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
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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
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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
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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
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