Initiatives



  • Biofuel Transportation – Safe Handling handles virtually all of the biodiesel and ethanol imported into Maine. Likewise, our Pennsylvania terminal is the largest biofuel terminal in the region handling both ethanol and biodiesel.
  • Recycling – We recycle all of our waste cardboard, pallets, polyethylene “super sacks”, office paper, and electronics (computers, displays, printers and toner cartridges). Altogether, our recycling efforts keep nearly 200 tons of waste from being land filled each year.
  • Computerized Truck Fleet – We have recently upgraded our truck fleet with state-of-the-art, GPS-enabled computers that enable us to monitor and manage everything from idle time to excessive speeds. This allows us to optimize our fuel efficiency. For every hour per day of idling we eliminate in our fleet, our emissions are reduced by 90 tons of CO2 per year – equivalent to taking 15 automobiles off the road.
  • Employee Green Idea Reward Program – Recognizing that the best energy saving ideas come often from those who are actually using energy, Safe Handling has a Green Idea Reward Program that rewards employees for energy-saving ideas. This program has proven to be a powerful source of energy-saving ideas.
  • High Efficiency Lighting – Working with Efficiency Maine, Safe Handling installed high efficiency T8 fluorescent lighting in its manufacturing facility. This saves 25-30% compared to traditional fluorescent lighting.
  • Hazardous Spill Containment – Each of our railcar unloading locations is equipped with an isolated spill containment systems that can hold > 110% of the volume of a rail tank car. Likewise, each zone in our manufacturing plant has an isolated spill containment system that can contain >110% of the volume of the zone’s largest tank. This ensures that we don’t contaminate the environment.
  • Biofuels and Renewable Energy Projects - Through our Pine Tree Brand, we are collaborating with a number of other parties to explore the development of renewable energy projects.
  • Demand Response – We participate in our electric grid’s Demand Response program, reducing our usage within 30 minutes of a notification that the grid is dangerously over-loaded. This helps stabilize the grid and, more importantly, avoids the need to bring inefficient power plants on-line.