WasteWi$e is an EPA effort that encourages businesses to develop comprehensive waste reduction programs. WasteWi$e recently announced its 1996 Program Champions. Among the companies honored, who have made dramatic improvements in waste reduction, thus saving natural resources as well as financial ones, include:
Chrysler Corp., which eliminated expendable packaging through the use of returnable containers and reusable materials. Corrugated, wood, and plastic packaging were reduced by 100 million pounds in 1994, and a further 11 million pounds in 1995.
Coors, whose lightweighting of bottles saved over 53 million pounds of glass in 1995. Reducing the flap size of its bottle boxes saved an additional 6.8 million pounds of corrugated.
General Mills, which developed a reusable tote system for moving products and ingredients that conserved 16 million pounds of corrugated.
Pepsi, which substituted reusable plastic cases for one-way shippers, eliminating 196 million pounds of corrugated annually, saving $44 million. Through aluminum can weight reductions, 11 million pounds were also saved. Not to be outdone, archrival Coca-Cola reduced can weight by 6 percent, saving 40 million pounds of aluminum annually!
For more information, call 1-800-EPA-WISE.
