Columbus Chemical Company Earns Environmental Honor

Pictured (L-R) Nick Harmon (Akzo Nobel); Gary Rikard, MDEQ Executive Director; Sonny                           Yarbrough (Akzo Nobel)

Pictured (L-R) Nick Harmon (Akzo Nobel); Gary Rikard, MDEQ Executive Director; Sonny Yarbrough (Akzo Nobel)

CKSON, Miss. (Press Release)– The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality(MDEQ) Thursday accepted two new members and seven renewal memberships into its enHance program for the 2015 class. In addition, two other members upgraded their membership status. The recognition was part of the annual workshop and awards luncheon held in Jackson.

enHance is a voluntary stewardship program begun in 2009 that recognizes committed environmental leaders who accomplish goals beyond their legal requirements. enHance is open to facilities, cities, counties, and other entities who are interested in the program, and applicants can choose from three tiers:  Associate, Steward, or Leader.

“It is an honor to recognize these companies that are actively striving to
reduce their wastes, reduce their environmental impacts, and improve the
quality of life in their communities.  Their vision and leadership is to be
commended, as their efforts will result in both immediate and long-term
benefits for the residents of our state,” said Gary Rikard, MDEQ Executive
Director.
New members for 2015:

Leader
Mississippi Lignite Mining Company (Choctaw County).
Associate
Plymouth Tube Company (Eupora).
Renewing members for 2015:
Leaders
Akzo Nobel Pulp and Performance Chemicals, Inc. (Columbus).
Baxter Healthcare (Cleveland).
Northrop Grumman Corporation (Moss Point).
Nucor Steel Jackson, Inc. and General Recycling of Mississippi, LLC
(Flowood).
Super Sagless (Tupelo).

These members upgraded from Steward to Leader:

Ark-Ell Springs, a Division of Leggett & Platt Components Company, Inc.
(Houlka).
Hunter Douglas (Tupelo).

Stewards

DTE PetCoke, LLC (Vicksburg).
City of Hernando.

There are currently 35 members in the enHance program. Members include
private companies, federal government facilities, and local governments.
Membership is voluntary, and applications for membership may be submitted
each year from July 1 through September 30.

More information about the program is available at www.enhance.ms.
2015 enHance Members

1.        Akzo Nobel Pulp and Performance Chemicals – Leader

Akzo Nobel was one of the charter members of the enHance program and is
renewing their membership.  Akzo Nobel continues to address waste reduction
in wastewater and solid waste.  Process changes allowing for re-use of wash
water and condensate have been implemented allowing what was previously
single pass water to be reused in the process.  This reduces chemicals used
for pre-treatment and total effluent per ton of produced product.  Material
has been diverted from the landfill through recycling and reuse.  Aluminum
oxide, a waste product from manufacturing, is used as a raw material
component in sandpaper manufacturing.  Each year Akzo Nobel participates in
four or more community activities with an emphasis on environmental
stewardship.

2.        Ark-Ell Springs, a Division of Leggett &Platt Components Company –
Leader

Ark-Ell Springs was previously a member at the Steward level and is
renewing their membership at Leader level.  Ark-Ell Springs participates in
the EFEC program, which stands for “enhancing furniture’s environmental
culture.”  This program is an industry-specific environmental management
system.  At the corporate level, Leggett & Platt has introduced the Eco
Initiative for improved environmental management.  Ark-Ell has implemented
projects to recycle wood pallets and sinuous gearbox oil.  Energy projects
include oven insulation to decrease propane usage and improvement of the
oven burner tube and flame spreader.  As part of Earth Day, a contest was
held to see which employee could bring the most recyclables from home.

3.        Baxter Healthcare – Leader

Baxter was one of the first companies to join enHance, having previously
been a member of the EPA Performance Track program.  Baxter has a robust
corporate sustainability effort that helps drive local activities.  On a
corporate level, goals are set for the use of renewable energy, greenhouse
gas reductions, and energy and water use reductions. They are striving for
zero-landfilled waste.  Local energy projects include the addition of a
master control for air compressors that will allow operation at their best
efficiency points and reduction of leaks in the compressed air system.  The
target reduction goal for these is 1.5 million kWh/yr.   As a Leader,
Baxter sponsors Bolivar Earth Day, a community recycling and household
hazardous waste collection event.

4.        DTE PetCoke – Steward

DTE PetCoke is located in Vicksburg.  Though this site has only eight
employees, they are all committed to environmental excellence.  This
requires some innovation for recycling options.  Plastic containers and
office paper are recycled through a local school.  Cardboard and metal are
also recycled.  Electronic devices are donated to local schools when
possible.  Energy conservation efforts include relocated photocells on
outside lighting for reduced usage of one hour per day and plug load
reduction through implementation of sleep mode on computers after 30
minutes of inactivity.

5.        City of Hernando – Steward

The City of Hernando has implemented an enhanced curbside recycling program
that increased the recycling schedule to weekly from every other week and
increased the number of different materials that could be recycled.  The
program made it easier for residents to recycle, using one single stream 90
gallon bin versus two bins.  The city has been awarded a Brownfields grant
to assess properties for potential redevelopment.  The city has implemented
ordinances and policies for environmental improvement, and the mayor has
established an advisory commission to address policies on environmental and
energy conservation.

6.        Hunter Douglas – Leader

Hunter Douglas is renewing their membership and moving from Steward to
Leader. Hunter Douglas has had an active waste minimization program for
years, reducing hazardous waste, TRI chemicals, and VOC emissions by more
than 50%.  Solid waste to the landfill has also been significantly reduced;
in a recent year 25 tons went to the landfill, while 702 tons was recycled.
Hunter Douglas also has an on-going project to reduce the carbon footprint
from operations.  A recent study to reduce energy consumption involved the
use of LED and T5 lighting to replace metal halide in warehouse areas.
Hunter Douglas sponsors Adopt-a-Road and Adopt-a-Stream efforts and
encourages employees that are not able to recycle at home to bring
recyclables to the plant.  An average of 5,400  pounds per year has been
collected from employees for recycling.

7.        Mississippi Lignite Company – Leader

Mississippi Lignite mines six seams of lignite near Ackerman to supply fuel
to an adjacent coal-fired power plant.  Operations are very focused on
protection and restoration of the mined areas.  Over 100 acres per year are
mined and reclaimed.  A quail restoration project was implemented to assist
in the rebound of the quail population, which has declined up to 70% over
the last 30 years, primarily due to habitat loss.  Approximately 2,500
chicks have been raised and released to-date.  A stream reclamation project
resulted in a stream being reconstructed to a level that exceeded the
intent of the Reclamation Act, and in 2014 Mississippi Lignite received one
of only two National Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Awards
given by the Office of Surface Mining.  Each year MLMC hosts all of the
fourth graders from the Choctaw County School district for Arbor Day, and
each child plants a hardwood tree at the mine.

8.        Northrop Grumman – Leader

The Moss Point facility is part of the Aerospace Systems sector.  The
manufacturing debris waste stream is the largest at the site.  Since
January of 2013, this waste stream has been reduced by 42% through multiple
procurement, inventory, and process changes.  The site utilizes a Chemical
Review Process to select materials that result in lower VOC emissions from
operations.  The site has reduced VOC emissions by 19%.  As a Leader, the
facility is involved in a community environmental beach and waterway
project.

9.        Nucor Steel and General Recycling of Mississippi – Leader

Nucor is also one of the charter members of the enHance program and has
demonstrated great support and leadership during their six years of
membership.  Nucor utilizes an Energy Team to direct a continuous
improvement effort to decrease energy intensity per ton of steel produced.
Multiple projects are on-going and have resulted in significant reductions
in kWh used.  Another one of Nucor’s Environmental Management System’s
Goals is to reduce consumption of oils in the facility by 3%.  Nucor
representatives have served as mentors for the enHance program, serving on
advisory committees and providing guidance on environmental management
systems to other facilities.

10.        Plymouth Tube Company – Associate

Plymouth Tube is entering the enHance program this year.  Their
Manufacturing Excellence is one of the main pillars of their corporate
strategy.  The Eupora Mill recently worked with TVA and completed a
lighting upgrade that is projected to save over 800,000 kWh per year,
reduce related emissions from power generation, and achieve a cost savings
of $44,000.   In addition, as a community service, the facility purchased
and distributed compact fluorescent bulbs to local citizens to replace
incandescent bulbs currently used in homes.

11.        Super Sagless – Leader

Super Sagless is also a member of the EFEC environmental management
program.  Through this, they have served as a mentor to three other
facilities, two of which have gone on to join the enHance program.  Their
solid waste reduction efforts include a pallet mulching and recycling
program; 1,945 cubic yards were converted to mulch and 3,600 cubic yards of
pallets were re-used last year.  The facility also implemented an air leaks
reduction project that is estimated to save about 50,000 kWh per year.

Categories: Local News, State News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *