Distribution centers, 3PL facilities, and cold storage operators generate enormous volumes of waste: corrugated boxes, stretch wrap, plastic film, pallets, food-grade returns, and damaged goods. Most of it goes to landfill. That's changing fast.
Retailer and shipper sustainability mandates
Major retailers and shippers are extending zero-waste-to-landfill commitments into their logistics networks. 3PL providers and distribution operators are increasingly required to document waste diversion performance, report disposal data, and demonstrate environmental progress. A credible landfill diversion program is becoming a contract requirement.
E-commerce and returns volume
The growth of e-commerce has dramatically increased packaging waste and reverse logistics complexity. Returns processing generates significant volumes of mixed waste, damaged goods, branded materials, excess packaging, and unsalvageable product. SES handles it all, including assured destruction of proprietary and branded items that cannot re-enter the market.
Cold storage and food-grade waste
Cold storage facilities face a unique waste challenge: high volumes of food-grade returns, expired product, and organics that require food-safe handling and documented diversion. SES operates dedicated food waste depackaging and organics recovery facilities that process up to 20 tons per hour, converting materials to compost, energy, or other beneficial pathways.
ESG reporting and sustainability accountability
Logistics operators face growing needs to report measurable environmental performance. SES provides chain-of-custody documentation on every load received, giving your team verifiable data and reporting to meet your sustainability goals.
For 3PL and distribution centers, not everything that comes in can go back out. Returned merchandise, damaged products, off-spec inventory, recalled goods, and branded materials require more than just disposal - they require documented, certified destruction with a full chain of custody.
SES provides assured destruction services that protect your brands while keeping materials out of the landfill. Every load is tracked, weighed, processed, and documented from pickup through beneficial reuse, giving you a verified paper trail that the product was destroyed and diverted.
Cold storage facilities and refrigerated distribution centers face waste challenges that general logistics operators don't. Food-grade returns, frozen and refrigerated organics, expired product, and temperature-sensitive packaging all require specialized handling — and most of it ends up in the landfill by default.
SES offers a complete solution. Our food waste depackaging and organics recovery programs handle the full range of cold storage waste streams, from bulk frozen returns to individually packaged expired goods. Materials are processed for 100% beneficial reuse — organics converted to compost or energy, packaging to alternative fuels or recycled commodity.
100% Landfill Diversion
SES works directly with logistics providers, distribution centers, and cold storage operators to build sustainable waste programs that meet landfill diversion mandates and reuse 100% of the material. As a company, SES has repurposed and diverted over 250,000 tons of industrial waste from landfill.
Non-hazardous secondary materials (NHSM)
When waste arrives at an SES facility and is processed for beneficial reuse, it's no longer classified as solid waste. Instead, it becomes a new resource with a productive purpose, reducing your regulatory burden and disposal costs.
Nationwide reach and rapid response
With six zero waste facilities and a nationwide partner network, SES can pick up and process any waste stream in the United States within 24 hours.
100% landfill diversion
SES transforms diverse waste streams into valuable resources through Alternative Engineered Fuels, Organics Processing, Industrial Recycling, and other Beneficial Reuse applications.
Zero waste reporting
SES provides comprehensive reporting on all materials received, giving our customers verifiable documentation that waste was diverted from landfills.
SES offers free waste stream assessments for logisitc and distribution centers - no obligation, no guesswork. Just a "simplified" assessment of where your waste program stands and what it takes to achieve your landfill diversion goals.
