How Tufco reduced their spill kits costs by 50% while eliminating a waste stream.

The Challenge

When they have a spill at Tufco, it can be a significant spill, as some of their containers hold over 300 gallons of fluid. Tufco is an extremely clean environment, so proper spill containment and cleanup is a top priority.

About a year ago, Tim Palmer was hired on as the Environmental, Health, and Safety Manager at Tufco. At the time, Tufco was using disposable “pig” absorbents for spills, which were costly and had to be regulated as a waste. As an environmentally responsible company, Tufco had concerns about where all that waste was going and how it was being regulated.

The Solution

ITU AbsorbTech District Manager Kevin Krokstrom shows Tufco EHS Manager, Tim Palmer, how the spill kit program works

Tim knew of ITU AbsorbTech from his previous employer and decided to bring them in to conduct a 5S of their spill kit program. Tim knew from his previous experience with ITU AbsorbTech that the program would be managed for him and he could trust ITU AbsorbTech to take care of the spill kits so that he could focus on other priorities.

Tufco employees were trained to properly clean a spill using SorbIts® reusable absorbents. When a spill occurs, they use the designated absorbents in color coded drums to corral and contain the spill. ITU AbsorbTech services the facility regularly to inspect the drums and report to Tim. They pick up the drums of soiled SorbIts® for laundering and reuse. During the laundering process, ITU AbsorbTech extracts the and recycles fluids for reuse in industry.

The Results

In 2016, Tufo diverted 12,341 lbs of waste from landfill with the SorbIts® spill kit

Palmer reviews his Waste Reduction Certificate. In 2016, Tufco diverted over 12,000 lbs of waste from landfill with reusable spill kits, mops, and towels.

program, along with reusable mops and towels. They also reduced their product cost by 50% and their labor cost by 30% compared to disposables absorbents.

Tim no longer has to spend time managing the spill kits. ITU AbsorbTech service representative Dan Kalupa checks in with Tim at every service visit to see if he has any concerns, and above and beyond that, Kevin will visit to review how to program is working, often bouncing ideas back and forth on how to make the program even better.

“Not only is ITU AbsorbTech is a partner that can be trusted, but they are proactive about how to make improvements to the program,” says Palmer. “They value what’s important to me, and that’s what I appreciate the most in our partnership with ITU AbsorbTech.”