xvEPA
                   United States
                   Environmental Protection
                   Agency
                             EPA742-E-01-001
                             July 2001
                             www.epa.gov/p2
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (7409)

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reducuM wtirte/ wilt
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SAVE YOU  MONEY.

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 Why SkouM You/ Owe, About

Prwanting  Watted

       £^ery business generates waste. For some, it
       nay be only waste paper or dirty water; for
       others, it may be hazardous or toxic wastes
that require special handling and disposal. Whatever
the type or volume of waste your company generates,
it is all the same in  one respect—it is costing you
money! In fact, you're paying for it twice—once
when you buy it and the second time when you
throw it away. The  bottom line  is that preventing
waste will save you  money.
   By consuming and throwing away less, you will
reduce the need to  handle, treat, and dispose of waste.
Waste prevention can take many forms, including:
   • Purchasing durable, long-lasting materials.
   • Striving to eliminate raw materials that are not
     incorporated into your final product or service.
 How DOES RECYCLING FIT IN?
 Recycling is the process whereby materials that would
 and products. Many companies recognize that it makes
 both economic and environmental sense to recycle a
 material rather than dispose of it.  However, the recy-
 cling process still requires handling, energy use, and
 reprocessing. The key thing to remember is that the
 materials you are sending to the recycler represent
 lost revenues because they are not becoming
 a part of your product or service.

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wnste reduction,

include practice* that

reduce tk& IM& of energy,

water, or otker resources

at wvll at those that pro-

tect natural resources
                            Using products
                            that are free of
                            toxic materials.
trouqv
     •*/
wiore
efficient
ute.
                              • Reducing the
                                amount of packag-
                                ing.
                              • Conserving water
                                and/or energy.
                              •  Implementing in-
                                process recycling.
                              Many waste preven-
                          tion efforts, such as
                         two-sided printing and
                       using e-mail in place of
                    printed copies, are  inexpen-
                  sive and simple to implement,
              often involving only a change in atti-
       tude or work procedures.
   Waste prevention is a business strategy from which
any company, regardless of size or type, can benefit.
In addition to cost savings, it can also help you
improve worker safety, reduce liability, and enhance
your image in the community. Furthermore, if the
waste you are eliminating or reducing is regulated
under state or federal law—and your reductions are
significant enough—you might be  able to  avoid costly
permits and government approvals.

IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO

   In addition to these financial benefits, waste pre-
vention is the right thing to do. Preventing waste
prevents pollution, making your neighborhood and
community a safer, healthier place to live.  In the end
you benefit, the environment benefits, the communi-
ty benefits, and your company establishes  itself as a
good corporate citizen, providing immeasurable, last-
ing rewards.

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How Do You/
   \^r  ou can make waste prevention a routine part of
   lr    daily business, just like worker safety and customer
   JL.    satisfaction. A little time and effort can go a long
way toward success by following these basic steps:
 I .   DETERMINE WHAT WASTES YOU  GENERATE.
   •  Examine all of your waste streams, including process
     wastes, hazardous wastes, nonhazardous wastes, solid
     wastes, and office waste. Look in trash cans and
     dumpsters to determine what materials are being
     thrown away and consider what wastes are poured
     down the drain, such as rinse waters and process
     waters. Examine your energy and water consumption
     and look for high and low usage trends in your water
     and electric bills.
   •  Characterize each waste stream — determine where the
     waste comes from, what processes generate it, and how
     much is being discarded.
JUST  GETTING  STARTED?

KEEP THESE SUGGESTIONS IN MIND:

•  Start off small—target one or two materials for reduction.
•  Work with neighboring businesses to share information on
               Igl IUUI II Ig
waste reduction techniques,

                                        atenals, and
            langes that reduce wastes.
   Involve all employees in planning and im

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                           EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT is  KEY!
 2. IDENTIFY WASTE
 PREVENTION
 MEASURES.
    •  Evaluate all
      wastes for
      possible
      reduction.
      Determine
      how you
      can reduce
      each waste,
      evaluate your
      purchasing poli-
      cies, and determine
      what you can reuse.
                               Frost Paint and Oil of Minneapolis,
                              Minnesota, manufacturers industrial
                             paints and linseed oil-based varnishes.
                            Several years ago, the company estab-
                          lished a waste reduction goal of 10 to 15
                          percent, and it decided that the quickest
                           and least expensive way to achieve this
                         was to implement an employee incentive
                             program. By passing two-thirds of the
                          resulting savings on to its employees, the
                             company reached its waste reduction
                           goal in I  year! The innovative approach
                          reduced hazardous waste by 55 percent
                            and saved Frost Paint and Oil $25,000.
                               *Adapted from EPA's EnviroSense Web site
      Identify potential produc-
      tion changes that would
      improve efficiency, including process, equipment, pip-
      ing, and layout changes.
      Investigate opportunities for new products or ingredi-
      ents that prevent waste generation.
      Identify resources that will help you conduct a waste
                   reduction assessment at your business.
                         Trade associations and  state and
                            local regulatory agencies might
                               be able to provide technical
                                 assistance,  and your equip-
                                   ment vendor might have
                                     suggestions to reduce
                                      wastes. Also, consider
                                       hiring a consultant
                                        who specializes in
                                        identifying poten-
CONSERVING
WATER  PAYS OFF!
Tri-Star Technologies, Inc. manu-
factures products for the electronics
industry, including printed wiring boards.
By implementing "smart rinsing"
techniques and reusing rinse water from
one set of rinse tanks to another; the
company reduced their water use by 79
percent. Overall, Tri-Star estimates that
"smart rinsing" has reduced their water
usage by 2.5 million gallons per year, result-
ing in cost savings of approximately $ 15,000.
        *Adapted from the  EPA's Design for the
                     Environment Program
                                         tial waste preven-
                                          tion measures.
                                          Who knows? The
                                           consultation may
                                           pay for itself
                                           after just one
                                           visit.

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3.   SET YOUR PRIORITIES AND  GOALS.

   •  Prioritize waste prevention opportunities by consider-
     ing cost, ease of implementation, payback, and other
     benefits, such as increased employee safety.
   •  Try focusing on a few opportunities that are easy to
     implement, have low capital investment, save you
     money, and reduce large volumes of waste.
   •  Set attainable goals, such as reducing office paper
     waste by 25 percent or reducing your waste hauling
     and disposal costs by $5,000  annually.
CUSTOMERS  HELP REDUCE WASTE

Prestige Cleaners of Scottsdale, Arizona, has implemented
waste prevention on both sides of the front counter. By
switching to a less harmful petroleum solvent and wet cleaning
15 percent of the garments brought into the stores, it has elim-
inated perchloroethylene from the cleaning process. Prestige
Cleaners also uses a water evaporation  and filtration system
that saves $ 1,800 per year in hazardous  waste disposal costs.
To encourage their customers to reduce waste, the company
provides reusable garment bags and offer an economic incen-
tive for them to return hangers. The hanger reuse program
saves the company an estimated $ 18,000 per year.
                              * Adapted from a National Waste
                               Prevention Coalition Case Study


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INEXPENSIVE SOLUTIONS FOR REDUCING WASTE
The Herald Review/ltasca Shopper, a small newspaper in
Michigan, reduced solid waste by 97 percent by encouraging effi-
cient and innovative use of materials, and recycling and reusing
local company for packing material, waste ink was reused by
blending it with black ink, and the useful life of film developing
chemicals was extended through the use of additives.  Although it
they saved $ 18,000 annually as a result.
    *Adapted from EPA's EnviroSense Small Business Waste Reduction Gi
4.   GET STARTED.
   • Teach your employees how to prevent waste. Describe
     your waste prevention policies and goals, and provide
     training to employees who must change how they han-
     dle materials.
   • Promote your waste prevention activities. Hold a kick-
     off event to describe your goals and highlight the ben-
     efits for your business. Use posters or signs to get the
     word out to employees and place the  signs in areas
     where waste prevention activities should happen.
   • Encourage employee involvement by offering incen-
     tives.  Prizes or awards can be given for the best ideas
     or those that result in the most savings. A portion of
     the savings can also be given to employees  or their
     departments.

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  How Do  You/ Ktwwtt's Working?
  MUM wring Your Success
            ro determine whether
            your waste prevention
            efforts are success-
  ful, from both an environ-
  mental and economic
  standpoint, you need to
  evaluate your progress.
  Suggestions for evaluat-
  ing your waste preven-
  tion efforts include:
         BLAST AWAY  PAINT
      WITHOUT CHEMICALS
  The Gehl Company in West Bend,
  Wisconsin, modified its paint strip-
 ping process and now saves $32,000
  a year in waste disposal costs. The
   company replaced chemical paint
 strippers with a blasting cabinet that
   uses small plastic particles to strip
 paint off parts. This process change
also provided employees with a safer
    and healthier work environment.
                                     *Adapted from the Waste Reduction
                                            Resource Center Web site
Monitor process
and waste produc-
tion changes. Track
things such as the vol-
ume of waste produced,
how often it is hauled away,
and reductions in energy use,
the amount of raw materials used.
Calculate the savings. Look at savings in han-
dling, treating, and disposal costs as well as savings from
reduced raw material and energy use.
                  • Look at the indirect benefits. Try to
                      gauge the value of less obvious bene-
                         fits such as improved public
                           image, reaching new markets,
                             improving or expanding pro-
                               duction processes, employ-
                                ee morale and safety, and
                                 other advantages.
                                  •  Reevaluate your
REUSE  ELIMINATES
WASTE
The Guardian Industries' plant in
Ligonier, Indiana, has eliminated more
than 2 tons of textiles from their waste
stream  by laundering and reusing gloves,
saving the company approximately
$30,000. The company also switched
from paper towels to reusable wiping
cloths, saving $7200 in purchasing costs.
  *Adapted from the EPA's WasteWise program
         efforts on a regular
         basis. As new raw
         materials and process-
         es are introduced,

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AS  EASY AS CHANGING  A  LIGHT BULB.1

Investing in  energy-efficient lighting proved to be a smart move
for Pearl Pressman Liberty, a commercial print facility in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By replacing their T-12 fluorescent
                       lamps and magnetic ballasts with energy-
                              efficient T-8 lamps and electronic
                                   ballasts, they were able to
                                     save $21,000 in energy
                                       costs annually.  The
                                        energy reductions
                                         from these upgrades

                                           from U.S. highways,
                                           or planting 56
                                           acres of trees in
                                           U.S. forests!

                                               *Adapted from the
                                                Printer's National
                                                   Environmental
                                                Assistance Center
                                                      Web si
waste streams change. Conduct regular assessments of your
business to identify additional waste prevention opportuni-
ties. Remember, as long as you continue to generate waste,
there are opportunities to reduce it.

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     POLLUTION
    PREVENTION
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