On August 5, 2019, we fulfilled our commitment to permanently phase out single-use plastic bottles across all our facilities, offices and woodlands operations. The initiative, announced in August 2018, was made possible with the cooperation and commitment of all our employees and the diligent efforts of our project champions who worked hard to implement alternatives like fountains and water coolers. As a result of this initiative, more than 1.7 million plastic bottles will be removed from our supply chain every year.
On top of the enormous environmental impact associated with manufacturing and transporting single-use plastic bottles, very few bottles are actually recycled.
Resolute is focused on reducing the waste generated by our operations. Our approach to waste management includes identifying beneficial-use alternatives, such as land spreading, in order to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. We also pursue process efficiencies, such as optimizing fiber use, to minimize the cost of effluent treatment. The elimination of plastic bottles aligns closely with these larger scale efforts.
We are proud of this achievement and invite other companies to be ambitious in their own waste management initiatives.