Waste Management Target and Performance
Targets
GC to increase waste utilization when compared with 2023 and achieve Zero hazardous waste to landfill
hazardous waste to landfill.
Challenges and Opportunities
Efficient resource consumption and reduced waste volume reflect an enhanced production process. GC’s production process has also contributed to reducing resource shortage risks, environmental impacts, and waste disposal costs.
Therefore, GC has established the policy to increase capability of waste management and implement projects to reduce the waste associated with the turnaround activities and business expansion. This includes GC’s Zero Waste to Landfill Project in 2012 which has achieved its goals since 2015. The company has also implemented the Circular Economy concept as an approach to expand its comprehensive waste management by applying innovation in recycling waste into value-added products to satisfy the needs of all relevant stakeholders. However, GC recognizes that waste management is an issue that requires the cooperation of all sectors. Thus, GC encourages all sectors, including the public, to become aware of the waste problem and to gain knowledge and understanding about the process of waste management, including waste collection, separation, recycling and utilizing resources to maximize its benefits.
Management ApproachGRI 3-3 (2021) 306-1 (2020) GRI 306-2 (2020)
Waste Management Process
GC is committed to its waste management policy and has implemented waste audits to identify opportunities for improving waste efficiency and reduce waste generation, covering hazardous and non-hazardous waste, in order to use resource efficiently throughout the value chain and to minimize waste generation. In this regard, action plans to reduce waste generation have been developed by adopting the 5Rs Principle, including Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Renewable, and Reject. GC has set up a system for waste handling process i.e. sorting, storage, transportation and disposal to manage, monitor and prevent the impacts on community, society and environment. Additionally, GC focuses on enhancing the efficiency of resources usage, and limit wastes generation to be minimum in order to reduce waste from business activities to disposal.
Currently, wastes which may impact the environment from production, maintenance and other activities are managed with effective and efficient measures that are in line with international standards, and only waste processors who are certified by the Department of Industrial Works can receive wastes from GC. In addition, GC has annually reported details of waste to related government agencies in order to ensure that wastes are managed properly and strictly complied with laws and regulations.
Waste Management Approach GRI 306-2 (2020)
GC integrates the concept of circular economy into the day-to-day business operation to optimize the use of resources, waste generation and impacts along value chain.
GC continue divert waste from disposal. In 2024, we set operation waste recovery target at 26%. Also, we achieved the target at 28%
Efficient Use of Resources
Waste Management followed 5Rs
Alternative Fuel from Waste
Zero Waste to Landfill
Resource and Waste Management
Read moreResource and Waste Management
GC exchanges surplus products, raw materials and fuel energy from production processes to add value between factories across the value chain, from upstream own operation to downstream according to relevant guidelines and the Waste Management Action Plan, targeting to minimize waste and achieve zero waste to landfill. GC has conducted research on various initiatives to work towards zero waste, making investments in innovation or R&D to minimize waste. This has contributed to the achievement of the 100-percent waste diversion from landfill since 2015, which has been certified by the Department of Industrial Works and has been in continuous implementation until today. We have also taken action to recycle waste and wastewater based on the concept of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
GC has adopted the 5Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse, and Renewable) to foster an environmental culture and strike a balance between resource management and sustainable business operations through various initiatives, including ongoing environmentally friendly maintenance practices (Green Turnaround Management), which focus on efficient resource utilization and minimizing the generation of both hazardous and non-hazardous waste during maintenance activities. Circular economy principles are also applied by reducing waste at the source and repurposing waste materials to add value, thereby reducing the burden of waste disposal.
GC has also established preventive measures to mitigate environmental impacts arising from the maintenance of machinery and equipment. For example, GC began treating wastewater generating from the cleaning of equipment and machinery during a turnaround in its plants to reduce the amount of waste disposal by incineration. and began reducing the landfilling of non-hazardous waste and municipal waste by processing them into Refuse Derived Fuels (RDFs), thus maximizing their use.
Finally, GC raises employee awareness through waste reduction training programs and practice while making communications about the Company’s projects via digital media to encourage the circulation of resources and products in the reuse and recycling system, for example, Basic SHE Training and Environmental Culture by 5Rs Training, etc., as well as fostering the concept of resource efficiency according to circular economy, waste separation, and waste reduction.
GC also cooperated with employees in each area of operation in assessing and sorting non-hazardous waste and municipal waste that could be reused as fuels as well as separating waste generated in production and from offices by type and delivering it to waste disposers who re-utilized it as fuels.
Reuse Insulation
GC has continued the Green Turnaround Project with focus on resource efficiency and the reduction of hazardous and non-hazardous waste generation from turnaround activities. The Company has adopted the Circular Economy concept by reducing waste at the source and utilizing them to generate benefits, which lessens the burden from waste disposal. Example activities include maintaining the quality of thermal insulation to enable recycling through strict management and operations, such as minimizing damage of insulation from dismantling, storing insulation in suitable containers, and preparing a dry storage area in good condition, etc.
Average insulation recycling
Reduce waste disposal costs by approximately 450,000 baht.
Reduce Offsite Wastewater Discharge Project
GC has undertaken measures to reduce the volume of wastewater sent for external disposal. Prior to maintenance activities, the concentration and composition of wastewater are assessed to plan accordingly. Temporary storage tanks are prepared to separate wastewater at the source, and the water is then treated through the plant’s wastewater treatment system. Throughout the process, water quality is controlled to meet internal standards. As a result, in 2024, the company reduced offsite wastewater disposal by more than 5,000 cubic meters, representing a 90% reduction compared to years with similar worklists. This initiative helped reduce waste disposal costs by approximately 2.9 million baht.
Reusing Waste as Alternative Raw Material
Example Projects
- Promoting and encouraging employees to segregate waste in office, e.g. segregating plastic, glass, and paper waste for recycling and segregating food waste to be used as animal feed by the surrounding community, etc.
- Carried out zero industrial waste to landfill since 2015, and extended the program to minimize solid waste disposal in office buildings by using it as Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF).
- The Waste Optimization Project hosts activities such as reducing wastewater for disposal at the source from the refinery’s tank cleaning activity by reviewing wastewater management procedures and wastewater quality in order to consider adjusting management method by introducing wastewater generated from activities into the wastewater treatment system instead of sending for disposal externally. As a result, wastewater for disposal has been reduced by 140 tons.
Waste Management Training for Employees
- Basic SHE Training GC raises awareness through training on environmental management, including the reduction of waste generation within the organization and impacts on environment and biodiversity. The training, which was organized for employees and operators at all levels, was participated by 100% of employees.
- Environmental Culture by 5Rs Training GC reinforces environmental culture and awareness, including waste reduction guidelines, among employees, by encouraging them to learn and adopt the 5Rs principle (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse, Renewable) in environmental management within production process areas to create a balance between resource management in tandem with sustainable business conduct, resulting in the Operational Eco-Efficiency Project, which can be applied to the daily life.
GC focuses on the improvement of company’s waste management to be continuously effective. The overall performance in 2024 can be summarized as the following;
Total Weight of Hazardous Waste Directed to Disposal
Performance
Target
| Performance | Target | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | |
| Total Weight of Hazardous Waste directed to disposal (Ton) | 118,309 | 83,798 | 79,111 | 44,513 | 47,000 |
Total Weight of Non-Hazardous Waste Directed to Disposal
Performance
Target
| Performance | Target | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | |
| Total Weight of Non-Hazardous Waste directed to disposal (Ton) | 25,088.40 | 11,524.67 | 7,748.32 | 3,295.15 | 4,300 |