In 2024, U.S. industries generated over 265 million tons of municipal solid waste, with hazardous industrial byproducts remaining one of the least addressed categories of material recovery.
Against this backdrop, Responsible Care® Partner WTS has sought to redefine waste management models by moving beyond traditional disposal methods. Its recent collaboration with Covestro highlights how companies are beginning to treat industrial waste streams as potential feedstocks—an approach increasingly tied to Scope 3 emissions strategies.
WTS’s work with Covestro centers on redirecting materials classified as hazardous waste back into the production cycle. Instead of sending such materials to landfills or incineration, WTS identified pathways for direct reuse, either by channeling them through other clients or by reclaiming them with approved commercial partners. For Covestro, this supports a dual objective: reducing the need for virgin raw materials and cutting upstream emissions associated with extraction and processing.
The reuse of solvents provides a clear measure of impact. WTS enabled the direct reuse of over 2.3 million pounds of byproduct solvents through chemical distributors operating under the Alliance for Chemical Distribution’s Responsible Distribution framework. An additional 500,000 pounds were integrated directly into treatment and disposal facility operations, while a long-term client partnership has cumulatively kept more than 10 million pounds of solvent in circulation over five years.
Although solvents dominate the reuse landscape, WTS has also demonstrated value in lower-volume but high-impact streams. In 2024 alone, it found new uses for 496,000 pounds of aqua ammonia, 335,000 pounds of cement and mortar compounds, and significant volumes of hydrogen peroxide, sodium hydroxide, and acids. Each instance represents avoided virgin production and a measurable step toward lifecycle extension for materials typically considered disposable.
Beyond chemical reuse, WTS expanded its recycling programs into sectors where specialized waste streams are increasingly scrutinized—pharmaceuticals and personal care. At a pharmaceutical facility in the Carolinas, the company launched a program that diverted 250,000 pounds of plastic, glass, paper, metal, and cardboard in its first year. When combined with an existing client site, total recovered material reached 1.14 million pounds. These figures, while modest relative to overall industrial waste generation, indicate how sector-specific recycling infrastructure is gaining traction in industries where regulatory scrutiny is high and sustainability reporting is increasingly mandatory.
Not all waste can be directly reused or recycled. WTS’s approach to this residual challenge relies on diverting material to cement kilns and alternative fuel applications. In 2024, more than 12 million pounds of materials were directed into these pathways, displacing virgin fuels and reducing reliance on landfill and incineration. This strategy aligns with broader industrial efforts to preserve resources by substituting fossil-based inputs, though it remains subject to scrutiny given ongoing debates about the net emissions profile of waste-derived fuels.
The American Chemistry Council (ACC), which oversees the Responsible Care® initiative, continues to push member companies toward stronger sustainability frameworks. Its advocacy emphasizes science-based policy and lifecycle management as mechanisms for safeguarding both competitiveness and environmental outcomes. Within this context, the WTS-Covestro partnership illustrates the practical application of Responsible Care® principles, though the scale of diversion—tens of millions of pounds annually—remains relatively small compared to the billions of pounds of hazardous waste generated in the United States each year.
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