Tag Archives: South Carolina Environmental Excellence Program

Two Of The Newest Members of SCEEP Doing Their Part To Protect The Environment

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DHEC’s Office of Environmental Affairs visited with two of the newest members of the South Carolina Environmental Excellence Program recently to talk with managers and staff about the Bridgestone Americas Aiken Off Road Tire Plant and the PSR Plant in Aiken. Both facilities are very involved with their communities and are doing their part towards environmental sustainability.

Aiken Off Road Tire Plant

The Aiken Off Road Tire Plant is the newest Bridgestone Americas facility in Aiken and they are harvesting rain water. Since 2015, more than 16 million gallons of rainwater has been harvested. Total water usage continues to decrease due in part to the rainwater

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Myra Reece, Director of Environmental Affairs, and Rebecca Sproles, EA Liaison, present Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations – Aiken Off Road Tire Plant with their SCEEP Member Certificate and Glass Award.

collection as well as using low flow water fixtures, waterless urinals and closed loop cooling. This facility is also recycling 100 percent of its production waste, upgrading LED fixtures and adding occupancy sensors to help reduce energy usage.

The Aiken Off Road Tire Plant also hosts a Community Outreach Event at the Gregg Park Civic Center in Graniteville that is open to children of the Graniteville, Vaucluse, and Warrenville communities.  This event helps promote conservation ad positive community relations with citizens.

PSR Plant

The PSR Plant is using solar energy throughout its facility and many outlying areas use solar exclusively.  Natural lighting in the warehouse is used during daytime hours to conserve energy consumption and in many places interior lighting has been converted to low-energy consuming LED lights.

The PSR Plant has maintained a 100 percent recycle rate for plant wastes and no manufacturing waste is shipped to landfills. This plant is also LEED Silver-certified since

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Myra Reece, Director of Environmental Affairs, and Rebecca Sproles, EA Liaison, present Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations – PSR Plant with their SCEEP Member Certificate and Glass Award.

2009 by the Green Building Council. An environmental learning center is on site and located outdoors, complete with a disc golf course, a horseshoe gaming area and walking trails. This center is used by PSR plant teams as well as civic groups, church groups and schools. A bluebird habitat is maintained on site in conjunction with the South Carolina Bluebird Society. A total of 31 bluebird boxes are on site and are monitored weekly by employee volunteers. Over the past 10 years, a total of 1,377 eggs have been in the boxes with 965 young fledge hatching so far.

Congratulations to both the Aiken Off Road Tire Plant and the PSR Plant of Bridgestone Americas for your work towards environmental sustainability. Both facilities will be members of the South Carolina Environmental Excellence Program through 2021.

Learn more

For more information on becoming a member of the SCEEP, please contact Rebecca Sproles at sprolemr@dhec.sc.gov or 803-898-3139.

SCEEP Celebrating 20 Years Of Promoting Good Environmental Stewardship

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The South Carolina Environmental Excellence Program (SCEEP) is celebrating its 20th year of recognizing companies that practice good environmental stewardship. There are currently 46 member companies representing industries, businesses and utilities. A celebration is being planned for later in the year.

SCEEP is a voluntary initiative designed to recognize and reward South Carolina facilities that have demonstrated superior environmental performance through pollution prevention, energy and resource conservation, and the use of an environmental management system. The program is coordinated by DHEC’s Office of Environmental Affairs, but is directed by the SCEEP Advisory Committee, which includes representatives of industry, environment, government, academia and public interest.

SCEEP encourages companies to become environmental leaders and to mentor other companies. The member companies are able to share environmental knowledge and expertise so that other companies and facilities can better understand and appreciate the importance of environmental excellence and become environmental leaders themselves. They are committed to improving South Carolina’s environment by reducing their waste streams through pollution prevention and by reducing their consumption of energy and other resources.

For more information and a list of companies that have been honored by SCEEP, visit the DHEC website at www.scdhec.gov/sceep or contact Rebecca Sproles at (803) 898-3139 or by e-mail at sprolemr@dhec.sc.gov.

Three Companies Will Continue Efforts to Protect S.C.’s Environment

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Kudos to Patheon API, Inc., CB&I AREVA MOX Services and Comatrol Danfoss for continuing their efforts to protect and preserve South Carolina’s environment by renewing their membership in the South Carolina Environmental Excellence Program (SCEEP).

The SCEEP is a voluntary program for companies committed to continuous environmental improvement.  Membership in the program must be renewed every three years.

More about the three companies

Patheon API, Inc. (formerly Roche Carolina, Inc.) has been a member of the program since 2009.  During the past three years, Patheon has made upgrades to equipment to better control air emissions as well as a new system to use during periods of downtime.  With the installation of the new Cryogenic Condensation System and the Carbon Adsorption System, the facility has reported a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 1,400 tons per year.  The company has also installed new chiller units that use a more environmentally friendly refrigerant. Patheon is focusing more on energy conservation and finding new ways to be an environmental leader.

CB&I AREVA MOX Services, located at the Savannah River Site, is a company that is constructing a facility to manufacture pellets by recycling surplus plutonium and mixing it with uranium to be used as fuel in nuclear reactors.  Recently, MOX Services has developed a method to remove the valve pins from their small propylene gas cylinders to ensure they are empty. The cylinders can then be shipped to an offsite facility for recycling.  Without developing the system to remove the pins, the cylinders were considered hazardous waste and unable to be recycled as there was no way to determine if they were [RCRA] empty.  Also, the amount of diesel fuel has been reportedly significantly reduced by running temporary electricity to the diesel generators and diesel light plants when they are needed in operation.  MOX Services has been a member of the SCEEP since 2011.

Comatrol Danfoss, located in Easley, SC, has been a member of SCEEP since 2009. Recycling and energy savings are top priorities at Comatrol Danfoss. The company strives to recycle products used in their production from waste generated to metal turnings and hydraulic oil.  Over the next three years, Comatrol Danfoss plans to further reduce its energy usage by installing new LED lamps and motion detectors for offices to ensure lights are only on when they need to be.  Water saving fixtures and water conserving units also will be installed. Each employee at the Comatrol Danfoss facility is working towards a 5 percent reduction in water usage and landfill reduction.

Congratulations to these three outstanding members of the SC Environmental Excellence Program.  Each of these companies will be members through 2020.

For more information about the SCEEP, please contact Rebecca Sproles at sprolemr@dhec.sc.gov or 803-898-3139.

South Atlantic Canners renews its commitment to protect the environment

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Congratulations to South Atlantic Canners/Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated on their recent renewal into the South Carolina Environmental Excellence Program (SCEEP), a voluntary program for companies committed to improving and protecting our state’s environment.

South Atlantic Canners is located in Bishopville, South Carolina, and is the second largest production center for Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated. They have four production lines, including the fastest can and 2-liter lines in the company.  Approximately 38 million cases of Coca-Cola product is produced at the facility per year.

South Atlantic Canners reportedly achieved zero waste to landfill status in 2014 and any materials that can’t be recycled are sent to an energy recovery facility.  Between 2011 and 2015, the facility reduced its overall carbon footprint by 3 percent, despite having an 8 percent increase in production.  They have also reportedly had decreases in their carbon dioxide emissions.

Community activities are also a strong point at South Atlantic Canners.  They are members of an “Adopt a Highway” program and have developed an “Adopt a Stream” program.  They have an extensive in-house recycling program and encourage employee participation on a recycling team.  Other community activities include a rain barrel donation program as well as a rain garden.

Join us in congratulating South Atlantic Canners/Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated on their renewed membership in the SCEEP.  Their membership will continue through March of 2020.

For more information about the SCEEP, please contact Rebecca Sproles at 803-898-3139 or sprolemr@dhec.sc.gov.