GM Waste Reduction

A colony of spider monkeys, an endangered Amur tiger and a family of North American river otters are enjoying a new set of toys and enrichment items thanks to General Motors and the Flint Metal Center.

General Motors today announced an expansion of its industry-leading landfill-free program as all of the company’s manufacturing plants in Canada, Mexico and South America now recycle, reuse or convert to energy all waste from daily operations. With the addition of 27 newly certified facilities, General Motors has 142 manufacturing and non-manufacturing landfill-free facilities globally — more than any other automaker.

General Motors is taking its composting program – one of its most successful examples of circular economy – to a whole new level at its global headquarters located in the Renaissance Center (GMRENCEN) in Detroit.

GM is a believer in the circular economy where people design items so they stay in use. The company and its suppliers work often with the next generation of leaders to help them see items not as they are, but what they can become – key to ensuring sustainability remains top of mind long into the future.

Materials lacking end-of-life solutions don’t just end up in the landfill - some find their way into rivers and waterways, too. A group of company leaders, representatives from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and materials technology innovators from the US Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Materials Marketplace, recently gathered on the Living Lands & Waters barge to help solve the problem.

General Motors thinks of waste as a resource out of place. To help make the zero-waste mindset more mainstream, the company engages others in its mission, including students. Most recently it was Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture helping reimagine waste materials to keep them in use.

A network of local and global businesses are collaborating with the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI) to transform a long-vacant apartment complex in Detroit’s lower North End into a multi-functional community space that will become one of the most sustainable, energy-efficient buildings in Detroit.

Erika George, director of Development for The Empowerment Plan in Detroit, Mich., explains why homelessness is not a defining characteristic and shares how we can improve the lives of homeless individuals through partnerships and opportunities.

For our annual Earth Week guest post series, we’re showcasing a variety of voices in the sustainability space. First up, Matthew Vandyke, a materials engineer at General Motors, offers tips on how to incorporate more recycled content into manufacturing.