United States Environmental Protection Agency Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory Cincinnati, OH 45268 Research and Development EPA/600/S-95/001 March 1995 EPA Project Summary Pollution Prevention Opportunity Assessment: General Mail and Vehicle Maintenance Facility, United States Postal Service, Buffalo, NY The Pollution Prevention Opportunity Assessment (PPOA) summarized here was conducted at a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Facility In Buffalo, NY. The PPOA documented and quantified waste generation at the General Mail Facility (GMF) where mail Is processed, and at the Vehicle Maintenance Facility (VMF), where 1,200 postal vehicles are serviced and refinished. The report identified potential source reduction and recycling initiatives, as well as ar- eas where further research is needed. The economic and technical feasibility of selected opportunities and tech- niques to eliminate, reduce, or recycle wastes were investigated. A limited implementation plan was developed. This Project Summary was developed by EPA's Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH, to announce key findings of the research project that Is fully documented In a separate report of the same title (see Project Report ordering Information at back). Introduction This PPOA of the USPS GMF and VMF in Buffalo, NY, was conducted for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region II) and the USPS (Northeast Region) to investigate potential pollution prevention alternatives for GMF mail processing op- erations and VMF vehicle servicing and refinishing operations. The PPOA report identifies and dis- cusses the economic and technical feasi- bility of potential source reduction and recycling opportunities and presents a lim- ited implementation plan. It should be noted that although USPS facilities were the subject of the assessment, the alter- natives presented also apply to commer- cial package handling operations, as well as other government and commercial ve- hicle servicing facilities. Procedures The assessment was conducted using the procedures outlined in EPA's Facility Pollution Prevention Guide (EPA/600/R- 92/088). The assessment had two major phases. The first phase quantified waste generation and management practices. The second phase identified and evalu- ated the feasibility of opportunities and techniques to eliminate, reduce, or recycle wastes. The project included: • Selecting assessment targets; • Assessing onsite pollution prevention capabilities; • Generating pollution prevention options; • Preparing a feasibility analysis of selected options; • Preparing a limited implementation plan. The PPOA Team that conducted the assessment was composed of employees from an outside environmental consulting firm and USPS representatives. Results and Discussion General Mail Facility The Buffalo GMF processes 5 million pieces of mail a day. Three areas are responsible for generating the majority of ------- the facility's wastes: the offices, the mail sorting floor, and the unloading and load- ing docks. The GMF generates approxi- mately 537 tons of waste/yr. Approximately 253 tons is cardboard. Major waste streams are shown in Table 1. The com- position of much of the waste is undeter- mined; the "missing" tonnage may include corrugated plastic containers, pallets, alu- minum, or metals improperly discarded instead of recycled, or it may be com- posed of materials, such as pallets, plas- tic film, and corrugated cardboard at the Buffalo facility which is not easily moni- tored and may have been underestimated. Annual solid waste disposal costs are ap- proximately $42,000. Table 1. Estimated Solid Waste Genera- tion.USPS Buffalo General Mail Facility, 1991- 1992 A number of source reduction and recy- cling options were identified and are dis- cussed in the full report. Major source reduction and recycling options are: • Switching to waterborne low volatile organic compounds (VOC) paints; • Using high-volume/low-pressure (HVLP) spray guns; • Switching to aqueous cleaners; • Using a paint mixer system; * Installing a gun washer station; • Training operators. The economic feasibility of the HVLP spray guns and the paint mixing system is shown in Table 3. Conclusions Postal service employees have enacted a number of activities to reduce or recycle VMF and GMF wastes. Additional pollu- tion prevention opportunities to further eliminate or reduce wastes are identified in the report. Painting operation and en- gine and brake parts washing present the most opportunities for pollution prevention at the VMF. Waterborne coatings and high transfer efficiency paint delivery systems will eliminate or significantly reduce haz- ardous wastes and VOC emissions from painting operations. Replacing organic cleaning solvents with aqueous parts washers and chemicals will eliminate haz- ardous solvent wastes from engine and brake parts washing operations. Enacting these options can potentially reduce annual hazardous waste generation by 5,954 Ib. Implementing options recommended in the report can assist the Buffalo facility staff in meeting the USPS goal to reduce 1992 waste levels by 25% by 1993 and an additional 25% by 1995. Eliminating Waste Stream Quantity, tons Cardboard Computer paper Mixed office paper Aluminum cans Other metals Plastic film Undetermined 253.5 2.0 46.0 0.6 30.0 13.0 191.9 The major recommended source reduc- tion and recycling options are shown be- low. Discussions for each of the options are included in the GMF portion of the full report. • Establishing recycling programs for each waste stream; • Reducing packaging; • Establishing a duplex copying policy; • Improving waste management cost accounting; • Improving employee involvement in pollution prevention; • Changing procurement specifications. Table 2. Estimated Waste Generation, USPS Buffalo Vehicle Maintenance Facility 1991 Waste Type Oil Filters Lead acid batteries Brakes Cracked corn absorbent Soiled rags Paint equipment cleaning solvent Waste paint thinner Solvent brake cleaner Solvent engine parts cleaner Used oil (engine, brake fluid, transmission fluid) Used antifreeze Radiators Table 3. Cost Benefit Analysis for Selected Options Annual Quantity 1,800 filters 280 batteries 1,200 - 1,500 sets 30 - 60 gal 8,515 rags 1,664 Ib 2,106 Ib 5,746 Ib 2,830 gal 300 gal 280 radiators Vehicle Maintenance Facility The Buffalo VMF operations include ve- hicle maintenance and automotive ^fin- ishing operations. The Buffalo USPS fleet consists of 1,200 vehicles including pas- senger cars, trucks, and semi-tractor trail- ers. Major waste streams generated at this facility are shown in Table 2. Waste disposal costs are approximately $21,645 annually. Option Cost Benefit HVLP paint application system: Total annual avoided costs Net annual benefit Pay back period Gun washer station: Total annual avoided costs Net annual benefit Pay back period $11,196 $ 8,138 Immediate $8,567 $3,000 Immediate ------- solvent-borne paints will significantly re- duce emissions of four EPA 33/50 Pro- gram target chemicals generated during painting operations at the VMF. (The 337 50 Program is EPA's voluntary pollution prevention initiative to reduce national re- leases and off-site transfers of 17 toxic chemicals by 33% by the end of 1992 and 50% by the end of 1995). The options identified in the report will also reduce operating costs by decreasing disposal costs. By implementing the options de- scribed in this report the USPS has the potential to save over $100,000 on waste disposal costs/yr, as shown in Tables 4 and 5. Additionally, there are unquantified benefits such as reduced liability, paper work, and spills and spill control/disposal costs. The options identified in this report are generally applicable to the 350 ve- hicle maintenance facilities and 270 gen- eral mail facilities nationwide. The full report was submitted in fulfill- ment of Contract No. 68-C8-0062 by Sci- ence Applications International Corporation under the sponsorship of the U.S. Envi- ronmental Protection Agency. Table 4. Estimated Annual Return from Source Reduction and Recycling, USPS General Mail Facility, Buffalo, NY Action Potential Monetary Benefit ($)' Current practices: Recycle laser printer cartridges Recycle aluminum cans Recycle scrap metal Recycle loose cardboard1 Subtotal Additional recommended measures: Recycle plastic film Subtotal Recently implemented or proposed: Recycle computer paper Recycle mixed office paper Replace paper hand towels with electric air dryers3 Subtotal Total 1,740 1,011 2,125 34,000 38,876 5,485 5,485 240 1,955 50,000 52,195 96,556 Notes: 1 Monetary benefits include a $85/ton avoided disposal cost and payment for recyclable materials (aluminum, plastic film, and computer paper). Disposal costs for other locations may differ significantly. Payment for recyclable materials is based on the September 1992 market in the Buffalo area. Any use of these numbers must recognize the fact that markets for recyclable materials vary greatly with time and tocation. 1 Cardboard recycling began as a result of the preliminary assessment findings. 3 Includes replacing hand towels at Buffalo GMF and Station Branches. Table 5. Potential Waste Reduction and Cost Savings for Selected Options, USPS Buffalo Vehicle Maintenance Facility, 1991-1992 Option Annual Waste Reduction Annual Cost Saving Potential Waterborne paints Aqueous parts washer HVLP paint application system Gun washer station 2,782 Ib of hazardous waste paint/ solvent/thinner 3,163 Ib of hazardous engine and brake parts cleaning solvent 50% less VOC emissions and 30% less paint solid waste 75% to 90% less VOC emissions $3,088 in reduced waste disposal Undetermined $8,138 in reduced raw material and waste disposal $2,978 in reduced raw materials and waste disposal ------- Science Applications International Corporation, Falls Church, VA 22043, authored the report. John Filippelli (Region II, New York, NY) and Kenneth Stone (see below) are the EPA Technical Project Monitors. The complete report, entitled "Pollution Prevention Opportunity Assessment: General Mail and Vehicle Maintenance Facility, United States Postal Service, Buffalo, NY," (Order No. PB94-129798AS; Cost: $27.00, subject to change) will be available only from: National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 • Telephone: 703-487-4650 The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at: Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States Environmental Protection Agency Center for Environmental Research Information Cincinnati, OH 45268 Official Business Penalty for Private Use $300 BULK RATE POSTAGE & FEES PAID EPA PERMIT No. G-35 EPA/600/S-95/001 ------- |