Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), announced the addition of five facilities to its list of zero-waste-to-landfill (ZWTL) operations. Starting in December 2022, sustainability teams at these locations across the U.S. began reporting that their months long initiatives aimed at reducing, reusing and recycling waste materials have brought their facilities into compliance with widely accepted ZWTL standards.
The newly designated ZWTL facilities include four distribution centres operated by Mercury subsidiary Land ‘N’ Sea and another distribution centre on the Mercury world-headquarters campus in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The facilities are:
- Land ‘N’ Sea in Eagan, MN
- Land ‘N’ Sea in Fresno, CA
- Land ‘N’ Sea in Kent, WA
- Land ‘N’ Sea in Pompano Beach, FL
- Mercury Plant 15L in Fond du Lac, WI
Mercury previously designated three other distribution centres — a Land ‘N’ Sea facility in Old Lyme, Connecticut, and Mercury distribution centres in Fond du Lac and Petit-Rechain, Belgium — as zero-waste-to-landfill operations. Additionally, the company in November named its factory in Florida that makes electrical and plastic components as its first manufacturing facility to earn the ZWTL distinction.
“Kudos go to our Land ‘N’ Sea teams of individuals who, in addition to performing their operational duties, took on the challenge of making their respective distribution centres even more environmentally friendly,” said Mike Conners, Land ‘N’ Sea president. “Although each team benefited from the knowledge gained from previous Mercury zero-waste efforts, and the targeted standards remained consistent, nonetheless there was considerable variation from one facility to the next regarding the nature of the challenges and the requirements of solutions. Every team had to be creative and resourceful in finding answers.”
Conners noted that five of LNS’s 13 distribution centres now have achieved ZWTL status. He and his teams will work throughout 2023 toward a goal of significantly growing that list.
Each of the Land ‘N’ Sea facilities plays an important role in wholesale distribution of parts and accessories to the marine and RV industries. Shipment destinations include dealers, repair shops, retail outlets and e-commerce vendors.
Andrew Bores, manager of materials control at Mercury Plant 15L, emphasised the value of employees’ ongoing vigilance. “The importance of the human element of our
zero-waste-to-landfill efforts can’t be overstated. We deal with so many varieties of materials, and each employee must keep track of how to handle them. For example, there are numerous and diverse types of plastics and cardboard — each of which may require different handling in our zero-waste procedures. We’re counting on employees’ attention and dedication to keep these processes working,” he said, adding that ongoing education and conspicuous signage will help to reinforce the guidance.
Mercury Plant 15L serves as the primary launching point for distribution of Mercury engines and other finished products to the company’s global network of dealerships, distributors and boat manufacturers. Plus, the location collects various incoming parts, components and materials from around the world that are subsequently distributed to Mercury manufacturing operations as needed.
The waste streams addressed in all these operations’ ZWTL initiatives include cardboard, paper, plastic, metal, wood and other materials.
For ongoing compliance with the required standards, Mercury has empowered teams at each of its ZWTL locations to develop sound methodology for continual monitoring. The teams regularly measure waste-stream materials generated from operations and the amount of those materials moved into the proper channels of reuse and recycling.
