HISTORY
Sweetwater's first major project was to develop a program for Dow Chemical and a major Dow distributor to service small quantity generators of Tetrachloroethylene waste. This highly successful program has been running smoothly since 1987 and currently ensures that this toxic waste generated by over 450 small quantity generators is handled safely in an efficient, cost effective way.
The same year, Sweetwater undertook to organize the waste handling and disposal program of a major steel pipe producer. In the first year of the program, the client realized real savings in excess of $80,000 in disposal costs. HMT® enabled them to embark on an aggressive program of waste minimization and personnel awareness training, allowing them to continue to realize additional significant cost savings.
From this modest beginning in 1987, Sweetwater has grown and established a reputation as a reliable and responsive company, providing straight-forward services at reasonable cost.
Sweetwater's reputation over more than nineteen years of service has allowed us to establish an impressive clientele, most of whom employed us as a result of referral. Our customers range from well-known Fortune 500 companies to sole proprietorships to the federal government. Our area of operations has expanded from a radius of 100 miles around Houston, Texas to incorporate all of North America.
Today's regulatory climate mandates a serious review of all operations to reduce risk, minimize environmental liabilities, and ensure regulatory compliance. Our people are experienced in providing practical, cost-effective solutions to environmental problems. They accomplish this though careful selection of efficient technologies, application of proven project management techniques, and attention to the needs of our clients.
To meet these needs, Sweetwater's people are careful not to drown a project in meaningless technology or mountains of paper. We will make use of the most advanced technology available without losing track of traditional technologies and plain old fashioned common sense, which often provide the best answer.
By not aligning with any specific method of disposal, design or brand of abatement equipment or process, Sweetwater has been able to retain an unbiased, analytical approach to finding the best and most practical solution to suit the need of our client.
Sweetwater is dedicated to maintaining its reputation as a quality professional environmental service company. We constantly strive to provide a complete range of services to meet the environmental needs of our clients.
PHILOSOPHY
"Manufacturing and service companies must be able to focus on their business, that is the producing goods and providing services at a profit. They should not be burdened by being in the business of producing and managing hazardous waste."
The core of Sweetwater's unique approach is to assist our clients to untangle themselves from the endless and expensive cycle of waste production, management and disposal.
"It is not enough just to teach our clients and their employees how not to contaminate their environment or how to work with government agencies and how to handle, store and account for their hazardous chemicals and waste. We must provide clear, practical methods for them to produce less waste."
The experienced management, field service and support teams at Sweetwater handle each environmental project on an individual basis to provide real solutions to complex problems.
Sweetwater personnel come from a wide variety of industries, and, because of this diversity, we are free to draw on a wide variety of disciplines and resources to fulfill our clients' needs.
By combining the most advanced technology with practical expertise, we develop and implement innovative programs for each application.
To achieve this goal, Sweetwater Corporation has developed practical programs to give our clients control of their environmental destiny.
Environmental compliance is achieved through targeted action.
Efforts and expenditures targeting environmental compliance must result in tangible paybacks, by achieving real material control and real waste reduction. This can only be accomplished by gaining detailed knowledge of each facility's operations, formulating a plan to achieve and maintain compliance, and working the plan.
The Environmental Compliance Management program (ECM®) and the Hazardous Materials Tracking system (HMT®) are two of the tools that Sweetwater provides to management for this purpose.
The ECM® program reflects Sweetwater's three step process : Analysis, Action and Maintenance. The audit (Analysis) addresses current operations, with findings and recommendations presented in a clear, concise report. Action begins then with presentation of findings, and continues with development of a prioritized, workable plan. After the action plan has been implemented, the Maintenance phase will monitor and evaluate the program and provide the ability to adapt it to fit an ever changing environment.
With the HMT® program, hazardous chemicals and other materials are tracked from receipt through use to waste, and finally, disposal. Real Waste Management is accomplished by tracking and accounting for all chemical and material use within a facility. Both ECM® and HMT® can, depending on the clients needs, produce monthly, quarterly, and annual situation reports detailing chemical usage and control, as well as data on spills, waste and disposal.
By providing detailed information, practical options and guidance to the client company, Sweetwater helps management to focus its efforts on making the informed decisions necessary to reach and maintain compliance.
"Our real secret ingredient is our people. Sweetwater personnel come from an industrial background. They have faced the problems confronting our clients. They are all well trained, practical people, and most important - they care."
