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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