RESOURCES · CASE STUDIES
Proof, Not Promises.
Ten examples of how manufacturers resolved hazardous events, cut cost, and turned waste into reusable material with WTS. Every metric is drawn from the original engagement. This is objectivity and process, applied to real problems.
FLAGSHIP · HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT
Managing Risk When a Shipment Goes Off-Spec
When an outbound tanker of arsenic-bearing wastewater began generating toxic vapors and was refused by the receiving disposal facility, WTS managed its safe resolution as a controlled chemical operation, completed with no release, no injury, and no environmental impact.
Client: Industrial specialty chemicals facility
Location: Southeastern United States
The Situation
An off-spec tanker of arsenic-bearing wastewater generated nitrogen oxide (NOx) vapors in transit and was refused by the receiving TSDF. WTS was engaged to transfer the material under controlled conditions, manage the vapor hazard, and prepare the tanker for compliant over-the-road transport.
A Chemical Operation, Not a Logistics Job
Rather than select a vendor on availability, WTS assembled a purpose-built team: a hazardous-waste transfer contractor, a vapor-control and air-monitoring contractor, and a WTS environmental manager providing on-site oversight. Each was chosen for a specific, demonstrated capability.
Control Built Into Every Step
Transfers ran one tote at a time inside bermed containment using a double-block-and-bleed arrangement. Air monitoring was continuous, tracking NO, NO₂, NOx, SO₂, and CO. It set the pace of the work, with dwell periods to scrub headspace before each tote was sealed.
THE RESULT
No vapor releases
No spills or drips
No injuries
No environmental impact
The tanker returned to service without restriction. That result was reached deliberately, without resorting to emergency response.
FLAGSHIP · PFAS MANAGEMENT
Treating 1 Million Gallons of PFAS-Contaminated Water On-Site
A leaking fire-suppression check valve released about 100 gallons of AFFF into a facility's fire loop, contaminating roughly 500,000 gallons of water with PFAS. Shipping it off-site would have been expensive and wasteful, so WTS worked with the client to find an on-site alternative.
Understanding the Contamination
Samples across the fire loop were analyzed for PFAS by isotope dilution (EPA Draft Method 1633). Contamination varied by location and reached 39,300 ppt (6:2 FTS) nearest the leak, far above the 70 ppt drinking-water standard for combined PFOA and PFOS.
Proving the Solution
A small-scale GAC pilot brought treated water to 20 ppt or lower, with PFOA and PFOS non-detect. WTS and the client worked with state and local regulators to demonstrate effectiveness and secure approval to scale, conditioned on continuous testing confirming PFOA + PFOS below 70 ppt.
Treating at Scale
Water ran through a GAC system of three vessels in series (a fourth on standby) at 40 GPM for about seven weeks. The fire loop was triple-rinsed and the rinsewater treated as well, with samples pulled twice weekly to monitor carbon breakthrough and confirm compliance.
THE RESULT
FLAGSHIP · CIRCULARITY & WASTE MINIMIZATION
Rebuilding a Chemical Plant's Waste Program Around Reuse
At LANXESS Solutions' Perth Amboy, NJ plant, a 45-acre site producing more than 200 products, WTS ran an in-plant opportunity assessment and rebuilt the waste program around source control and reuse.
Client: LANXESS Solutions, Perth Amboy, NJ
Recognition: ACC Responsible Care® Waste Minimization Award, 2020
A Plan Built From the Plant Out
Working with LANXESS personnel and its provider network, WTS developed a by-product management plan aligned to the plant's sustainability goals: source controls on chemical releases, value-engineering for water and BOD reduction, and segregation of reusable and recyclable by-products so material with economic value was routed to beneficial reuse instead of disposal.
The biggest gains came from changing what the plant generated in the first place, and the methodology extends to other sites pursuing zero-waste-to-landfill goals.
THE RESULT (2019)
74,800 lbs
diethylene glycol reclaimed and reused
673,116 lbs
by-products diverted to beneficial reuse & energy-from-waste
~15%
reduction in operating expense
MORE CASE STUDIES
Challenge, Approach, Result.
Turning a Hazardous Caustic By-Product Into a Reusable Raw Material
Challenge: A caustic by-product had to be managed as a hazardous waste, carrying destruction and disposal cost.
Approach: A process change via chemical oxidation turned it into a recoverable caustic co-product; WTS connected the producer with a network end-user to substitute it for virgin material.
Result: 239,145 lbs reused across six bulk loads in 2020; a RCRA hazardous waste eliminated at the source.
Recycling 5,700 Liters of Ethanol Instead of Destroying It
Challenge: 5,700 L of 20% ethanol (waste hand sanitizer), regulated as a D001 flammable liquid.
Approach: WTS identified a specialized recycler qualifying under two RCRA exclusions and prepared the supporting documentation.
Result: Compliant recycling in place of disposal; ~$16,000 saved; material returned to productive use.
Turning an Emergency-Response Cost Into a Routine, Tiered Program
Challenge: Spent-solvent drums tested positive for organic peroxides at varying concentrations, a serious hazard.
Approach: WTS built testing protocols and a three-tier routing plan (fuel blending, incineration, or closed-loop recycling) matched to each drum's hazard.
Result: $80,000–$100,000 in annual cost avoidance, with a recycling path preserved wherever levels allowed.
Building a Recycling Program Where a Franchise Contract Blocked One
Challenge: A municipal franchise agreement locked the client to a hauler offering no viable recycling.
Approach: WTS researched the local market, partnered with a separate recycling provider, and stood up a program routing paper, plastic, wood, and cardboard to a local facility.
Result: ~85% of previously landfilled material now recycled each month, with environmental and cost benefits.
Responsibly Recycling 4.4 Million Pounds of Electronic Waste
Challenge: Routine and project-based e-waste recycling across thousands of locations nationwide, including Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
Approach: WTS coordinated collection and shipment to certified recycling facilities for proper dismantling and recycling.
Result: 4,405,921 lbs recycled since 2013; 1.3M lbs through multi-store retail projects; 10,000+ printers in one project.
Managing Stranded Product at Customers' Sites
Challenge: A manufacturer needed to manage its own unused, expired, or damaged product sitting at customer locations, sometimes in hard-to-reach places.
Approach: WTS built a customer-specific portal capturing each material's details and SDS, checked for alternate uses, then managed characterization, packaging, documentation, and transport.
Result: Product recovered from locations as remote as Hawaii, Guam, and Calgary, safely and compliantly, with no added burden on customer sites.
Managing Waste Safely Inside a High-Hazard R&D Facility
Challenge: A 2M+ sq ft R&D facility with a virtually limitless range of chemicals and constant, evolving hazards.
Approach: WTS environmental managers work within the facility's NIOSH hierarchy of controls alongside the client's EH&S department, operating to Goal Zero.
Result: Hundreds of lab packs, thousands of containers, and hundreds of thousands of pounds of waste managed each year without incident.
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