Center For Hazardous Materials Research (CHMR)
Pollution prevention is the reduction or elimination of discharges or emissions to the environment. This includes all pollution: hazardous and non-hazardous, regulated and unregulated, across all media, and from all sources. Pollution prevention can be accomplished by reducing the generation of wastes at their source (source reduction) or by using, reusing or reclaiming wastes once they are generated (environmentally sound recycling).
The pollution prevention practices described in this fact sheet can be implemented in almost any business or industry. Many firms have adapted these general techniques to the wastes associated with their operations. A Pollution Prevention Fact Sheet tailored to your business may also be available.
Pollution prevention is good business. While most pollution control strategies cost money, pollution prevention has saved many firms thousands of dollars in treatment and disposal costs alone.
Many companies have already discovered the tremendous benefits of pollution prevention. The 3M Co.'s "Pollution Prevention Pays" Program has eliminated the annual generation of more than 500,000 tons of pollutants. Cumulative savings since the program began in 1975 are estimated at $426 million.
Smaller companies can also benefit. One firm reduced its hazardous waste disposal costs by 74% and decreased raw material costs by 16%.
A systematic approach will produce better results than piecemeal efforts. An essential first step is a comprehensive waste audit. The waste audit identifies all operations that produce waste, and the areas where waste may be reduced.
Setting up a pollution prevention program does not require exotic or expensive technologies. Some of the most effective techniques are simple and inexpensive. Others require significant capital expenditures, however many provide a return on that investment.
A little extra attention paid to "minor" sources of waste can result in major reductions. These techniques have worked for other firms:
Disposing of hazardous materials has become expensive. It makes sense to substitute less hazardous materials whenever possible. Good material choices can also increase opportunities to recycle. Consider the following substitutions:
Some pollution prevention techniques require re-examining and modifying equipment to reduce equipment-related inefficiency. Many industries can minimize waste by using the following techniques:
Rethinking an entire production or manufacturing process can be a very effective way of preventing pollution. Often the new process is more efficient and costs less to operate. The kinds of process modifications that will work depend on the process itself, but these examples illustrate the idea:
With a little creative thought, a firm may be able to find a use for a material that has always been thought of as a waste. For instance, one printing company began segregating waste solvent from printing press cleanup by the color and type of ink. Now each of the segregated wastes can be used to thin the same color of ink, eliminating the need for disposal.
A material that one firm cannot reuse may be perfect for another. Waste exchanges attempt to match waste generators with potential users. For example, waste aluminum filings have been used as slag conditioners in the steel industry.
Some companies arrange to have a commercial reclaimer recycle certain wastes. Repurchasing the recycled material may cost much less than purchasing virgin material. Firms that generate large volumes of waste may prefer to do the recycling themselves by installing equipment to recover valuable raw materials otherwise lost to the waste stream. One company bought a $16,000 distillation unit that reclaimed n-propyl alcohol from waste solvent. It saved the firm $15,000 a year in material costs and an additional $22,800 per year in waste disposal costs.
This fact sheet considered an ...... ideas are always being developed in cannot include every existing pollution prevention practice. Mention of a specific practice should not be considered an unqualified endorsement, and not every practice is suitable for every facility.
Pollution prevention requires a new attitude about pollution control. Traditional thinking places all the responsibility on a few environmental experts in charge of treatment. The new focus makes pollution prevention everyone's responsibility. Preventing pollution may be a new role for production-oriented managers and workers, but their cooperation is crucial. It will be the workers themselves who must make pollution prevention succeed in the workplace.
Management commitment and employee participation are vital to a successful pollution prevention program. Management can demonstrate its commitment to pollution prevention and encourage employee participation by:
Center For Hazardous Materials Research (CHMR)
320 William Pitt Way
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
(800) 334-CHMR (412)826-5320
James Hemby
Pollution Prevention Program
U.S. EPA Region I
841 Chestnut Building
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 597-9800
Greg Harder
Division of Waste Minimization and Planning
PA Department of Environmental Resources
PO Box 2063
Harrisburg, PA 17120
(717) 787-7382
The Center for Hazardous Materials Research (CHMR) is a non-profit subsidiary of the University of Pittsburgh Trust, and is a non-regulatory organization. Its mission is to assist in developing and implementing practical solutions to the technical, environmental, economic, and health problems associated with hazardous and solid waste. For more information on this and other CHMR publications call (800) 334-CHMR.
Last Updated: January 9, 1996