Waste reduction is an important goal for our company. Pioneer strives to minimize all waste associated with our operations. We continue to improve how we manage our waste and strive to minimize our waste by eliminating or reducing identified waste streams, including hazardous waste. In addition, we continue to improve reuse and recycling in our operations and strive to decrease disposal in landfills.
Pioneer’s waste tracking system provides a detailed compilation of the waste generated by our operations. This system assists Pioneer in identifying, consolidating and quantifying companywide waste streams while also developing processes for reporting, waste-minimization planning and final target-setting.
Waste Management Best Practices
We continually evaluate waste minimization process improvements. We strive to minimize hazardous waste generation at our facilities through:
- Tracking waste: We continue to develop and improve the company- wide electronic waste management system to streamline waste tracking and processing of wastes
- Supplier coordination: We utilize strategic contracts with chemical providers to require that products are purchased on an “as used” basis whereby the chemical provider maintains possession of unused chemicals and subsequently manages the waste responsibility
- Chemical management programs: For products and chemicals purchased wholesale, our environmental staff makes efforts to coordinate with chemical providers on “intended use,” along with the reuse of chemicals or recycling of unused chemicals
- Waste minimization plans: Our environmental specialists work in partnership with each functional team to manage and maintain proper waste management activities, including, training, waste reporting, waste minimization and reuse plans, waste characterization, transportation, and disposal manifesting
Waste Management Performance
Following the acquisition of Parsley Energy and DoublePoint Energy in 2021, Pioneer conducted a review of hazardous waste tied to the assets prior to their acquisition and properly disposed of the waste as one-time shipments in 2022. That same year, Pioneer generated no hazardous waste in our operations. We continue to minimize our annual hazardous waste generation and maintain a Very Small Quantity Generator status as defined by the EPA, which requires us to:
- Generate less than 1,000 kilograms (1 ton) per month of hazardous waste
- Identify hazardous waste generated
- Not accumulate more than 1,000 kilograms (1 ton) of hazardous waste at any time
- Maintain proper handling and disposal
Recycling: Pioneer recycled more than 9 million pounds of solid waste in 2022, a 55% increase in recycling from the previous year. Pioneer’s recycling program has grown in scope from recycling only metal to recycling metal, poly materials, e-waste and other plastics from our operations as part of our continuous effort to improve our waste-recycling program.
Chemical Use: We have reduced the amount of chemicals we use in our hydraulic fracturing and are using fewer individual chemicals. Using fewer chemicals significantly improves logistical management and reduces opportunities for chemical-handling incidents to occur. Innovations in well completion fluid designs have also positively impacted our freshwater reduction efforts. Another example of using improved technologies to gain efficiencies is our upgraded drill rig shakers. Shakers are a drill rig system component that removes the solid rock cuttings from the liquids extracted from the well. These new and high-grade shakers are more efficient in circulation and fluid retention compared to standard shakers, which means we recycle more fluid throughout the drilling process, providing notable capital savings.
Material Reuse: Pioneer partners with a third party to recycle scrap poly pipe made of high-density polyethylene. High-density polyethylene is known as Plastic #2 within the U.S. recycling system and is used to manufacture various products such as recycling containers, dog houses, shampoo bottles, pens and other household goods. Last year, Pioneer diverted more than 3.2 million pounds of high-density polyethylene pipe to our third-party partner that would have otherwise been directly disposed of in a landfill.
Additional metrics are provided in Pioneer’s Sustainability Performance Data Table.