Veolia North America鈥檚 state-of-the-art hazardous waste treatment facility in Gum Springs, Arkansas, has been named the 2024 recipient of the Diamond Award for excellence in environmental leadership, demonstrating a commitment to sustainable operations that preserve natural resources. The award is given every year by the Arkansas Environmental Federation (AEF), a leading advocate for Arkansas industries. The AEF helps shape environmental legislation and supports regulatory initiatives, reforms and policymaking that promote both economic growth and environmental sustainability.
An independent panel appointed by the AEF Board of Directors selected Veolia as the 2024 Diamond Award recipient, citing the company鈥檚 鈥渋nitiative and leadership in managing its environmental affairs.鈥� In particular, the Gum Springs facility was recognized for undertaking a series of unprecedented initiatives that will make the plant the most sustainable operation of its kind in the U.S.
鈥淭he team at Gum Springs and everyone at Veolia is pleased and honored to receive this recognition,鈥� said Bob Cappadona, President and CEO of Veolia North America鈥檚 Environmental Solutions and Services business. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need to look too closely to see that the operation at Gum Springs is a very special facility. We are committed to doing the right thing for our customers, our employees and our communities.鈥�
Cappadona said the sustainability initiatives at Gum Springs are fully aligned with Veolia鈥檚 global GreenUp strategy for growth and innovation to conserve and reuse natural resources. Cappadona pointed to an expansive field of 11,000 solar energy panels recently installed on the grounds near the plant to generate clean electricity to help power the plant. Another example, he said, is a first-of-its-kind innovation for capturing waste heat in the facility to convert into electricity. Over the coming years, the two initiatives will generate at least 90 percent of the plant鈥檚 electricity needs onsite.
The plant is also embarking on a comprehensive new forest management聽 program that includes plans to plant over 100,000 trees on approximately 1,000 acres, including 600 acres of active reforestation, beginning in 2025. The program is meant to help offset the impact of Veolia North America鈥檚 carbon emissions from air and rail business travel.
In addition, the plant is making the most of advanced聽 technology聽 to monitor biodiversity and wildlife in neighboring woods and marshes, using sophisticated sensors that track wildlife and transmit data to the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France, for analysis. 聽More than 130 people gathered at the plant October 9 to celebrate these initiatives and the impact they will have in preserving natural resources. They are all part of Veolia鈥檚 preparation for the opening next year of a new state-of-the-art facility that uses high temperatures to聽 treat hazardous waste materials, which will set a new industry standard for safe, sustainable and efficient operations while increasing the Gum Springs workforce from approximately 150 employees to more than 200.