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Pollution Prevention Plans

The Pollution Prevention Act is a lynchpin for “going green”

The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 focused industry, government, and public attention on reducing the amount of pollution, defining pollution prevention as “source reduction and other practices that reduce or eliminate the creation of pollutants through increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, energy, water, or other resources, or protecting resources through conservation”. Source reduction is different and more desirable than waste management or pollution control, and includes technology modifications, process modifications, reformulation of products, substitution of raw materials, and improvements in maintenance, training and inventory control. Pollution prevention includes practices that increase efficiency in the use of energy, water, or other natural resources, and those that protect our resource base through conservation.

More and more organizations are adopting Pollution Prevention Plans.

A Pollution Prevention Plan assists in both the prevention and management of air pollution, water pollution, industrial effluents and many other areas. This includes rubbish and recycles created by staff, hazardous waste and universal waste generated by operations, construction and demolition waste generated from facility renovation and new construction. Noteworthy is that many organizations are developing sustainable practices and are integrating these into core business practices, such as Six Sigma, Zero Waste, and other company programs such as Environmental Management Systems (EMS), Quality Assurance (QA) and Enterprise Health and Safety (EHS) Programs.

We design effective, compliant Pollution Prevention Plans.

As an example, we provided technical advisory and Pollution Prevention Planning services to the City of Albuquerque, whereby we examined how they generated waste, and determined how to minimize waste generation, and also identified many opportunities for recycling. We also have authored Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP) to address pollution that is associated with industrial activity. Our plans identify numerous opportunities that include and are not limited to:

  • Designing sustainable / “green” purchasing practices
  • Decreasing the use and storage of toxic and hazardous substances
  • Reducing the amount of waste generated
  • Devising more effective and comprehensive recycling initiatives
  • Reducing discharges associated with manufacturing and industrial processes