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Recycling in GM’s Production Facilities
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Recycling at the Pontiac, Michigan, Validation
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Here are some of the improvements GM has made
in the plants that make vehicles:
Cartridge filters
GM’s assembly, metal fabricating and powertrain
operations use air filtration systems with cylinder
air filters to filter dust and material in the air.
GM contracts with suppliers in three states to refurbish
these filters for reuse. This keeps more than 90,000
filters each year from filling more than 20,000 cubic
yards of landfill space.
Rolled filter media
To produce transmission parts, machines cut, grind
and hone the metal parts before assembly. These machines
use coolants, which become mixed with metal chips
and shavings. Rolled filter media separate the coolants
and metal scrap so the coolants can be recirculated
and reused. The filter media and the metal scrap
become waste by-products to be placed in landfills.
But now, the Warren Transmission facility uses a
supplier that cleans, shreds and recycles the rolled
filter media into pellets for plastic lumber, used
to make picnic tables, decks, and park benches. As
a result, the plant now recycles 80 to 90 percent
of its filter media, and other GM Powertrain plants
have begun to use this process as well.
Scrap pallets and wood
A Southeast Michigan wood processing facility receives
scrap pallets and other wooden packaging from GM
facilities in Pontiac, Mich. The wood pieces are
chipped and sold to landscape contractors as dried
landscaping mulch. Some of the material is sold in
its natural state, while some is dyed into colors
ranging from red to black to gold. The company also
offers green wood mulch, typically used for covering
trails.
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