In 2007, we produced 1.35 million metric tons of non-hazardous solid waste, of which 297,000 metric tons were sent to landfill. Approximately 638,000 metric tons were recycled, composted or incinerated and 415,000 metric tons were reused directly or in other products or processes. This represents an almost 5 percent reduction in total waste compared to 2006.

The percentage of landfill has increased due to our expanded use of recycled fiber and de-inking processes, as well as reduced fiber lengths in Europe which generate more waste.

During 2007, we set up a Solid Waste Group to support our Personal Care business. This group will identify opportunities to reuse and recycle waste instead of sending it for incineration in waste-to-energy facilities. K-C’s Barton facility in the U.K. will be used as a model for our other Personal Care facilities. Barton recycles 63 percent of its waste. A sorting process separates waste into 14 different streams which are reused or transported to recyclers. The mill has saved over £2 million ($4 million) by recycling and reusing the waste in our own products. The mill recycles cardboard and plastic and reuses fiber and super absorbent materials from reclaimed diapers and the cores used to transport our raw materials. Barton won the Severnside Annual Recycling Award in the Best Overall Sustainable Waste Management Solution category.

It is not just our Personal Care facilities that are tackling their waste. Our Delyn and Coleshill mills in the U.K. have upgraded the presses they use in tissue manufacture, reducing the amount of water in the waste product. This has led to a 12 percent reduction in wastewater treatment plant residuals transported off site. Drier waste can be disposed of more easily, saving the mills $500,000 annually. It is currently being used to restore old coal mining spoil sites, which are highly acidic. The calcium carbonate in the waste reduces the acidity and increases the soil’s capacity to hold nutrients.