General Motors South Africa’s (GMSA) has been declared a 100% landfill-free organisation, with its two manufacturing sites in Port Elizabeth recently joining its non-manufacturing facilities in achieving zero waste to landfill – four years ahead of GM’s global deadline of 2020.

GMSA’s manufacturing plants in Struandale and in Kempston Road have followed its Parts Distribution Centre (PDC) in the Coega Industrial Development Zone, as well as its Vehicle Conversion and Distribution Centre (VCDC), situated in the Markman Township to make this major environmental milestone a reality.

Ncedisa Mzuzu, GM environmental group manager in Africa, said the landfill-free certification had been accomplished through highly strategic planning and persistent implementation using the waste management hierarchy model. She explained that this model outlines an effective order of preference for the reduction of waste, as the foundation for the GM model.

The non-manufacturing sites were able to achieve more than a 95% recycling ratio on average with peak periods reaching 99%, while the manufacturing operations achieved more than a 90% recycling ratio.

What does GMSA do with the waste?

The waste that would have gone to landfill is diverted to alternative technology. This option still ensures that waste is handled in environmentally friendly manner. Through this technology, waste is put to beneficial use as it goes to energy recovery facilities for use as alternative fuel, minimising the use of natural resources.

“We were strategic in first targeting the ‘low-hanging fruits’, especially those at non-manufacturing sites, and then established a unique roadmap for our manufacturing operations,” Mzuzu said.

Outreach programmes enhance environmental compliance

Since 2014, the company has assisted its suppliers to become increasingly compliant through a series of outreach programmes to provide necessary environmental and recycling knowledge.

Mzuzu said that innovative in-house collaborations, such as those involving multiple reuses for packaging and other waste, as well as employee communication “that is real, relevant and has a far reaching influence”, were among other strategies contributing to the excellent recycling ratio at all four facilities.

“GMSA’s environmental management system is certified to the ISO 14001:2004 standard,” Mzuzu said, and explained that the environment was one of the company’s key imperatives. “While we are in the business of making vehicles, we strive actively to mitigate the impact of that business on the natural environment and local communities.”