Clorox’s Martinsburg Plant Achieves Zero Waste to Landfill

Clorox’s environmental, social and governance goals are integrated into our IGNITE strategy because we believe they create value for our company, brands, people and communities. We’ve focused on areas where we can make the biggest impact, and much of our progress is realized through the work of our purpose-driven brands.

Our Litter manufacturing facility in Martinsburg, West Virginia, recently achieved zero-waste-to-landfill, or ZWtL, status. This puts our company one step closer to our ambitious goal to reach ZWtL in 100% of our plants by 2025 and in our global facilities by 2030. We spoke with Martinsburg’s continuous improvement manager, Paul Baublitz, about how our teammates mobilized to meet Clorox’s ZWtL criteria. 

How did you engage and motivate your team to adapt to waste-reducing practices?

Communication is key for driving motivation and engagement with our Clorox teammates at our Martinsburg plant. ZWtL is a topic that was brought up frequently in our all-plant meetings, and as we embarked on this journey, time was made available to answer any questions the team had about next steps and best practices.

In late 2023, the Martinsburg Eco Team was established to drive engagement throughout the site. One key learning opportunity was ensuring that team members were aware of and clear about sorting of recyclables versus waste in office and break room areas. To that end, signage was placed all over the plant to label waste and recycling bins, and training was implemented to engage the team about the benefits of reducing waste in our day-to-day work.

Were there any unique challenges this team faced during the transition to zero waste to landfill? How did they overcome them?

As with any manufacturing process, we inevitably encounter something called off-spec byproduct — meaning litter that doesn’t meet the quality standards or specifications in order to use in the products we sell. This byproduct is not recyclable through traditional means, and it cannot be incinerated at a waste-to-energy facility. We partnered with a local concrete fabricator that was able to accept this byproduct stream and reuse it in their manufacturing process. This process required extensive collaboration and testing to ensure that the material would be suitable for the manufacturer’s needs. The end result was a win-win for both of our businesses and has become a cornerstone for the Martinsburg ZWtL achievement.

What advice would you give to other manufacturing plants aiming to achieve zero waste to landfill?

Engage your whole team as early as possible, because achieving zero waste is an all-hands effort. Like safety and quality, it needs to become a part of the facility’s daily norms if you want to be successful. Fully utilizing workplace organization is critical for proper material sorting and recycling on the production floor. I encourage other manufacturing site leaders to make the process fun and explain why it is important. Once waste reduction becomes part of a site’s culture, it becomes second nature.

Every facility will face its own challenges and opportunities, so get creative and find solutions that work for your team. Don’t forget to celebrate the wins along the way and keep pushing until you cross the finish line.