal costs; however, it is

usually not cost-effective to transport and manage

the third-party costs associated with handling small

amounts of ash. Utilities generating modest

amounts of ash should consider onsite reuse opportunities or other ways to break even. Public Service

Electric & Gas (PSE&G), for example, generates a

relatively small amount of coal ash—60,000 tons

annually. The utility breaks even on its ash reuse 

Waste Reduction Opportunities: Generating Stations

5
program by working with several contractors to find

external markets for its ash.

• What type of coal is being burned? The more

homogeneous the coal, the higher quality of ash

produced. High-quality ash is often required for

many reuse applications. Ash quality, however, is a

secondary concern when compared to the economics of purchasing coal and complying with air quality regulations. The ash reuse market also presents

numerous opportunities for ash created from the

burning of nonhomogeneous coal.

• What marketing resources are available? Significant

effort may be required to determine acceptable uses

for ash and to locate potential users. Marketing

firms can often help utilities market ash and locate

customers. For example, Commonwealth Edison

(ComEd) attributes its ash reuse success to an

arrangement that provides vendors with incentives

to find applications for ComEd’s coal ash. These

outside marketers found reuse opportunities for 90

percent of ComEd’s coal ash—780,000 tons in

1995 —saving more than $8 million in avoided

landfill disposal costs.

• What state regulatory constraints exist with

respect to ash reuse? Some states have restrictions

on ash reuse. Illinois, for example, required utilities

to obtain a solid waste determination prior to starting an ash reuse project. Given the time required

for the state to make this determination, IP would

often lose opportunities to market its ash. The utility worked with the state legislature, and in July

1995, Illinois passed a law to enable utilities to

market ash as a revenue-generating commodity.

This law reduced the need for Illinois utilities to

construct new onsite disposal facilities.

The economics of coal ash reuse are largely dependent

on local or regional factors including production rates,

processing and handling costs, availability of markets,

transportation costs, price and availability of competing

materials, and seasonal adjustments.2

Waste Reduction Opportunities: Generating Stations

6

1

1995 industry average. Source: Public Service Electric & Gas.

2

American Coal Ash Association, “Coal Ash: Local Materials for Local Development.”
Reusing Utility Poles

The utilities participating in this report indicated that disposing of an increasingly large number of used utility poles

motivated them to find cost-effective disposal alternatives.

The most common type of utility pole is made of

wood and has an average useful life of between 25 and

30 years. To prevent underground rotting, these poles

are often treated with creosote, pentachlorophenol, or

other wood preservatives. Some states have disposal

restrictions on treated poles, such as prohibiting their

incineration. As always, companies should always follow

all applicable federal, state, and local regulations for

managing these materials.

When properly managed, these poles present a variety

of reuse opportunities, such as in landscaping, for constructing gates and barriers, as fencing, in the construction of playground equipment, and for hiking trails.

Some utilities encourage line workers to give away used

utility poles near takedown sites to avoid transportation

and disposal costs. For example, utilities with rural service areas often give farmers the poles to use for fencing.

7

S

ignificant and varied opportunities

exist for utilities to reduce solid

waste in their distribution and

transmission processes, particularly with

respect to utility poles, porcelain brushings

and insulators, street lamp units, transformers, protective equipment, and rags. These

opportunities can increase if a utility develops an effective materials collection system.

CHAPTER 3

WASTE REDUCTION OPPORTUNITIES:

DISTRIBUTION AND TRANSMISSION
To encourage the reuse of wood poles and at the same

time to limit a utility’s potential liability with respect to

poles’ reuse, many utilities distribute waiver forms and

disclosure information. PP&L developed a “Beneficial

Use of Treated Wood” form to track the number of

poles given away by line workers. This one-page form,

which discussed proper uses for the poles, also acted as a

receipt and release to guard against liability. As part of

its employee incentive award program, which rewarded

employees for achieving operational, safety, and environmental goals, PP&L provided bonuses to line workers for each pole donated or reused. In 1994, PP&L

saved $400,000 in avoided disposal costs by finding

new uses for its wood poles.

In addition to finding reuse opportunities for wood

poles, ComEd is searching for ways to extend the life of

its poles. ComEd replaces between 18,000 and 20,000

wood poles each year. Many of these poles are taken

down due to public service improvements, such as road

widening, rather than deterioration. Although these

poles still have considerable life remaining, they have

lost some of the preservative at the ground line that

would protect them from deterioration. In the past,

these poles were disposed of and replaced with new

poles. To help remedy the problem of lost preservative,

ComEd is placing sodium-fluoride impregnated bandages around the bases of removed poles. This bandage

helps reestablish the protective barrier around the pole

and extend its life. ComEd is currently using the “pole

bandage” on approximately 3 percent of its removed

poles, leading to an annual savings of nearly $92,000.

Wood Pole Alternatives

In certain climates and geographical locations, wood

poles have limitations. For this reason, many utilities are

testing or expanding the use of poles made of more

resistant materials, such as fiberglass and concrete.

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) discovered that many

of its wood poles lasted only 6 months in areas heavily

populated with woodpeckers. To find an alternative,

PG&E experimented with fiberglass poles. Fiberglass

poles are guaranteed by the manufacturer to last for 80

years. PG&E expects each fiberglass pole used to replace

160 wood poles (2 poles per year over 80 years) if the

current woodpecker damage rate remains unchanged.

To date, PG&E has installed approximately 100 fiberglass poles, conserving 16,000 wood poles. Even at a

cost of $900 per fiberglass pole, over twice the cost of a

$400 wood pole, PG&E estimates it will save more

than $6 million in avoided wood pole purchasing costs

over the next 80 years.

In Florida, wood poles are often damaged by hurricanes. FPC and Florida Power & Light (FP&L) both

have begun to replace their wood poles with more 

hurricane-resistant concrete poles. Just like wood poles,

however, concrete poles become a waste management

challenge when their useful life is over. 

FPC took advantage of a local opportunity to donate

its used concrete poles and other concrete debris to

Pinellas County’s artificial reef program, one of the

largest in the country. Since the program began, more

than 240 tons of retired poles have been used to create a

habitat for many species of fish that now call these artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico their home. 

Cost-Effective Porcelain Reuse

Porcelain bushings and insulators are often used on utility poles to insulate electric currents. As with the poles

themselves, there are numerous reuse opportunities for

these porcelain items. When utility poles are taken

down, utilities can grind the bushings and insulators for

use in road aggregate, ice melt, and outdoor tiling.

Since 1993, Northern States Power has recovered nearly

400 tons of porcelain for these purposes. The utility also

donates some of its insulators to a local artist who uses

them to create sculptures.

Several utilities, however, find it labor intensive to

process and grind the porcelain in order to make it economically viable in the marketplace. BGE, which recovered nearly 270 tons of porcelain in 1995, is sending its

insulators and bushings to an outside vendor for processing. The vendor employs handicapped individuals to

strip any metal remaining on the insulators and bushings (selling it for scrap) and then grinds the porcelain

for aggregate. This program not only helps BGE avoid

porcelain disposal cost, but also provides BGE with a

small percentage of profits made by the outside vendor. 

Porcelain processing costs can be avoided altogether

by reusing intact bushings and insulators. For example,

PG&E tries to reuse its insulators. In addition, the utility lists unusable insulators with a state materials

exchange. This way, the utility avoids both disposal

costs and porcelain processing costs and, hopefully,

finds someone who is interested in the material.

Waste Reduction Opportunities: Distribution and Transmission

8
Profit in Luminary (Street Light)

Remanufacture

Utilities normally do not view luminaries (street light

fixtures) as a disposal problem because of the scrap

value of the metal contained in these fixtures. Several

utilities, however, are beginning to repair or remanufacture these luminaries in order to extend their useful

life. While the scrap metal value for luminaries generates a small profit, remanufacturing these products is

often more cost-effective, particularly in avoided purchasing costs.

Several utilities found that the most cost-effective

means for remanufacturing these lighting fixtures is to

contract with outside groups to clean, test, and replace

bulbs, photo cells, globes, and ballasts where feasible.

FPC, for example, contracted with a local nonprofit

organization for luminaries remanufacturing services.

Approximately 5,000 fixtures were collected for remanufacturing in 1996. FPC estimated saving at least

$200,000 through this practice, or between $40 and

$100 per unit, depending on the number of parts

requiring replacement.

IP also uses an outside company to remanufacture its

luminaries. In 1995, IP shipped 2,500 units to be

remanufactured. Once the necessary refurbishments

were made, IP purchased those units that could be

remanufactured back from this company. The remaining

units went to a scrap recycler.

Before FP&L remanufactures its luminaries, the utility examines the units to see if the lamps (light bulbs)

and photo cells are still under warranty. FP&L discovered that a significant number of failed luminaries have

parts still under warranty. The utility began to seek

manufacturer credits for the defective parts, generating

almost $200,000 in 1996 alone.

FP&L also takes an aggressive approach to investment

recovery with respect to lamps. The utility tests all

lamps returned by line crews. If the lamps still have

some useful life, they are repackaged and sold to developing countries at a reduced price. Lamp resale has generated over $26,000 in income for FP&L while avoiding expensive disposal costs.

Transformers

Rather than scrap damaged transformers, many utilities

rebuild them on site to extend their useful life. While

recycling scrap metal from transformers offers a source

of income, rebuilding them provides more impressive

savings in the area of avoided purchasing costs.

Transformers returned by line crews are assessed to

determine their feasibility for repair or remanufacture.

Utilities may replace mineral oils, cardboard insulation,

metal coils, or metal housing panels. If the transformer

is still in good condition, the company can repaint and

reuse it. The magnitude of transformer remanufacturing

and recycling by PG&E warranted a dedicated facility

for this activity. In 1996, PG&E processed nearly

30,000 transformers. Of these, more than 8,000 were

remanufactured and placed back in service. Nearly

20,000 were recycled yielding 4,400 tons of materials

worth nearly $500,000. Avoided disposal costs totalled

$44 million.

Onsite transformer remanufacturing often requires a

major startup investment. In addition, older transformers may still contain polychlorinated biphenyls, which

present significant handling and disposal issues. Because

of these obstacles, many utilities send transformers to

offsite facilities for remanufacturing.

IP uses a contractor to routinely collect transformers

from all of its 16 service areas. In 1995, IP remanufactured 800 transformers for a projected savings of 40 percent, or $200,000, over the cost of purchasing new

transformers. IP can rebuild transformers up to six

times, until they are no longer usable, at which point

the contractor sells the metal for scrap.

Reuse Opportunities Abound

The utilities participating in this study found that 

many waste streams can be eliminated if they carefully

evaluate the sources of their waste and look for ways 

to reuse materials.

For example, some utilities have investigated new uses

for minor items, like rubber gloves, rubber blankets, 

and rags. The utilities addressing these seemingly small

waste stream challenges have come up with several 

innovative ways to reduce the disposal costs associated

with these materials.

Rubber gloves and blankets, used to protect workers

from electric currents, become useless if compromised

by even a pin-sized hole. These materials, however, are

still useful to many outside organizations. FPC discovered organizations that can make use of these

materials. The utility donates used rubber gloves to

Waste Reduction Opportunities: Distribution and Transmission

9
Mote Marine Laboratory, the Florida Aquarium, 

and the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary for use in handling fish and birds. FPC’s worn rubber blankets

found a home at the Wildlife Rescue Rehabilitation

Center, where they now serve as lounging mats 

for Bengal tigers.

Cloth, once thought of as cheap disposable items for

cleaning gas meters, can pile up quickly for large utilities—as can their disposal costs. Several utilities now are

purchasing durable rags that can be laundered and

reused several times prior to disposal. BGE found a local

company to launder its rags. This practice saved one

BGE facility over 50 percent on new rag purchases in

1994. FPC washes and reuses shop rags on site, which

enabled the utility to cut its rag consumption in half

over a period of 3 years. 

Some Additional Ideas to Help

Increase Waste Reduction

Opportunities

• Thoroughly explore all potential onsite and offsite

reuse opportunities. All utilities should investigate

nonprofit organizations or local businesses in their

area that may be able to reuse or recycle wood,

porcelain, or other materials. Sometimes simply

publicizing the availability of a material for reuse or

recycling will generate a long list of individuals and

groups who are not only interested in the material

but will come and haul it away. 

• Consider partnering with other organizations or

donating materials to nonprofits. For small waste

streams or where preparing material for recycling is

labor intensive, consider partnering with another

organization to reduce costs or donating the 

material to a nonprofit organization.

Waste Reduction Opportunities: Distribution and Transmission

10
While each utility may choose to concentrate its efforts

in different markets, the most common materials being

marketed by investment recovery groups include scrap

metals, electrical hardware, computers, office furniture,

and fleet vehicles. Utility partners have also identified

innovative opportunities to reduce waste in their warehouse operations.

Scrap Metal Recycling and Reuse 

Scrap metal, particularly used aluminum, copper and

lead cable, ferrous steel, and old appliances, is routinely

collected and recycled by most utilities. Scrap metal

sales can be quite profitable, especially for large utilities

like PG&E, which in 1995 recycled almost 24 million

pounds of scrap metal from electrical conductors, transformers, and other equipment.

FP&L, after analyzing the amount and associated

value of the metal it scrapped, began exploring ways to

increase the value of the utility’s metal recovery operations. FP&L purchased equipment to clean and polish

11

At most utilities, several operational groups often share the

responsibility for waste reduction.

For example, materials collected through an

office recycling program, such as paper, corrugated, and glass bottles, may fall under

the responsibility of an environmental division. The environmental division arranges

for the collection of these materials, tracks

the volume of material collected, and calculates any associated revenue or cost savings

attributable to this recycling. Many utilities

also frequently dedicate staff to “investment

recovery” activities. These individuals identify

revenue-generating options for readily marketable retired, obsolete, or surplus

equipment and material. 

CHAPTER 4

WASTE REDUCTION OPPORTUNITIES:

INVESTMENT RECOVERY AND WAREHOUSE OPERATIONS
metal and established more efficient metal sorting

processes. A piece of pole hardware that would traditionally have been scrapped at a value of $7, for example, is now being cleaned and put back in service for a

purchase cost savings of $60 per unit.

Options for Reducing Wood Waste

Old or broken wood pallets and reels often represent a

significant part of a utility’s solid waste stream. In 

an effort to reduce the disposal costs associated with

wood waste, utilities are either trying to find ways to

extend the life of their pallets or looking for new uses

for this wood waste. 

Many utilities refurbish their pallets on site or with

the help of an outside vendor. BGE, for example, 

currently uses a vendor to recondition its pallets, allowing the utility to cut new pallet purchases by approximately 50 percent a year. 

PP&L also saves money from pallet repair and reuse.

PP&L marks pallets that are not damaged or only

slightly damaged to facilitate their reuse. To encourage

reuse, PP&L also published a list of pallet refurbishers

and mulching facilities and distributed this list to its

service centers. In addition, PP&L has successfully

worked with its vendors to encourage the use of durable

pallets. Employees are encouraged to take excess pallets

home and construct home compost bins. Through these

programs, PP&L reduced wood purchases by 193,000

pounds in 1995 alone.

BGE and Northeast Utilities have additional uses for

pallets that cannot be reconditioned. The wood is

shredded either on site or off site by a vendor and

turned into wood chips. Both companies use these

wood chips for energy recovery and landscaping mulch.

At FPC and PG&E, unusable pallets are picked up by

local furniture makers for conversion into chairs, tables,

and lounges. There is a growing trend among utilities to

standardize pallet size, encouraging greater reuse. In

addition, several utilities are exploring or already purchasing reusable plastic pallets for certain uses.

Refurbishing and rebuilding wood cable reels offer

additional opportunities for reducing wood waste. Some

refurbishing vendors come directly to a utility’s facility

and disassemble the reels on site. FP&L has refurbished

nearly 4,500 reels using this method. BGE uses a contractor that removes the reels at no charge. This contractor then refurbishes the reels and sells them back to

cable manufacturers. This activity helped BGE divert

750,000 pounds of wood reels from its landfill waste

stream in 1995.

Seeking further solutions to reduce wood waste, PG&E

is investigating the use of plastic reels that are more

durable and longer lasting than their wood counterparts. 

“Just in Time” Inventory Systems

Some utilities are moving to a “just in time” inventory

system in order to control losses. Many utilities store

large equipment, such as generators, transformers,

meters, and piping, in outside supply yards until it is

needed. Often, this equipment rusts, is damaged, or

deteriorates before it can be used. Using “just in time”

inventory, some utilities are storing less equipment on

site and ordering replacements only when current inventory is used. In some cases, items that can be obtained

quickly (within 24 hours) from vendors are not kept in

inventory at all. FP&L has taken “just in time” inventory one step further. The utility has entered into agreements with some of its vendors to allow them to store

equipment in FP&L’s supply yards. The vendors are

responsible for the upkeep of the equipment, and FP&L

takes ownership only when the equipment is needed.

Centralized Collection Systems

Improve Efficiency for Some Utilities 

Utilities with small service areas can improve the efficiency of their investment recovery operations by developing centralized collection systems for salvaged materials. FP&L, for example, developed a central reclamation

and salvage program to manage the materials collected

from the utility’s service centers. Materials are collected

daily and sent to the centralized recovery facility next to

FP&L’s supply warehouse. Materials are then sorted;

those that can be refurbished, such as pole line hardware, are cleaned and redistributed to service centers.

Leftover paint is consolidated and used to paint warehouses and storage facilities. Recyclable materials, such

as scrap metal and plastic conduits, are allowed to accumulate at the recovery facility until enough materials

have been collected to sell. 

Several factors contribute to the success of FP&L’s 

centralized investment recovery system: 

• Service area size and demography. Utilities like

PG&E, with numerous service centers (1,600) and

Waste Reduction Opportunities: Investment Recovery and Warehouse Operations

12
large service areas (75,000 square miles), may find

that the high transportation costs involved in supporting a centralized collection system make it

unprofitable to consolidate their investment recovery

operations. FP&L’s relatively small service area, 65

service centers spanning 27,650 square miles,

enables the utility to keep transportation costs down.

• Property. FP&L has enough property surrounding

its supply warehouse to operate a centralized recovery facility large enough to collect, process, and store

substantial amounts of recovered materials. Having

the recovery facility next to its supply warehouse

allows FP&L to use its service center delivery fleet to

backhaul recyclables to the recovery facility each day

after delivering new supplies. This method saves

FP&L money since the utility incurs no additional

costs to transport materials from the recovery facility

to the supply warehouse for distribution. 

One additional factor that can facilitate a successful

centralized collection program is the purchase of recycling equipment such as bailers and grinders. Companies

using a payback period longer than one year to guide

capital purchases often can make such purchases and

reap the benefits over the long term.

Factors That Impact Investment

Recovery and Warehouse Waste

Reduction

Utilities may want to consider the following issues when

considering investment recovery and warehouse waste

reduction programs:

• Will an investment recovery program make the

best use of available staff time and resources? Some

utilities do not invest a great deal of staff time or

capital resources in recovery activities. These utilities

believe their primary focus should be to produce

and distribute electric power, not create inhouse

recycling and refurbishment businesses. On the

other hand, some utilities ask their environmental

departments to develop and maintain ways to sell

utility “waste” materials. Utilities interested in

aggressively pursuing investment recovery activities

should first make sure they have adequate staff and

equipment resources to dedicate to this activity. A

successful investment-recovery program requires

staff to manage investment recovery activities, prepare the materials for reuse and recycling, and transport the materials to facilities for processing and

final distribution. A successful program may also

require purchasing equipment to bale, grind, polish,

shred, or crush recovered material. 

• Is adequate space available to store and process

recovered materials? Many utilities have limited

warehouse and yard storage space. For these utilities,

even collecting a few pallets for repair can be a problem. Utilities lacking adequate space to store waste

for reuse or recycling may want to consider partnering with vendors, other businesses in their service territory, or even other utilities. These other organizations may be willing to transport and store materials

for a share of the proceeds. These utilities may also

want to explore other avenues for waste reduction,

such as requesting that vendors use and collect

durable transport packaging, pallets, and reels.

Waste Reduction Opportunities: Investment Recovery and Warehouse Operations

13
FLEET MAINTENANCE

Recycling Fleet Products

A number of utilities achieve significant cost savings by

recycling and reusing various fleet products, such as

antifreeze. IP, for example, reclaimed nearly 30 55-gallon drums of antifreeze used in its maintenance vehicles

in 1995. The reclaimed antifreeze was then reused in

heat exchangers, saving the utility more than $12,000 in

antifreeze disposal and purchasing costs.

Several utilities are also recycling large quantities of

lead-acid batteries. In 1995 alone, FP&L shipped

186,000 pounds of batteries for recycling.

Retreading can extend the usable life of a tire several

times, at a savings of between one-third and one-half

the cost of a new tire. Some utilities are exploring the

use of retread tires for their fleets, and others recycle

their damaged tires. BGE collected more than 85 tons

of tires for retreading in 1995, saving several million

dollars in avoided disposal and purchasing costs.

14

I

n addition to the waste reduction opportunities associated with power generation,

distribution, transmission, and storage,

many utilities are discovering ways to reduce

waste in their fleet maintenance operations

and administrative offices. Investigating new

computer technologies and innovative practices highlighted in this chapter can help your

company conserve materials such as

antifreeze, tires, oil, and paper. 

CHAPTER 5

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR

WASTE REDUCTION
Changing Fleet Maintenance

Practices

Some utilities have found that by simply changing some

of their traditional fleet maintenance practices, they are

able to reduce their waste disposal and purchasing costs

as well. Most utilities, for example, change the oil in

their maintenance and service vehicles at prescribed

vehicle mileage levels. Northeast Utilities followed this

practice but recently began to test the oil quality in its

vehicles prior to changing it. The utility discovered that,

in most vehicles, the oil did not require changing every

3,000 miles but rather somewhere between 5,000 and

6,000 miles. By waiting until this additional mileage has

accrued, Northeast Utilities essentially doubles the

mileage between servicing. In 1995, Northeast Utilities

conserved 1,000 gallons of oil by making this change,

saving $54,000 in purchasing and disposal costs. The

utility also located a vendor that rerefines Northeast

Utilities’ used oil and sells it back to the utility for reuse.

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES

Eliminating Paper Waste

Many utilities are working diligently to reduce their

office paper use. For example, BGE’s use of electronic

mail, double-sided copying, and electronic filing

reduced paper use to approximately 0.5 pounds per

employee per day in 1995, down from 1.5 pounds per

employee per day in 1991. In addition, most utilities

have been very proactive with respect to recycling mixed

paper, corrugated, and aluminum in their administrative

offices. PP&L recycled 1,800,000 pounds of high-grade,

mixed office paper, corrugated, magazines, and newspaper in 1995. In 1994, PG&E reduced 60,000 pounds of

corrugated by asking one of its suppliers to reuse corrugated boxes up to three times. 

Northeast Utilities developed a program to eliminate

unwanted bulk mail, which is a significant component

of the company’s office waste. By instituting an employee education campaign and providing employees with

cards to send to vendors requesting that their names be

removed from mailing lists, Northeast Utilities reduced

third-class (bulk) mail by 39,000 pounds and advertising by 3,000 pounds in 1994 alone. 

Several utilities found an additional way to reduce

paper usage by moving to electronic purchasing and

billing systems. The Southern Company, for example,

electronically obtains price quotes from vendors, saving

the utility $120,000 per year in avoided administrative

costs. This paperless system shortens the purchasing

process and helps The Southern Company conserve over

600 pounds of paper per year. PSE&G reduced paper

consumption by establishing an electronic data interchange system to receive supplier invoices electronically.

Other WasteWi$e partners including Illinois Power,

Detroit Edison, and The Southern Company are also

exploring ways to bill their customers electronically.

Vendor Consolidation

In an effort to streamline operations, improve efficiency,

reduce waste, and lower operating costs, several utilities

are consolidating the number of vendors with whom

they work. PSE&G, for example, was accustomed to

using over 85 suppliers. Working with this number of

vendors increased the incidence of waste caused from

expired products, duplicate items, and oversupply. The

utility now uses only six suppliers.

Factors That Impact Waste Reduction 

Utilities may want to consider the following issues when

considering fleet maintenance and administrative office

waste reduction programs:

• Have all means of recycling and reuse for fleet

maintenance supplies been explored? Remember, oil

and antifreeze can be recycled, and tires can be

retreaded. Recycled, rather than virgin, fleet materials

can be purchased from vendors and suppliers. Look

for other innovative ways to help extend the life of

fleet materials while not jeopardizing fleet safety. 

• Look for ways to reduce or eliminate paper waste

streams, even if they are currently being recycled.

Even if utilities have an active office paper recycling

program, they can still find ways to reduce the

amount of paper that ends up in their recycling bins.

They can promote the use of electronic mail and

electronic data interchange systems within the utility.

They can also institute a double-sided copying policy

and help employees reduce the amount of junk mail

they receive and ultimately throw away. 

Additional Opportunities for Waste Reduction

15
Many factors impact the success of solid waste

reduction campaigns, many of which have little

or nothing to do with a utility’s investment in

these programs. Utility solid waste and recycling coordinators often have little control over factors:

• Size and geographic location of the 

utility’s service area.

• Existence of local recycling and reuse markets.

• Organizational structure of the utility.

• Amount of staffing support dedicated to 

waste reduction efforts.

• Capital investment resources available to 

assist with solid waste reduction.

• Warehouse and storage space constraints.

Though all the utilities studied in this report took different approaches to reducing their solid waste, many

faced some of the same constraints listed above. In spite

of the constraints, all had at least one success story to

tell. The most successful solid waste programs shared

several components. They:

• Used a comprehensive approach to solid waste

reduction. While beginning with, and expending

the most resources on, managing their largest or

most profitable waste streams, successful utilities

looked for ways to reduce waste in all of their function areas: production, distribution, transmission,

warehouse, and administrative offices.

• Included both large and small waste streams. No

waste stream is too small. Waste reduction opportunities exist for transformers, as well as gloves,

spray cans, or junk mail.

• Made waste reduction profitable. Sometimes this

means donating materials and/or finding outside

groups to partner with to reduce costs.

• Included employees in waste reduction campaigns. Many of the utilities developed “green

teams” comprised of employees from different

function areas. These employees not only help

identify areas where waste reduction is needed, but

they also help implement the programs. Utilities

engaged employees through signage, contests, special events, newsletters, personalized recycling

boxes, or promotional items like reusable coffee

mugs. They also provided training and/or tools to

assist employees with their waste reduction efforts.

Recognizing employees for their waste reduction

achievements and notifying them of campaign successes can help ensure that employees stay involved.

• Tracked and measured results. Not all of the utilities established sophisticated data collection systems

to track waste reduction efforts, but all of them

made a conscious effort to record reductions and to

equate these reductions to either landfill cost savings or recycling and reuse income.

• Shared solid waste reduction success with management and shareholders. Solid waste and recycling

achievements should always be a component of

utility shareholder reports.

• Engaged top management support. Sometimes this

support comes in the form of additional dollars to

invest in staff or equipment to facilitate waste

reduction. Most of the time, however, management

support is expressed in the authorization to aggressively pursue ways to reduce utility solid waste and

its associated disposal and purchasing costs. 

• Consolidated or centralized supplies and 

recyclables where possible. The greatest efficiencies

and reductions are achieved in those utilities where

it is cost effective to centralize storage and collection activities.

• Looked first for in-house reuse opportunities

before selling, donating, or landfilling material.

Employees appreciate the offer of valuable materials

that would otherwise be thrown away. Such giveaway programs have the dual benefit of boosting

employee morale in addition to waste reduction.

• Tried various approaches to make waste 

reduction profitable. Persistence helps make 

waste reduction successful even if initial efforts

achieved limited success.

16

CONCLUSION
APPENDIX

WASTEWI$E UTILITY PARTNER PROFILES

Innovative Waste Reduction Activities

Education and Measurement

Employee recognition. BGE has a corporate commitment to pollution prevention and waste reduction

efforts. One of the company’s environmental pledges

is to encourage employee awareness. To support this

pledge and recognize employees’ contributions to

environmental efforts, BGE established two award

programs: an Employee Recognition Award Program

(ERAP) to reward employees for identifying cost saving

efforts, and a Results Incentive Awards (RIA) program.

Both programs incorporate environmental efforts into

their screening criteria. BGE also implemented a corporate pollution prevention plan to increase

employee awareness.

In 1995, for example, at the C.P. Crane power

plant, the Plant Labor Group received an RIA program goal to reduce solid waste disposal costs from

1994 levels. By reducing costs by 71/2 percent, or

about $3,000, the Plant Labor Group would earn an

award equal to 1⁄2 percent of their salary. The payout

would double if the group reduced waste disposal

costs by 15 percent, or about $6,000. The facility

general supervisor created a spreadsheet to track the

goal and reported progress to the group monthly.

The station labor group reduced solid waste by 36

percent and saved the station nearly $13,000 in disposal costs. The group achieved this goal by waste

reduction and recycling activities. The incentive program brought results, since certain individuals had

responsibility and ownership of the goal. 

Measurement. In an effort to better manage its

environmental programs, BGE began to measure its

solid waste reduction progress in 1994. Toward this

end, BGE decided to use the Electric Power

Research Institute’s Accounting Software Application

for Pollution Prevention (ASAPP) to better track waste

generation and management. BGE began using

Baltimore Gas & Electric Company (BGE)

Fuel source: BGE’s fuel mix is 39 percent

nuclear, 58 percent fossil, and 3 percent

hydro. 

Facilities: BGE operates 10 electric power

plants.

Generating capacity: 5,938 megawatts

installed.

Service area: BGE’s electrical service area

covers 2,300 square miles. Its natural gas

lines cover 617 square miles.

Customers: BGE serves approximately one

million residential, commercial, and industrial

customers. It provides natural gas service to

more than 500,000 customers.

Employees: Approximately 7,000.

Environmental policy: To have a business

environment where environmental issues are

routinely considered in the strategic decisionmaking, business planning, and day-to-day

operations of the company.

To prevent pollution and reduce waste

through integration of cost-effective programs

into planning and daily operations.

To have effective environmental performance

measurement and feedback directed toward

continuous improvement of environmental

management systems and results.

To have more effective two-way communications with BGE stakeholders regarding

environmental management and performance.

WasteWi$e Utility Partner Profile
ASAPP as a tool to help establish a centralized,

systematic way to collect and maintain waste reduction data. The waste accounting software integrates

waste management information from plant and support personnel, manifests, shipping papers, and

invoices. As a result, BGE is able to identify waste

streams and management costs with the most room

for improvement.

Generating Stations and Distribution

Coal ash recycling. BGE does not landfill any ash

because they are able to find reuse alternatives,

such as using ash as a replacement for ready-mix

cement. BGE has used ash for structural fill in highway projects and for the construction of a light

industrial park. BGE uses ash for flowable fill, such

as backfill around gas lines. BGE also sells slag for

sand blasting material.

Porcelain. BGE strips the metals from porcelain

insulators, reuses a portion of the metals in their

operations, and uses the porcelain for aggregate.

By reusing metal in their operations, BGE saves $2

million per year.

Concrete and soils. BGE recycles concrete from construction and demolition operations, and concrete

curbs from gas pipe installations. A contractor turns

the concrete into aggregate for road bed construction purposes. Soils excavated from gas pipeline

expansion and repair projects are screened and

reused for backfill. BGE’s Gas Engineering saves

approximately $400,000 annually from soil reuse.

Baltimore Gas & Electric Company (continued)

For More Information, Contact:

Greg Gunzelman, Environmental Scientist

Air & Waste Management Unit

Environmental Section

Baltimore Gas & Electric Company

7609 Energy Parkway, Suite 101

Baltimore, MD 21226

410 787-5195 (Phone)

410 787-5199 (Fax)
WasteWi$e Utility Partner Profile

Innovative Waste Reduction Activities

Education and Measurement

Community education efforts. FPC participates in a

variety of county and city-sponsored functions that

feature environmental education. On Earth Day,

employee volunteers educated school children and

their families on the company’s environmental philosophy and best management practices.

Solid waste consulting. FPC has performed waste

audits and trained more than 50 retail customers

and schools on the company’s paper recycling program. FPC also provides waste disposal services for

local governments and stresses the importance of

recycling to its vendors and contractors.

Generating Stations and Distribution

Coal ash recycling. FPC facilitiates the reuse of

nearly all of its fly ash into various concrete products. More than 400,000 tons of fly ash were

reused in 1996.

Poles. FPC donates concrete poles to the Pinellas

County artificial reef program. Since the program

began, more than 500 tons of concrete have 

found new life in the Gulf of Mexico. The artificial

reef program provides habitat for many species 

of fish and vegetation.

Streetlight refurbishment. FPC began remanufacturing luminaries in January 1996. The company

contracted with a local nonprofit organization to

clean, test, and replace bulbs, photo cells, globes,

and light starters where feasible. Approximately

5,000 luminaries were remanufactured in 1996.

With each remanufactured luminary used, the company saves between $40 and $100 depending on

the type replaced.

Donation of materials. FPC donates used rubber

lineman gloves to the Mote Marine Lab, the Florida

Aquarium, and the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. The

company also donates used rubber blankets to the

Wildlife Rescue Rehabilitation Center and used

three-ring binders to underprivileged kids and their

teachers at Project Headstart.

Reuse of shop rags. FPC washes and reuses shop

rags on site, which cuts rag consumption in half

over a 3-year period. 

Investment Recovery and Recycling

Wood Reuse Program. At FPC, broken pallets that

are no longer usable are picked up by local wood

recyclers and converted into new, reusable pallets.

In addition, wood reels are stripped of wire, 

dismantled, and reassembled for sale as new reels.

Florida Power Corporation (FPC) 

Fuel source: Coal, oil, nuclear, and natural gas.

Facilities: FPC operates more than 50 facilities,

business offices, and plants.

Generating capacity: 7.3 million kilowatts.

Service area: FPC’s electrical service area covers more than 20,000 square miles. 

Customers: FPC serves more than 4 million customers in 32 counties.

Employees: Approximately 4,600.

Environmental policy: Florida Power believes

that environmental responsibility goes beyond

compliance with laws and regulations. The utility

is committed to providing energy as efficiently

as possible, while reducing waste and conserving resources. 
As a result, the company conserved approximately

197,000 pounds in one year.

Steel recycling. FPC recycles over 2 million pounds

of steel annually.

Recycling used wire. FPC sends all of its used wire

and nonperforming transformers to a metal recovery

facility where a cable chopper and burner processes

materials into high grade marketable metals.

Fleet Maintenance

Antifreeze reuse. Purchase of antifreeze has been

reduced by filtering contaminants from used

antifreeze and returning it back to service.

General Office

Buying recycled products. FPC has implemented a

closed-loop buy-recycled policy. Office paper collected is recycled into janitorial products and office

paper purchased by the company. Whenever possible, FPC purchases items made from recycled

materials and stresses the importance of take-back

programs with vendors.

Buying remanufactured products. FPC purchases

toner cartridges remanufactured from its used cartridges.

Paper recycling. FPC recycles nearly 1 million

pounds of paper annually. This saves the utility

approximately $60,000 in avoided disposal costs

each year and generates revenue from the sale of

paper and cardboard.

Florida Power Corporation (continued) 

For More Information, Contact:

Jennifer Waggoner

Florida Power Corporation

3201 34th Street

P.O. Box 14042-H2G

St. Petersburg, FL 33733

813 866-5395 (Phone)

813 866-4926 (Fax)
WasteWi$e Utility Partner Profile

Innovative Waste Reduction Activities

Education and Measurement

Incentive programs. FP&L builds environmental

goals and incentives into employee performance

evaluations. 

Employee education. FP&L communicates recycling

statistics to employees via e-mail and other internal

communication media. The utility also posts recycling awareness signs in its service centers.

Generating Stations and Distribution

Remanufacture of luminaries. FP&L examines luminaries for defective bulbs, photo cells, and loose

wiring. If the bulbs and photo cells are still under

warranty, then the manufacturer credits FP&L for the

defective parts. If bulbs still have some useful life,

the company sells them through an investment

recovery program to developing countries at a

reduced price. Refurbished luminaries are put back

into the inventory system for reuse. With the luminary recovery program, FP&L has generated

$145,000 in revenues from fixtures which failed

under warranty and $26,000 through items sold in

the investment recovery program.

Transformers. FP&L evaluates and refurbishes transformers. For those not salvageable, FP&L dismantles

them and sells the scrap metal. FP&L refurbishes

more than 4,000 transformers annually.

Investment Recovery & Recycling

Centralized collection for recyclables. FP&L developed a centralized collection system for recyclables,

netting more than $7 million in revenues in 1995.

Materials are collected daily from FP&L’s service

centers and sent to a centralized recovery facility 

for separation and storage. Materials that can be

refurbished, such as pole line hardware, fuses, 

and porcelain insulators, are cleaned and redistributed to service centers. Recyclables, such as scrap

metals and plastic conduits, are allowed to accumulate in the recovery facility until there is enough of 

a product to sell. 

Florida Power & Light (FP&L)

Fuel source: FP&L’s energy mix is 31 percent

gas, 25 percent nuclear, 19 percent oil, 18

percent purchased power, and 7 percent

coal.

Facilities: FP&L generates power at 34 major

generating units and non-utility sources.

Generating capacity: 18,608 megawatts.

Service area: FP&L’s service area covers

27,650 square miles. 

Customers: FP&L provides service to more

than 3.5 million customers. 

Employees: Approximately 11,000. 

Environmental policy: FP&L pledges to comply with the spirit and intent as well as the

letter of environmental laws, regulations, and

standards; incorporate environmental protection and stewardship as an integral part of

the design, construction, operation, and

maintenance of their facilities; encourage the

wise use of energy to minimize the impact on

the environment; communicate effectively on

environmental issues; conduct periodic selfevaluations, report performance, and take

appropriate actions.
Metal recycling. In 1995, FP&L collected over 10.5

million pounds of reclaimed metals. 

Refurbishing. FP&L refurbishes materials, such as

pole line hardware, fuses, and porcelain insulators.

By refurbishing pole line hardware, FP&L saved

$218,492.

Wood reuse and recycling. FP&L returned nearly

4,500 reels for refurbishment. In addition, FP&L collected over 5 million pounds of scrap wood in

1995. The company has a chipper on site to turn

the scrap wood into mulch.

Shrink wrap recycling. FP&L recycled 21,500

pounds of shrink wrap in 1995. It collects and bales

the shrink wrap.

Scrap wire processing. FP&L processed over 3.7

million pounds of wire and cable in 1995.

Aluminum and copper are separated from the wire

insulation and ferrous metals.

Aerosol cans. FP&L processed over 18,000 aerosol

cans in 1995. It purchased a can crusher, and within 2 months the avoided disposal costs paid off the

investment.

Fleet Maintenance

Lead acid battery recycling. In 1995, FP&L shipped

186,000 pounds of lead acid batteries for recycling.

General Office

Working with suppliers. FP&L is piloting “take-back”

and “just-in-time” inventory programs with its suppliers. FP&L also received a National Leadership

award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors for collecting and recycling 982 tons of office waste

material.

Florida Power & Light (continued)

For More Information, Contact:

Scott Freeburn, Recycling Coordinator

Florida Power & Light

2455 Port West Boulevard

Riviera Beach, FL 33407

561 845-4924 (Phone)

561 845-3308 (Fax)
WasteWi$e Utility Partner Profile

Innovative Waste Reduction Activities

Education and Measurement

Employee education and recognition. IP developed

an environmental awards program to both increase

corporate environmental awareness and recognize

individuals or teams that contributed to the fulfillment of the company’s environmental goals. The

company determines awards based on the merit of

the activities presented and does not limit the number of awards given in any one year.

Generating Stations and Distribution

Coal ash recycling. IP recycles ash at the Baldwin

power plant, its largest facility. A recycling company

(Gran-Grit, Inc.) processes the bottom ash on site.

The company uses the ash as filler in cement, roofing shingles, blasting grit, and ice control on road

surfaces. The company recycles 500,000 tons of

coal ash annually. IP has not found a market for ash

generated at other sites. A key issue for the company is avoiding the cost of building a new ash

storage pond.

Remanufacture of transformers, meters, and luminaries. IP rebuilds transformers, meters, and

luminaries to extend their useful life. A contractor

routinely visits all 16 service areas to rebuild transformers until they are no longer usable. When it is

no longer cost-effective to rebuild the transformers,

the contractor sells the metal for scrap. This process

saves money, since IP does not have to purchase all

new equipment. In addition, the company rebuilds

all meters on site. The company sends out luminaries to be rebuilt and buys back “new” luminaries

from the same company. In 1995, IP shipped 258

containers of street lamps for remanufacture. 

Require suppliers to use reusable transport packaging.

In suppliers’ contracts, the company requires that

materials be delivered in recyclable or returnable

containers. For example, boiler treatment chemicals

are now delivered in reusable aluminum tote bins

instead of 55-gallon plastic drums. The practice

eliminated the use of 30 plastic drums per year.

Composting organics caught in intake valves.

Each winter, small fish dieoff as a result of cold

stress and flow into the Clinton Power Station’s

intake screens. Rather than discard the fish in a

landfill, IP began composting trapped organics with

wood chips. The company composted 450,000

pounds of organic material in 1994.

Illinois Power Company (IP)

Fuel source: Coal generates 81 percent of

the electricity supplied by IP. Nuclear energy

accounts for an additional 18 percent. The

remaining fuel sources include natural gas

and oil.

Facilities: Illinois Power operates six generating facilities.

Net Generating capacity: 4,146 megawatts.

Service area: IP supplies 16 separate service

areas.

Customers: IP supplies electricity to 550,000

customers and natural gas to 390,000 customers.

Employees: Approximately 3,635.

Environmental policy: IP’s environmental policy states that all operations are to be in

compliance with environmental regulations

and laws. Operating within compliance is the

responsibility of all employees. 
Concrete and asphalt recycling. IP reuses or recycles concrete and asphalt resulting from the

installation and replacement of new electric and gas

lines. The company used the recycled concrete to

build a driveway at one station. Whenever the company cannot use the materials internally, it gives the

material to other recyclers. 

Investment Recovery and Recycling

Centralized collection for recyclables. IP recently

moved to a centralized collection system for many

recyclables. After delivering supplies to service centers, the company’s fleet backhauls certain

recyclables (such as aluminum, copper, iron, and

steel) to a centralized facility for separation and

storage. IP recycled a total of 1.23 million pounds

of nonferrous metals, generating $350,000 in

1995. Paper, wood, and other materials are usually

recycled on a local basis.

Fleet Maintenance

Antifreeze reuse. The Wood River Power Plant recycled and reused nearly 30 55-gallon drums of

antifreeze from maintenance vehicles for use in heat

exchangers, saving more than $12,000 in disposal

and drum purchasing costs. 

Illinois Power Company (continued)

For More Information, Contact:

Roger Cruse, 

Environmental Professional Illinois Power

500 South 27th Street

Decatur, IL 62525-1805

217 424-7376 (Phone)

217 362-7649 (Fax)
WasteWi$e Utility Partner Profile

Innovative Waste Reduction Activities

Generating Stations and Distribution

Fly ash and bottom ash recycling. NU sold 93 percent (27,500 tons) of its fly ash for reuse as

concrete filler, saving $579,000 in 1995. The bottom ash (sand blasting grit) is bagged on site; then

it is sold and used to clean paint and rust off of

antique furniture. In 1995, NU reused more than

58,000 tons of this material, saving $2.6 million in

avoided disposal costs.

Transformers. NU works with a company that takes

apart the transformers, cleans the parts, and remanufactures the product. When the transformers reach the

end of their useful life, the scrap materials are recycled.

Poles. NU sold more than 6,000 feet of wood poles

for lumber. The buyer uses the poles to create

beams and posts. This action saved NU $5,000 in

avoided disposal costs. NU is exploring a joint effort

with Southern New England Telephone to increase

reuse of wood poles.

Organics. NU is researching the use of fish weirs to

help fish safely bypass hydroelectric dams. The company hopes that the project will dramatically

increase the safe passage of shad and salmon

downstream around NU dams. If successful, the

project could be replicated at other utilities.

Investment Recovery and Warehouse 

Metal recycling. NU generated $500,000 by recycling 4 million pounds of metals in 1995. 

Wood pallets. While some pallets are refurbished

on a local basis, many pallets are chipped for recycling. In 1995, NU recycled 120,000 pounds of

wood pallets saving more than $2,000.

Cable reels. NU refurbished 240,000 pounds of

cable reels in 1995, saving $12,000 in avoided

disposal costs.

Fleet Maintenance

Conditional maintenance program. NU routinely

tests oil from maintenance and service vehicles prior

to changing it. The company has found that, for

most vehicles, the oil does not require changing

until 5,000 or 6,000 miles. This activity has enabled

the company to essentially double the mileage

between servicing. In 1995, the company conserved

Northeast Utilities Service Company (NU)

Fuel source: Nuclear, hydropower, natural

gas, and coal.

Generating capacity: 7,800 megawatts.

Service area: NU, serves three states, covering 11,000 square miles stretching from the

Long Island Sound to the Canadian border.

Customers: NU companies serve more than

1.6 million customers.

Employees: Approximately 10,000.

Environmental policy: In conducting its business and operating its facilities, NU is

committed to protecting the environment.

Achievement of this objective requires that

employees at all levels in the organization

understand and comply with environmental

regulations related to their areas of responsibility. This means strict adherence to both the

letter and spirit of state and federal laws for

the protection of the environment.
1,000 gallons of oil through this practice and saved

$54,000 in purchasing and disposal costs. A single

vendor recycles the oil, and NU purchases back the

oil from the same vendor.

General Office

Unwanted mail reduction. NU developed an

aggressive program to combat unwanted bulk mail,

estimated at 35 to 50 percent of all mail received.

The company supplies employees with kits to

remove their names from mailing lists and returns

bulk shipments if they are not wanted. In 1995,

these actions resulted in reductions of 42,000

pounds (a 50 percent reduction) and saved $2,000

in avoided disposal costs.

Working with suppliers to reduce waste. NU is consolidating the number of vendors they work with,

thereby streamlining operations and reducing waste. 

Buy-recycled measurement. NU, in conjunction with

its supplier, developed a system to track recycledcontent purchases. This system is available to all the

suppliers’ customers.

Donation programs. NU donates office furniture

and equipment (such as computers), that are no

longer needed, to nonprofit groups or schools. In

addition, participants indicated that old furniture or

equipment might be sold to employees and/or the

public. Unusable computers are sold to a scrap

vendor, who is able to resell some circuit boards.

Northeast Utilities Service Company (continued)

For More Information, Contact:

Rick Larsen

Senior Scientist, Environmental Programs

P.O. Box 270

Hartford, CT 06141-0270 

860 665-5326 (Phone)

860 665-3777 (Fax)

larsera@nu.com (Email)
WasteWi$e Utility Partner Profile

Innovative Waste Reduction Activities

Education and Measurement

Life cycle cost-analysis. For 1997, PG&E is conducting

a facility-scale life cycle cost-analysis (LCCA) at a medium-sized customer service center in Contra Costa

County. The assessment is examining all material inputs

and solid waste stream outputs with the goal of using

LCCA techniques to reduce waste disposal costs.

Solid waste consulting. PG&E works with some of its

customers on paper recycling and was also one of

seven founding members of the Recycled Paper

Coalition, a voluntary effort to reduce waste by purchasing recycled content paper and encouraging

corporate paper recycling.

Employee education. PG&E’s Environmental Quality

Statement and other environmental materials are

now included throughout the company’s core curriculum training. In 1995, more than 3,500

employees attended these courses. 

Environmental report. PG&E produced its 7th corporate environmental report in 1996, which was

distributed to the Board of Directors, managers,

employees, and external groups.

Measurement. PG&E is working with its haulers to

collect baseline data on its solid waste streams. The

company plans to reduce solid waste generation by

10 percent in 1997 at 10 pilot facilities. PG&E is

developing management systems to track progress.

Generating Stations and Distribution

Transformer remanufacture and recycling. PG&E built

a dedicated facility for its transformer remanufacture

and recycling program. In 1996, PG&E processed

nearly 30,000 transformers. Of these, more than

8,000 were remanufactured and placed back in service. Nearly 20,000 were recycled, yielding 4,400

tons of metals worth nearly $500,000. The avoided

disposal costs were approximately $4.4 million. 

Poles. PG&E experimented with fiberglass poles due

to damage caused by woodpeckers. While wood

poles last only 6 months due to woodpecker damage, fiberglass poles are guaranteed to last for 80

years. PG&E expects that each fiberglass pole used

will replace 160 wood poles (2 poles per year over

80 years). To date, PG&E has installed approximately

100 fiberglass poles, potentially conserving 16,000

wood poles. Given that wood poles cost $400 each

and fiberglass poles cost $900 each, PG&E could

potentially save more than $6,000,000 in avoided

purchasing costs over 80 years. When fiberglass

poles meet the company’s performance requirements,

PG&E will regularly use them wherever woodpecker

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E)

Fuel source: Natural gas, hydro power, nuclear,

and geothermal.

Facilities: PG&E operates 1,500 facilities. 

Generating capacity: 102 billion kilowatt hours.

Service area: PG&E’s service area covers

75,000 square miles.

Customers: Approximately 4,463,000.

Employees: Approximately 22,000.

Environmental policy: PG&E’s environmental

policy states that “PG&E is committed to a

clean, healthy environment. We will provide our

customers with safe, reliable, and responsive

utility service in an environmentally sensitive and

responsible manner. We believe that sound environmental policy contributes to our competitive

strength and benefits our customers, shareholders, and employees by contributing to the

overall well-being and economic health of the

communities we serve.”
problems exist. Fiberglass poles are also two-thirds

lighter than wood poles, making them particularly

valuable for manual installation in remote areas. 

Reuse of insulators. PG&E attempts first to reuse

insulators in-house. Unusable insulators are then

listed with CALMAX, an area materials exchange. 

Soils. PG&E processes and reuses 65 to 75 percent

of its trenching soil in a backfill recycling plant.

Investment Recovery and Warehouse

Wood reuse and reduction. At PG&E, pallets that are

no longer usable are picked up by local furniture

makers. In addition, PG&E is investigating the use of

plastic reels. The plastic reels would be more

durable and would last longer than their wood counterparts, allowing them to be reused more often. 

Miscellaneous. PG&E’s Investment Recovery Team

salvaged and recycled $4.1 million in materials in

1996. The volume recycled increased 22 percent

from 1995 for a total of 15,500 tons, while the dollar value increased 7.6 percent. PG&E replaced

1,300 miles of power line, 18,000 electrical transformers, 46,000 gas meters, 37,000 electric

meters, hundreds of miles of plastic natural gas distribution piping, and thousands of computers.

Aerosol containers. A new handling process,

emphasizing sorting and returning usable materials

and investigating alternative point delivery systems,

should reduce disposal costs of the 40-ton waste

stream by 25 percent, or $35,000 annually.

Dry-cell batteries. Increased use of rechargeable alkaline batteries will reduce disposal costs for the

half-million battery waste stream by $40,000 annually.

Fleet Maintenance

Recycling used motor oil. PG&E recycles its used

motor oil, rerefines it, and uses it in its fleet. This

activity saves the utility $20,000 and conserves

800,000 pounds of waste annually. More than 4,700

barrels were reprocessed in 1996, a 6 percent

increase over 1995.

Antifreeze reuse. The 80 tons generated annually in

the 80 maintenance garages will be recycled onsite

and will reduce the waste stream by 90 percent (72-

ton reduction), resulting in an annual savings of

$30,000 to $40,000.

General Office

Working with suppliers. PG&E has formulated supplier

evaluation criteria that include environmental factors

among those considered when selecting suppliers of

products and services. In addition, in 1994 the utility

requested that its largest supplier of envelopes begin

reusing the shipping cartons for billing envelopes an

average of three times before they are too worn for

use. This action reduced the amount of packaging

each year by two-thirds, or 60,000 pounds.

Buying recycled products. PG&E uses recycled content paper for bill inserts, employee newsletters,

environmental reports, billing envelopes, annual

reports, proxy statements, monthly bills, stationery,

and business cards. In 1995, the company purchased

over 140,000 tons of recycled content paper. More

than 86 percent of all paper products purchased by

the utility contain at least 10 percent postconsumer

recycled fibers. In 1996, the company increased dollars spent on the purchase of recycled office products

by 5 percent.

Pacific Gas and Electric (continued)

For More Information, Contact:

Peter Melhus, Director

Corporate Environmental Quality

Pacific Gas & Electric Company

123 Mission Street, H21A

P.O. Box 770000

San Francisco, CA 94177

415 973-5782 (Phone)

415 973-5790 (Fax)
WasteWi$e Utility Partner Profile

Innovative Waste Reduction Activities

Education and Measurement

Obtaining management support. Obtaining top

management support is a key to a successful waste

reduction program. PP&L’s Corporate Environmental

Policy Committee consists of management representatives that review their company’s environmental

direction and set policy. The goal is to develop a

cultural attitude for environmental responsibility

equivalent to that of safety, quality, and productivity. 

Employee Incentive Award Program. PP&L’s employee incentive award program pays cash bonuses to

all employees for achievement of annual corporate

goals, including an environmental goal from 1993-

1995. The Environmental Goal, established by the

Solid Waste Team, consisted of a number of waste

prevention, reuse, and recycling targets. The overall

goal was to achieve a combined average of 100

percent or higher on each of the individual targets

by year end. The environmental goals for 1995

included reduce paper use by 15 percent, reduce

trash disposal by 10 percent, recycle 1,000 tons of

paper and cardboard, and recycle 2,500 tons of

wood. Performance on the corporate environmental

goal was measured and reported to employees

monthly. To promote competition between facilities,

waste generation and recycling totals were reported.

PP&L replaced these individual targets with a 1996

goal of at least $1 million in savings through waste

prevention activities.

Generating Stations and Distribution

Coal ash recycling. PP&L mixes hydrated lime with

its fly ash to create Stabil-Fill. PP&L uses Stabil-Fill to

backfill former coal mines, as ready-mix concrete,

and as fill for construction projects. At one PP&L

facility, the use of Stabil-Fill saved an estimated

$700,000 in avoided costs for purchasing fill material and reduced the need to build new ash disposal

units, which would have cost over $50 million. For

offsite construction projects, Stabil-Fill has been

used for the expansion of an airport runway and

backfill at industrial sites. In the near future, it will

be used for local road construction.

Wood Reuse Program. In 1995, PP&L reused or

donated 1,852,000 pounds of poles. PP&L encourages the reuse and recycling of poles by the

Pennsylvania Power and Light Company (PP&L)

Fuel source: Nearly two-thirds of electrical

energy comes from burning coal.

Facilities: PP&L operates five coal-fired plants

with 14 units, one nuclear plant with two

units, two hydroelectric units, and one unit

that has the capacity to burn either oil or natural gas. 

Generating capacity: 6,600 megawatts.

Service area: PP&L provides electrical service

throughout a 10,000 square mile area.

Customers: PP&L supplies electricity to

1,200,000 customers.

Employees: Approximately 6,500.

Environmental policy: One of PP&L’s corporate objectives for 1996 is to achieve at least

$1 million in savings through waste prevention activities. To help achieve this goal, PP&L

launched a “Taking Care of the Future

Today” campaign with the message that

good corporate environmental performance

comes from the actions and decisions made

each day by employees. 
company, employees, and customers. A company

incentive program encouraged employees to find

ways to reuse, donate, and recycle poles, and track

giveaways. Wooden poles may be used for gates,

barriers, fencing, and landscape purposes. Used

poles that cannot be reused or recycled are chipped

and burned for energy purposes. 

In 1995, PP&L reduced pallet purchases by

193,300 pounds and sold almost 300,000 pounds

of cable reels for refurbishing. The company works

with vendors on the quality of their pallets to

improve the potential for reuse (e.g., requesting

standard sizes and hardwood materials). It discourages the use of “junk” or “one-time use” pallets.

PP&L attempts to reuse pallets wherever feasible and

allows employees to take home excess pallets to

create compost bins. It publishes a listing of pallet

and reel refurbishers and mulching facilities.

Fleet Maintenance

Antifreeze reuse. Employees developed a filter to

purify antifreeze. They collect antifreeze in drums, filter off oil and contaminants, and reuse it. Any

unusable antifreeze is recycled by a vendor. 

Pennsylvania Power and Light Company (continued)

For More Information, Contact:

Larry LaBuz, Project Engineer

Environmental Management

Pennsylvania Power & Light Company

2 North Ninth Street

Allentown, PA 18101

610 498-6238 (Phone)

610 498-6204 (Fax)
WasteWi$e Utility Partner Profile

Innovative Waste Reduction Activities

Education and Measurement

Incentives in performance evaluations. PSE&G

encourages managers and staff to achieve environmental goals by including such provisions in

employee performance evaluations. Company officers must achieve environmental goals in their

divisions to receive base raises. They receive incremental raises for exceeding the goals. 

Waste accounting. PSE&G uses a database program to track waste management costs. The system

enables PSE&G to track labor, transportation, rental,

taxes, and disposal costs for all waste generated by

the company. The system helps the company track

waste reduction benefits and identify high-cost activities and cost savings.

Generating Stations and Distribution

Coal ash reuse. PSE&G established a goal of

reusing 100 percent of its coal ash. The company

contracts with firms who find markets for both lowand high-quality ash. Some uses for the ash include

anti-skid material, landfill cover, backfill material,

buffering agents, and concrete construction material.

Investment Recovery and Warehouse

New technology for wood pole reuse. PSE&G initiated a pilot program with a Louisiana firm to convert

utility poles into useful building materials using a

combination of chemical and biological processes.

If successful, the process will enable PSE&G to reuse

between 6,000 and 8,000 tons of wood poles

annually (approximately 10,000 poles).

Commingled recycling. To achieve its ambitious

recycling goal, PSE&G uses a materials recovery

facility that processes recyclable materials, such as

paper, wood, glass, and construction debris. The

company finds that commingled recycling collection

saves time devoted to separating materials. Not only

does this process help PSE&G exceed state recycling

targets (PSE&G recycled 94.5 percent of its nonhazardous waste); it also helps save money in avoided

disposal costs. In 1995, PSE&G saved $500,000 in

avoided disposal costs through the commingled

recycling program.

General Office

Streamline suppliers. PSE&G consolidated the number of suppliers it uses from 85 companies to only

six. Doing so enabled the company to eliminate several problems, such as oversupply, duplication, and

waste stemming from expired product. PSE&G

Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G)

Fuel source: Coal and natural gas.

Facilities: 16 fossil (PJM facilities).

Generating capacity: 8,015 megawatts.

Customers: Approximately 1,900,000.

Employees: Approximately 11,000.

Environmental policy: PSE&G is committed to

12 environmental principles to foster a cleaner, healthier environment. These principles

include conducting all operations to: meet

and/or exceed all applicable environmental

laws and regulations; promote environmental

awareness; prevent pollution at the source,

minimize waste generation, and recycle

materials; and commit resources to support

these principles.
requires remaining suppliers to meet a 10 percent

waste reduction target. The utility is also piloting

“take-back” and “just-in-time” inventory programs

with these suppliers.

Solid waste consulting. PSE&G has offered its waste

management expertise to one of its customers,

Liberty State Park (a waste-to-energy facility), in New

York. PSE&G helped the company to develop purchasing specifications for waste management

services. PSE&G is also establishing a computer

demanufacturing program at the PSE&G resource

recovery facility. 

Electronic purchasing and billing. PSE&G is pilottesting an electronic data interchange system to

electronically bill both its commercial and residential

customers. This action would eliminate return

envelopes and checks. PSE&G has implemented an

electronic purchasing program with its suppliers.

Public Service Electric and Gas Company (continued)

For More Information, Contact:

Donald McCloskey, Manager

Coal Ash and Solid Waste Business

80 Park Plaza, MC 23C

Newark, NJ 07102-4194

609 599-7018 (Phone)

609 394-5980 (Fax)
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Please send a membership packet.

Facilities to be included in initial waste reduction efforts:

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_____________________________________________________________________________

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Or, fax to WasteWi$e at 703-308-8686

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