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| About Pollution Prevention |
Pollution prevention (P2) is any technique used to reduce or eliminate pollution generated. In contrast to most pollution control strategies that manage a pollutant’s effect on the environment after it has been generated, pollution prevention seeks to prevent the initial generation or reduce the toxicity of wastes and pollutants. Pollution prevention can be practiced by industries, communities, and individuals. Simply biking to work once a week, turning the water off when not in use, or not purchasing more food or product than you can use before it expires is considered pollution prevention.
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| Pollution Prevention Methods |
Design |
| Products, buildings and homes, and manufacturing systems can be made resource-efficient by incorporating environmental considerations into their design. |
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Process Changes or Elimination |
| Rethinking processes can create ways to reduce production waste, cutting both pollution and costs. For example, can parts be cleaned prior to using solvents? Can machinery be adjusted to more efficiently utilize materials? Processes can also be reevaluated to determine if they are necessary to daily operations or can occur less frequently. |
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Materials Substitution |
| Alternative materials for cleaning, coating, lubrication, and other processes can prevent costly hazardous waste generation, air emissions, and worker health risks. |
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Materials Reuse |
| Find another way to reuse materials on site; for example, distillation of used solvents. Or capture heat from discharge water or gases to be reused in another part of the manufacturing process. |
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Resource Efficiency |
| Using energy, water, and other production inputs more efficiently helps keep air and water clean, reduces emissions of greenhouse gases, cuts operating costs, and improves productivity. |
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Improved Work Practices, Housekeeping, and Inventory Control |
Rethinking day-to-day operations and maintenance activities can help root out wasteful practices that drive up costs and cause pollution. Housekeeping and inventory controls are some of the easiest hazardous waste reduction alternatives to implement, as well as the least expensive. Consider the following questions:
- Do you have designated areas where waste is accumulated?
- Do you store hazardous materials in designated areas separate from waste areas?
- Do you completely use your hazardous materials before discarding?
- Do you order more material than you can use?
- Are you currently sorting materials that you do not use?
- Do you have a spill prevention and cleanup plan?
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| Benefits of Pollution Prevention |
Increased Productivity |
| P2 can improve productivity by increasing the efficient use of raw materials, water, energy, or fuel and eliminating inefficient processes that generate waste or pollutants. P2 can also include simple low or no-cost improvements such as scheduling routine maintenance, which can reduce the loss of raw materials through leaks and spills. Many simple, low or no-cost improvements can result in increased product yield and better quality. |
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Safer Conditions for Workers |
| By reducing or eliminating the use of toxics, businesses can improve the safety of the work environment. The reduced likelihood of leaks, spills, and releases results in lower worker, visitor, and contractor exposure and reduced worker medical claims. Improving worker safety means achieving better labor relations and can lower insurance rates. |
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Lower Operating Costs |
| P2 activities can save money for businesses over time. Money usually is saved in reduced material costs, improved operating efficiency, and reduced waste handling and disposal costs. Using less hazardous materials can reduce regulatory exposure and may eliminate the need for certain permitting, manifesting, monitoring, and/or reporting requirements. |
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Reduced Future Liability |
| P2 can reduce businesses' liability for environmental problems resulting from recycling, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous materials. |
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| Is Preventing Pollution the Same as Pollution Prevention |
Which of the situations below describes pollution prevention?
- Gene, of Gene's Auto Repair, spilled hazardous solvent from his parts washer during routine maintenance. He immediately placed booms around the spill to prevent the material from entering the floor drain connected to the sewer system.
- Joe, of Joe's Auto Repair, evaluated his waste generation and decided to replace three parts washers containing hazardous solvent with a hot-water parts washer which generated no hazardous waste.
If you chose 2, you were right. While we applaud Gene for preventing the solvent from entering the sewer, he failed to take steps to reduce the volume or toxicity of the source of the waste. Joe, on the other hand, had taken steps to reduce the toxicity of his waste. If Joe has a spill, the threat to the environment will not be as high. This example shows that preventing pollution, although a good idea, is not always pollution prevention. |
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| National Pollution Prevention Policy |
The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 established a national policy that:
- pollution should be prevented or reduced at the source whenever feasible;
- pollution that cannot be prevented should be recycled in an environmentally safe manner whenever feasible;
- pollution that cannot be prevented or recycled should be treated in an environmentally safe manner whenever feasible; and
- disposal or other release into the environment should be employed only as a last resort and should be conducted in an environmentally safe manner.
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| How to Get Started |
When a business decides to take on a pollution prevention program, the following steps can help the program succeed:
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Get support of top management in creating a P2 policy. |
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Develop a program by designating a coordinator, writing a plan, and involving employees. |
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Assess processes that generate waste or pollutants by touring the facility and collecting background information, such as energy, water, hazardous waste, or purchasing information. |
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Identify opportunities. |
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- Eliminate unnecessary processes that generate waste.
- Identify in-process recycling opportunities such as reusing spent rinse water within the same process.
- Substitute a nontoxic or less-toxic material for a toxic material.
- Purchase materials made of recycled material, materials that can be reused or recycled, and only what is needed.
- Segregate different waste streams to increase reuse and recycling opportunities.
- Identify energy and water conservation opportunities.
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Rank opportunities by identifying benefits and evaluating technical and economic feasibility. |
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Implement projects. |
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Evaluate projects and document results. |
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Maintain the program by encouraging employee input and looking for new opportunities. |
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