Delphi Turns Ashes to Flowers
23 April 1999
Delphi Turns Ashes to FlowersTROY, Mich., April 23 -- Sunshine, water, fresh air -- and facility coal ash from Delphi Automotive Systems . While improbable, the latter ingredient also helps flowers grow, due to an innovative recycling program between Delphi and an Ohio-based company. Since 1994, Delphi has worked with Waste Resource Management, Inc. (WRM) in Cincinnati, Ohio, to recycle about 50,000 tons of coal ash from eight Delphi facilities in Ohio and Michigan. The coal ash, which had been previously landfilled, is now recycled by WRM and used in commercial fertilizer/top soil products. Coal ash serves as a raw material substitute in the production of top soil. It has a number of top soil manufacturing benefits, including mineralogical value, color and moisture control. The coal ash is introduced into the top soil once the material is put through a hammer mill and screener. The coal ash improves the fertility of the top soil with nitrogen and phosphorous. Top soil can be made with up to 20 percent coal ash with dramatic improvements in product performance. Beyond aiding gardeners, the program saves Delphi an estimated $80,000 and preserves about 20,000 tons of landfill space yearly. The program brings Delphi full circle with its coal ash -- turning a material that produces carbon dioxide into a product that facilitates the growth of living organisms that produces oxygen. The eight Delphi facilities participating in the program include three plants in Saginaw, Mich.; two plants in Dayton, Ohio; and one plant each in Kettering, Sandusky and Columbus, Ohio. Delphi Automotive Systems, with headquarters in Troy, Mich., USA, is a world leader in automotive component and systems technology. Delphi's three business sectors -- Dynamics & Propulsion; Safety, Thermal & Electrical Architecture; and Electronics & Mobile Communications -- provide comprehensive product solutions to complex customer needs. Delphi has more than 193,000 employees and operates 168 wholly owned manufacturing sites, 40 joint ventures and 27 technical centers in 36 countries. Regional headquarters are located in Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paulo. Delphi can be found on the Internet at http://www.delphiauto.com. Waste Resource Management, Inc., with headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, is an industry leader in innovative recycling/beneficial re-use, and waste management systems. WRM's two business sectors -- Recycling/Beneficial Re-use and Waste Management -- provide innovative solutions to industrial waste generators. WRM has recycled and beneficially re-used more than 300,000 tons of coal ash over the last 6 years. Waste Resource Management, Inc. is located at 1313 East Kemper Rd., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45246. (Phone: 800-920-8152.)