Waste management and minimization in the U.S.

In 2006, Liquids Pipelines’ operations in the United States completed plans for the management of electronic waste across all operating areas. These plans provide users readily available, searchable, site-specific guidance to help ensure sound waste management handling and disposal.

Our United States Gas Transportation Business published a comprehensive Waste Minimization and Management Plan, a one-stop reference to assist operating personnel in determining the best practices for handling all types of waste generated at Enbridge facilities. We wrote the plan from a field perspective, providing step-by-step procedures for managing waste – from identification and testing, to handling and properly disposing of waste, as well as how to minimize waste by eliminating, reducing in volume and/or toxicity, recycling or reclaiming generated waste whenever possible.

Tracking waste at Enbridge Gas Distribution

In 2006, Enbridge Gas Distribution generated 1,073 tonnes of non-hazardous waste. Of this total, 428.13 tonnes, or approximately 39.9 per cent of the total weight, were diverted from landfill.

Enbridge Gas Distribution reports liquid and solid hazardous waste materials to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment’s Hazardous Waste Information Network. In 2006, we reported just over 150,500 litres of liquid hazardous waste, a significant reduction from the 908,000 litres reported in 2005 and a 30 per cent reduction compared with the 230,000 litres reported in 2004. The high 2005 figure was due to a project to place regulator station equipment underground at a site that was a former manufactured gas plant. The soil was deemed contaminated, and all water that came into contact with the soil, including rain water, during the project had to be disposed of as hazardous waste. We also reported just over 11,700 kilograms of solid hazardous waste in 2006, compared with 1,053 kilograms in 2005. This increase is due primarily to a one-time project that required the removal and disposal of over 10,000 kilograms of pipe coating.

Employee commitment to recycling

By making a personal commitment to waste recycling, Enbridge employees across the Company are demonstrating that even small initiatives can go a long way to protecting and improving the environment.

Recycling of paper and batteries are ongoing programs at our Calgary office. Employees with Liquids Pipelines’ eastern Canada operations have established a program to collect small batteries used in calculators and other equipment, ensuring the batteries are sent to hazardous waste disposal areas. They also mark Earth Day every year by holding a ‘clean-up day’ at our facilities, ensuring all the waste they collect is disposed of correctly.

For their part, employees with Liquids Pipelines’ western Canada operations have been pitching in over the past nine years to keep the ditches clean on a section of highway near Edmonton as part of Alberta’s Adopt-a-Highway program. In 2006, they also introduced a program to encourage all of their employees to recycle as much as possible, establishing stations in facilities where waste can be segregated – white and coloured paper; cans and bottles – before being sent out for recycling.