Three GM Plants in China Certified as Landfill Free

General Motors is continuing to make efforts to sustain its landfill-free production site plan, with the latest development coming from China, where three GM factories have been certified as landfill free, bringing the company’s total to 65 facilities.

The powertrain, stamping and assembly plants in Qindago recycle or reuse all the manufacturing waste resulted from their operations.

GM’s final goal with this project, announced in 2008, is to convert 50 percent of its major manufacturing facilities worldwide into landfill-free operations by the end of the current year. With the aforementioned accomplishment, GM is now at 92 percent toward delivering on that commitment.

“We’re extremely pleased to see three more of our facilities achieve landfill-free status,” said John Bradburn, manager of GM’s waste reduction efforts. “These large facilities are much more efficient than the average household when it comes to waste, and I’m happy to be able to announce them on the eve of World Environment Day 2010.”

Commemorated each year on June 5, the World Environment Day is one of the main events that allows the United Nations Environment Programme to raise worldwide awareness of the the environment as well as enhance political attention and action. The North American host city this year is Pittsburg.

GM’s landfill-free plants include 27 facilities in North America, 24 facilities in Asia-Pacific and Latin America and 14 facilities in Europe.

GM’s zero landfill sites recycle or reuse more than 97 percent of waste materials, with the remaining three percent being converted to energy at waste-to-energy facilities replacing fossil fuels.