International Journal of Waste Resources

Best practice in environmental maintenance

Maria Carmen Carnero Moya

: Int J Waste Resources

Abstract:

Maintenance has traditionally been seen as an area that only creates costs but it is currently recognised as a field with a decisive effect on the productivity of organizations. While it is true that the importance of maintenance in determining availability of industrial plants, product quality, safety and costs has been widely analysed, the effect that specific maintenance policies, practices and methodologies could have on the environmental sustainability of organizations has been little studied. Good practice in maintenance has a direct effect by increasing the life cycle of facilities and equipment contributing to more sustainable use of raw materials needed for their construction. Similarly, good practice affects the quantity of spare parts used or obsolete parts thrown away, energy consumption of the organizations, the quantity of highly polluting waste generated in the form of used lubricants and defective batches of products caused by incipient failures in the machines. This study analyses the benefits that best practice in maintenance have for the environment contributing to a rational and sustainable use of human and material resources.

Biography :

Maria Carmen Carnero Moya has a Doctorate in Industrial Engineering from the University of Castilla-La Mancha (2001) and is a University Lecturer at the Technical School of Industrial Engineering at the University of Castilla-La Mancha. She has published two books, four chapters in science books, 43 research articles and 46 contributions to conferences. She was the Lead Researcher in three projects financed by the regional government and has been a part of 16 other European, national, regional and local projects and of five contracts.