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Wastewater is generated from manufacturing processes and various
site operations and contains dissolved and suspended solids. Wastewater
quality is measured by Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) which is a measure
of the oxygen required to chemically oxidise organic and inorganic
compounds present in the water. COD is therefore an indirect measure
of the foulness of wastewater.
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The wastewater volume reported by GSK includes all manufacturing
and site process wastewater as well as sanitary and food service
wastewater. GSK wastewater released to offsite municipal sewers
and to sea represents 75% of GSK's total wastewater volume.
Wastewater released to rivers and estuaries and wastewater
that has been reused, recovered or recycled is included in
other and represents the remaining 25% of the total.
In 2002, GSK generated 16.6 million cubic metres of wastewater
compared with 19.7 million cubic meters generated in 2001,
a 16% overall reduction in wastewater volume. A slightly greater
percentage of wastewater was recycled or reused in 2002 (up
from 6.6% to 7.9% or 1.3 million cubic meters of wastewater
recycled in 2002). Many GSK sites in India and nearby regions
have implemented "zero wastewater" discharge programmes
due to the restrictions on water usage in the region. One
of our sites in Mexico implemented an improvement project
for wastewater management that resulted in a 95% reduction
in the use of offsite treatment and the related costs.
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Several GSK manufacturing plants have wastewater treatment
plants onsite that provide secondary level treatment
of their wastewater. Secondary level treatment removes
most organic pollutants by biological systems or physical
or chemical treatment. Beginning in 2002, we measure
COD after final treatment occurs whether in onsite wastewater
treatment plants or in municipal or publicly owned treatment
works.
For 2001, we reported COD as 26.9 million kilograms.
A focused review of the reporting practices for COD
revealed minor inconsistencies in 2001 reporting. These
inconsistencies were brought into line with current
reporting practices resulting in an increase in the
2001 baseline to 27.7 million kilograms. In 2002, the
COD of wastewater was 23.2 million kilograms, a 16%
decrease from 2001 attributable to factors such as upgrades
to site wastewater treatment operations, improved reporting
and the revision of the boundaries for reporting of
COD to include offsite treatment.
A target has been set to reduce the COD of wastewater
effluent by 30% on a per unit sales basis by the end
of 2005.
In 2002, 400,000 cubic meters of wastewater were released
directly to rivers with a COD of zero. Wastewater released
directly to sea, a much larger volume of 4.2 million
cubic meters, had an associated COD value of 10.7 million
kilograms. Nearly 50% of all wastewater generated by
GSK facilities is treated in publicly owned treatment
facilities.
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GSK's Xochimilco, Mexico site manufactures and packages
tablets, capsules, syrups, inhalers, clean liquids,
creams, injectables, and oral suspensions. In 2001 the
site consumed approximately 99,847 m3/year
of water and discharged 55,504 m3/year of
wastewater. In 1997 Xochimilco began a site-wide wastewater
management programme. In the first year, their efforts
focused on minimising wastewater discharge to the facility
drainage. In 1998, they measured the flow of wastewater,
determined its physical and chemical characteristics
and performed treatability studies to learn about the
variables inherent in their wastewater generation and
how the treatment plant would have to be designed. In
1999, the designs were drawn and in 2002 a wastewater
treatment plant that allowed the reuse of water on site
was operating. With its new system Xochimilco has achieved:
- A 95% reduction in the volume of sanitary wastewater
discharged to the sewers.
- Elimination of industrial wastewater to public sewers.
- A 33% reduction in the amount of water consumed
on site.
- A 90% reduction in the amount of suspended solids
discharged to the sewer and the biological oxygen
demand of the wastewater.
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