Wastewater Management

Perlick has been on the Partners for a Cleaner Environment Honor Roll for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) since 2002, as part of our involvement in the Clean Water Act.

Perlick’s facility is a significant user in the district’s regulatory program, and there is technology in place to greatly reduce pollution from the facility’s processed water. We remove the metals and wet chemistry return of the contaminated water from every gallon of processed water per the standards set by MMSD. Perlick then returns the prepared water to MMSD for final purification and release. Perlick consistently receives scores lower or equal to the standards set by MMSD for metals and wet chemistry returns. This not only protects the environment but also contributes to the economic vitality of the region.

Cleaner Industrial Processes

For the past two decades, Perlick has been working to eliminate many hazardous wastes in our processes, including degreasing. Through vigorous testing, we were able to eliminate solvents such as MEK, cyanide, naphtha, and other solvents with flash points under 142. These have now been replaced with environmentally friendly solutions such as products like Simple Green and n-Propyl Bromide (nPB). One notable success was removing Trichloroethylene 123 and replacing it with the n-Propyl Bromide (nPB).

Recycling Emphasis in All Departments

• Metal Recycling: Perlick has partnerships with recycling companies to remove metal containing scrap from our waste materials. This eliminates extra waste in the local landfills.
• Skid Recycling: All wood skids are recycled, also resulting in a reduction of waste into local landfills.
• Paper Recycling: Perlick has a vigorous paper recycling program for all white paper and cardboard at the facility. No paper is allowed in any trash sent from the facility. Cardboard is baled and recycled weekly.
• Electronic Waste: All electronic waste is collected and disposed of responsibly. Electronic components are dismantled and reprocessed.

Energy Efficiency

Perlick is constantly working to ensure we are operating as efficiently as possible. We instituted a complete electrical lighting change in the facility a few years ago. All lights were changed from T12s to T8s. A total of 1,700 lights were removed and exchanged. This results in a return on investment of eight months due to the increased energy saving. These savings result in a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.