2026 Valero Report on Guiding Principles - Report - Page 28
Waste Management
Valero remains focused on reducing the generation of
wastes across air, water and solid streams. Reducing at
the source and reusing, recycling and repurposing of
materials are key components of our waste reduction
program.
program includes regular waste reviews, risk
assessments, waste stream prioritization and formal
personnel training programs. Every operating site
follows speci昀椀c expectations on the handling and
recycling of hazardous wastes as
speci昀椀ed in CTEMS.
In 2023, Valero implemented a
Spill Prevention – Valero is focused on
customized Waste Navigator
reducing spills across our operations
database across its U.S. re昀椀ning 昀氀eet.
of all re昀椀nery
to protect our people and the
The database tracks waste from
hazardous and
environment, always with the goal of
generation to ultimate disposition,
exempted
waste
was
zero spills. Our commitment to reducing
driving standardized waste
recycled in 2025.26
environmental scorecard incidents
management practices and systemic
is a top priority and is strengthened
improvements in waste reduction,
by the inclusion of this metric in the
reuse and recycling. In addition, the
all-employee bonus calculation. The environmental
database allows closer oversight of disposal vendors.
scorecard incidents metric is weighted to the intensity
Hazardous Waste – In 2025, more than 54 million
of incidents, with greater impact for more signi昀椀cant
pounds of catalyst were recycled to recover valuable
events, including the severity of spills.
metals. Valero’s hazardous waste management
91%
Reducing, Reusing, Recycling and Repurposing
For Valero, being the most ef昀椀cient and reliable operator in a highly competitive industry means being a better
environmental performer. We look for ways to reduce emissions and waste, reuse energy and byproducts, recycle
materials, and repurpose wastes.
Flare-Gas Recovery Systems Resulted in More Than 97% Flaring-Free
Operations in 2025 – Nearly 80% of Valero’s large process 昀氀ares are
equipped with 昀氀are-gas recovery systems. These systems reduce 昀氀aring
and air pollution and recover fuel gases, which are used to 昀椀re heaters
and boilers, thereby reducing natural gas consumption.
Sulfur Removal – Sulfur recovered in re昀椀ning processes is used for a
variety of bene昀椀cial purposes, including crop fertilizer, pharmaceuticals,
detergents and cosmetics. Sulfuric acid is also critical for the extraction
of nickel, cobalt and rare earth minerals from their ores.
Marine Vapor Recovery Units – At certain re昀椀neries, vapors generated
during the loading of vessels with gasoline and other light products are
captured and routed back to the re昀椀nery for reprocessing.
Fuel from Oil Waste – Our high-conversion re昀椀neries are capable of
upgrading oil waste into high-value fuel and products.
Wastewater Management – Process water and stormwater are
managed at our wastewater treatment plants, and treated before
discharging or reusing. We use bacteria to digest oil and treat
wastewater streams to return clean water to the ecosystem.
Energy Ef昀椀ciency Initiatives – We prioritize improvements in process
monitoring and control systems to reduce energy consumption, which in
turn reduces costs and emissions.
Repurposing of Material Recovered from Tank Cleaning – Recovered
material is often reprocessed in our re昀椀neries and upgraded to fuels
and other products or used as fuel at third-party facilities, avoiding
land昀椀ll waste.
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Halifax Restoration:
In 2025, Valero advanced
a remediation of its 475acre Halifax Gate closed
re昀椀nery site in Nova Scotia,
successfully applying a riskbased, regulator-aligned
approach to signi昀椀cantly
reduce environmental
impacts. Remediation
included ongoing
groundwater monitoring
and stormwater controls
and land-use restrictions
to further support safe and
sustainable site management.
The property was acquired by
the Canadian Department of
National Defense, returning
the property to bene昀椀cial
reuse.
