Annual Report 2022

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Creating tomorrow’s solutions

Waste

In integrated production, we minimize waste by feeding byproducts back into the production loop. WACKER endeavors to avoid waste throughout the product’s entire life cycle. Groupwide, we record the volume of waste we generate according to the criteria “to be recycled” and “to be disposed of,” as well as “hazardous” and “non-hazardous.”

When it comes to solid waste, we prioritize prevention over recycling and recycling over disposal. We see it as one of our ongoing tasks to identify new ways of suitably recycling materials within and outside our sites.

It is very important to us that waste is recycled, treated and disposed of in an environmentally compatible and legally compliant manner. To this end, we monitor the disposal companies that we work with for recycling and disposal, performing regular audits.

Our German sites can use our internal Environmental Information System (EIS) to exchange information on these companies.

The amount of waste rose 6 percent groupwide. Possible reasons for this increase include higher quantities of construction waste at the Burghausen and Amsterdam sites and of residual organics from wastewater treatment at Burghausen and Charleston. Changes in production-related waste streams reflect trends in plant utilization.

Waste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waste by type, in metric tons (t)

 

2022

 

20211

 

20202

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

192,741

 

181,628

 

200,160

Recycled

 

160,538

 

150,702

 

111,280

Hazardous

 

60,692

 

64,310

 

Non-hazardous

 

99,846

 

86,392

 

Disposed of

 

32,203

 

30,926

 

88,880

Hazardous

 

11,612

 

11,414

 

Non-hazardous

 

20,591

 

19,512

 

Hazardous

 

72,304

 

75,724

 

96,350

Non-hazardous

 

120,437

 

105,904

 

103,810

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recycled waste in the reporting year, in metric tons (t)

 

Onsite

 

Offsite

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hazardous waste

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation for reuse

 

 

287

 

287

Recycling

 

1

 

10,228

 

10,229

Other recovery processes

 

23,771

 

26,405

 

50,176

Total

 

23,772

 

36,920

 

60,692

Non-hazardous waste

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation for reuse

 

41

 

12,318

 

12,359

Recycling

 

44

 

20,057

 

20,101

Other recovery processes

 

2,957

 

64,430

 

67,387

Total

 

3,042

 

96,805

 

99,847

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waste disposed of in the reporting year, in metric tons (t)

 

Onsite

 

Offsite

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hazardous waste

 

 

 

 

 

 

Incineration (with energy recovery)

 

733

 

758

 

1,491

Incineration (without energy recovery)

 

4,326

 

3,704

 

8,030

Landfill

 

1,389

 

410

 

1,799

Other waste-treatment processes

 

22

 

270

 

292

Total

 

6,470

 

5,142

 

11,612

Non-hazardous waste

 

 

 

 

 

 

Incineration (with energy recovery)

 

35

 

545

 

580

Incineration (without energy recovery)

 

3,907

 

420

 

4,327

Landfill

 

5,030

 

9,716

 

14,746

Other waste-treatment processes

 

 

939

 

939

Total

 

8,972

 

11,620

 

20,592

1

First-time reporting of waste treatment in accordance with GRI 306 in 2021

2

The data for 2020 was not reported on the basis of GRI 306.