Total operational waste

 

For Novartis, operational wastes – both hazardous and non-hazardous – are an important area of environmental management on manufacturing sites, as well as on research and administration sites.

The Group objectives on hazardous waste include proper management of these wastes and the risks related to disposal, in particular disposal into landfills.
In 2008, the total amount of hazardous waste decreased to 146kt (from 166kt in 2007); non-hazardous waste totaled 69kt in 2008, slightly lower than in 2007 (71kt).

Hazardous waste was generated primarily by Pharma (54%) and Sandoz (43%). Non-hazardous waste was generated by Vaccines & Diagnostics (28%), Sandoz (28%), Pharma (24%), Consumer Health (16%), and Novartis Research (4%). For reporting purposes, wastes are classified in a number of different waste types and according to the disposal routes: recycling, treatment, incineration and landfill.