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Industry profile
According to the New York State Department of Labor, there are more than 131,000 people working in manufacturing in New York City. The variety of products manufactured is enormous and the competition intense. Industries employing the largest number of people are listed below:
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Business type
apparel
food
printing
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Number of employees
32,400
15,000
14,200
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According to the NYC Department of Sanitation’s New York City Waste Composition Study (1990), (1990), manufacturing businesses are responsible for approximately 35 percent of the total quantity of commercial waste generated in the City every year.
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Waste prevention tips for manufacturers
Improving profit margins without compromising product quality or raising product price represents an ongoing challenge for manufacturers. Waste prevention serves as a key component to meeting this challenge.
Identify waste prevention opportunities by periodically re-examining and retooling your business’s purchasing decisions and production processes. Small changes — such as installing lighting timers or sensors to save energy, renegotiating contracts with vendors to take back pallets and other transport waste, or increasing routine maintenance schedules for heavily used machinery and vehicles — can save your business a lot of money.
Check out the topics below to learn more:
 distribution packaging
water conservation
energy efficiency and motors
vehicle maintenance
paint
manufacturing with recycled content
obsolete inventory and off-spec waste
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DISTRIBUTION PACKAGING
When receiving any type of delivery, no matter what the size, businesses usually end up paying to dispose of the distribution packaging that is left behind. Commonly used distribution packaging, such as corrugated cardboard boxes, pallets, wood crates, shrink wrap, and drums, can often be used more than once or recycled.
Numerous opportunities exist to reduce or eliminate this waste. Examples include changing vendor contract requirements, switching to reusable delivery containers, or working with a local materials exchange program to sell reusable distribution-packaging materials.
Visit wooden pallets and crates, paperboard and cardboard, drums, and reusable containers, in waste less at agencies & schools to learn more about money-saving opportunities to prevent waste generated by distribution packaging.
ALSO SEE case studies to learn what other companies are doing, and check shipping/receiving in vendors for information on recycling distribution-packaging materials or purchasing reusable materials.
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WATER CONSERVATION
Water loss through undetected leaks can do damage to your facility’s interior and substantially raise your water bill. Practicing preventive maintenance, and repairing leaks as they occur, can reduce overall water-usage and sewer costs.
For more information on reducing water usage in your facility, visit water conservation and resources in waste less at agencies & schools.
ALSO SEE case studies for information on what other companies are doing to conserve water.
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ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND MOTORS
Energy costs can take a big bite out of your operating budget. Save energy by improving motor efficiency. Motors that don’t work optimally can adversely affect operating costs and production schedules. Try the following to improve motor efficiency:
Establish a regular preventive maintenance schedule for all heavily used equipment. Pressure vacuum and/or clean motors with rags and brushes to reduce build-up. Check for adequate lubrication and inspect drive belts.
Install filters in larger, enclosed motors to minimize corrosion and dust. Corrosion and dust can contaminate lubricants, causing increased friction that can lead to premature bearing failure.
To prevent overfilling, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for grease. Excessive grease can enter the seal, damage winding insulation, and lead to a short circuit.
Cover grease gun nozzles when not in use, to keep out dust and other foreign matter.
Check motor alignment following installation; incorporate periodic alignment checks into preventive maintenance schedules. Misalignment of the motor and driver machine’s shafts causes vibrations, reduces work output, and increases energy usage.
Replace older motors with premium-efficiency motors. Premium-efficiency motors contain thinner, high-quality steel laminations in the rotor and additional copper in the windings. They also have improved power factors over standard motors. Higher initial costs are offset by increased operating efficiency and decreased energy usage. See case studies to learn how Staten Island University Hospital saved $3,179 a month on operating costs by switching to high-efficiency motors.
ALSO SEE resources and energy efficiency in waste less at agencies & schools for additional information, and green building for how to incorporate energy efficiency into new building design and remodeling projects.
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VEHICLE MAINTENANCE
Maintaining and repairing company vehicles on a regular basis can generate large waste streams of spent materials that are often costly to discard; many require some type of regulatory compliance or tracking.
Numerous opportunities exist to reduce waste disposal costs and regulatory burdens. Examples include investing in reusable products, extending preventive maintenance schedules, or switching from a solvent-based to an aqueous-based parts washer.
To find out more, check out the following topics from tips for your agency in waste less at agencies & schools:
absorbents
antifreeze
brake cleaners
car wash detergent
cloth rags
drums
filters
lead-acid batteries
motor oil
solvents
tires
ALSO SEE reducing toxics and reusable supplies and equipment for examples of what other companies are doing, resources for additional links, vendors for product purchasing information, and measurement tools to see how your business can save money.
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PAINT
Investing resources in researching new painting techniques and less-toxic paint products can improve worker safety and decrease purchasing and waste management costs. Here are some tips for money-saving alternatives to consider when adding a coating or finish to your product:
Replace solvent-based paints with lower-VOC (volatile organic compound) water-based paints when feasible. Using water-based paints decreases VOC emissions and the amount of solvent used for cleanup, which reduces or eliminates the need to apply for air permits or comply with federal requirements concerning hazardous air pollutants or waste.
Increase coating-transfer efficiency by using high-volume, low-pressure (HVLP) painting guns or systems. Using a HVLP system, rather than a conventional spray-painting system, reduces the amount of paint lost due to overspray, bounce, and blowback. Typical transfer efficiency from a conventional system is 25 to 30 percent, compared to 50 to 65 percent for HVLP systems.
Depending on the application, consider using another type of transfer-efficient coating system, such as:
- Airless: Paint is atomized by forcing it through a small orifice at the tip of the spray gun nozzle at high fluid pressures (1,500 to 3,000 psi).
- Pressure atomized air-assisted: Combines features of conventional (air atomized) and airless systems. An airless, fluid spray nozzle is used to atomize the coating into a fan pattern at high pressures (400 to 800 psi). A second, low-pressure air stream (10 to 30 psi) is injected after the nozzle, to improve atomization and the spray pattern.
- Electrostatic: Negatively charged, atomized paint particles and a grounded work piece create an electrostatic field that draws paint particles to the work piece.
Consider replacing water-curtain spray booths with dry-filter paint booths. Dry-filter technologies capture paint-based particulate emissions using a filter system. Whereas water-curtain systems produce waste water and paint sludge that often must be pretreated or handled as hazardous waste, dry-filter technologies generate only spent filters. The filter-disposal method depends on the constituents of the paint in use and the quantity of filters generated.
ALSO SEE case studies to learn what other companies are doing; resources for additional links; and paint in waste less at agencies & schools, for more information on how to reduce waste and get more for your money when painting interiors.
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MANUFACTURING WITH RECYCLED CONTENT
Making products with recycled-content feedstock conserves natural resources, creates good public relations, and can reduce feedstock-purchasing costs.
Using recycled materials to make new products is not a new idea. Many industries in the metal fabricating and plastics business have been recycling pre-consumer (factory-floor) scrap into new products for years.
Increased public awareness of the adverse environmental and financial impacts of waste disposal, combined with a rise in the number and extent of municipal recycling programs, has created more demand for post-consumer recycled-content products. (Post-consumer recycled-content products are made from materials already used and discarded by consumers.)
All levels of government are trying to foster the development of post-consumer recycled-content products by providing technical and financial assistance programs, and requiring government agencies to purchase products made with specific percentages of recycled content when readily available.
Many businesses have taken advantage of these new market opportunities to integrate post-consumer recycled content into their products, or to develop totally new product lines. See case studies for examples of companies who successfully use recycled materials in their manufacturing processes.
ALSO SEE resources for more information on companies who make recycled-content products, locating sources of recycled feedstock, feedstock conversion, and product testing.
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INVENTORY MANAGEMENT: OBSOLETE INVENTORY AND 0FF-SPEC WASTE
Obsolete or surplus inventory and off-spec waste represent the by-products of overpurchasing, poor inventory management and production planning, or error. Of little value (if any) to you and your customers, these by-products must often be discarded as waste.
Although resale and recycling opportunities often exist for surplus inventory or off-spec waste, it is better to avoid creating future waste by establishing better purchasing, inventory, or production guidelines. Follow these money-saving ways to improve all-around inventory and product management:
Inspect materials before accepting shipments. Stop damaged, spoiled, or off-spec material or equipment from entering your business.
Talk to your vendors about taking back surplus, discontinued, or outdated products.
Schedule routine inventory checks and rotate inventory accordingly.
Establish a centralized purchasing system. Making all purchases go through one department can eliminate overpurchasing and reduce costs through bulk purchasing.
Closely re-examine processes where off-spec waste is occuring. Off-spec products or packaging may occasionally occur, but they should not be viewed as an inherent component of production. Whether the problem stems from human or mechanical error, investing staff time or hiring a consultant to get to the root of the problem can save you money.
If your business has multiple facilities and cannot track purchasing through a centralized system, ask your vendors to help track your inventory purchases. It is integral to your vendor’s business to know what they are selling, how often, and to whom. See case studies to learn how companies have saved money by implementing such tracking systems.
Resell your surplus or off-spec materials through a materials exchange or brokering service.
Donate items to nonprofit organizations that will reuse the items in-house or redistribute them to other organizations in need.
Contact recycling vendors for possible revenue-generating opportunities.
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