United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Research and Development
EPA/600/SR-96/114
September 1996
v»EPA Project Summary
Pollution Prevention Assessment
U.S. Postal Service Post Offices,
Pittsburgh, PAArea
Carole O. Bell and Henry Huppert
As part of its Waste Reduction Evalu-
ation at Federal Sites (WREAFS) Pro-
gram, the U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency (USEPA) National Risk
Management Research Laboratory
(NRMRL) worked cooperatively with the
U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to integrate
waste prevention and recycling activi-
ties into the waste management pro-
grams at various postal facilities
through the conduct of pollution pre-
vention opportunity assessments
(PPOA). This summary report describes
the findings of the PPOA for the USPS
Post Offices in Bridgeville, Hickory,
Houston, McDonald, Morgan and Wash-
ington, PA.
The report describes the various Post
Offices, including operations per-
formed, processes and materials em-
ployed and the wastes and emissions
generated. The report makes recom-
mendations concerning the procure-
ment of office supplies, maintenance
supplies and hazardous materials; man-
agement of hazardous materials and
wastes; purchase of chemicals on
USEPA's 33/50 list; improvement of
source separation and recycling of pa-
per and paper products, metals and
plastics; management of unwanted
equipment; and other options for re-
ducing or eliminating pollution.
This Project Summary was developed
by USEPA's National Risk Management
Research 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
Since 1988, EPA's National Risk Man-
agement Research Laboratory (NRMRL)
has managed a technical support effort
known as the Waste Reduction Evalua-
tions at Federal Sites (WREAFS) Program.
WREAFS was established to provide pol-
lution prevention solutions to environmen-
tal issues through research, development
and demonstration of pollution prevention
techniques and technologies, and trans-
ferring lessons learned within the federal
community and related private sector in-
dustries.
The United States Postal Service
(USPS), in cooperation with NRMRL's
WREAFS program is engaged in an effort
to integrate pollution prevention and recy-
cling activities into the waste management
programs at postal facilities. The purpose
of this project was to perform pollution
prevention opportunity assessments
(PPOAs) at Postal Service facilities, rec-
ommend implementation strategies, and
develop facility guidance that can be in-
corporated into a revision of the USPS
Waste Reduction Guide. The project was
funded by the U.S. Postal Service through
an interagency agreement (IAG) with EPA
NRMRL.
This report describes the findings of the
PPOA conducted for six United States
Postal Service Post Offices located in
Bridgeville, Hickory, Houston, McDonald,
Morgan and Washington, PA. The site
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assessments were conducted during the
week of June 12, 1995.
Facility Description
The PPOA Team visited six USPS Post
Offices located southwest of Pittsburgh,
PA. The McDonald, Morgan and Bridgeville
Post Offices are located in Allegheny
County and the Hickory, Houston and
Washington Post Offices are located in
Washington County. Exhibit 1 provides a
summary of relevant information for each
of the six facilities.
Waste Description
Wastes generated by the six different
facilities are summarized in Exhibit 2, along
with current management practices and
pollution prevention opportunities for each
waste. Further details regarding pollution
prevention are provided in the following
section.
Pollution Prevention
Opportunities
The PPOA identified several pollution
prevention opportunities at the sites. Some
of these opportunities simply reduce the
quantity or toxicity of the waste stream,
while others offer economic as well as
environmental benefits. The pollution pre-
vention opportunities identified by the
PPOA are addressed below.
Cardboard
• Encourage suppliers to deliver prod-
ucts in reusable containers and make
cardboard boxes available to custom-
ers for reuse.
• Establish corrugated cardboard recy-
cling programs and source-separation
policy.
Paper
• Establish a duplex copying policy for
all multi-page documents; expand and
encourage the use of electronic mail;
limit distribution lists; encourage staff
to proofread on screen.
• Identify and participate in community
recycling programs.
Exhibit 1. Summary of Facilities Assessed
Facility
Size Sq ft
USPS Owned or Leased
Employees (Full-time, Part-time)
Deliveries
Mail Volume Lin Ft per Week/
Hickory
585
Leased
2 FT, 2 PT
474
112/320
Morgan
1,836
Leased
1 FT, 1 PT
479
40/40
Houston
3,850
Leased
10 FT
2,143
300/300
McDonald
5,331
Owned
18 FT, 1 PT
3,435
600/400
Bridgeville
14,439
Owned
43 FT, 3 PT
9,403
1500/600
Washington
51,885
Owned
135 FT
17,559
3200/500
Number of Parcels per Week
Number of Vehicles
Avg Electric Cost per Month
Waste Disposal Cost per Month
Size of Container
Number of Times Emptied per Week
Typical UBBM* per Week Ln Ft
Gas Cost per Month
Sewer Cost per Month
Water Cost per month
No USPS
Vehicles
$42
$11.67
7 bags
1
3
Paid by
Landlord
Paid by
Landlord
$14
1 vehicle from
Bridgeville
Fleet
$100
$25
6 cu yd
1
3
$100 to $200
$10
$10
3 vehicles
$100
$15
3 55-gallon
drums
1
10
$55 to $289
Paid by
Landlord
Paid by
Landlord
7 vehicles
$85
$32
6 cu yd
1
18
$270 to $510
$24
$30
16 vehicles
$678
$205.47
6 cu yd
2
75
$500 to $1430
$21
$59
37 vehiclet
$2,548
$319.30
8 cu yd
3
84
$180 to
$1078
$62
$121.50
*UBBM = Undeliverable Bulk Business Mail
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Exhibit 2. Solid Waste Generation and Pollution Prevention Opportunities
Waste Current Practices
Pollution Prevention Opportunities
Paper: computer printout,
white/mixed office
Paper: UBBM, magazines and
newsprint
Corrugated cardboard
Plastic film
Plastic strapping
Pallets
Products containing 33/50 chemicals
Cleaning supplies
Leaves, grass and yard trimmings
Toner cartridges
Fluorescent tubes and ballasts
Food and beverage containers
Obsolete, damaged or defective
equipment
Discarded as waste
Typically discarded, hauled for
recycling by larger offices
Typically discarded, larger
facilities recycle
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Discarded or sold as scrap
Affirmative procurement
Reduce paper use
Reuse, recycle
Reduce incoming quantity
Reuse, recycle
Reduce incoming corrugated
Recover and recycle
Reduce incoming material
Seek recycling option
Seek recycling option
Reuse, recycle
Alternative products
Product exchange
A/on- or less- toxic substitutes
Leave grass cuttings on lawn
Compost
Remanufacture and reuse
Recycle
Recycle
Repair and reuse
- Establish waste hauling contracts that
include recycling services.
Undeliverable Bulk Business
Mail (UBBM)
• Determine whether reduction or recy-
cling is the most cost effective man-
agement practice for UBBM.
• Reduce UBBM by expanding its mail-
ing list maintenance service.
• Recycle UBBM to avoid the disposal
costs.
Fluorescent Lighting Tubes
• Establish fluorescent tube recycling
program.
Other Materials
• Consolidate metals and excess equip-
ment. Evaluate potential for repair and
reuse.
• Set up recycling bins for other recy-
clable materials. Separate metal food
and beverage containers and estab-
lish a recycling option for these mate-
rials.
• Identify local pallet refurbishers. Col-
lect pallets and consolidate for recy-
cling.
Affirmative Procurement
• Establish preference programs and
adopt specifications for the purchase
of products made with the percent-
ages of recovered materials specified
in USEPA Guidelines.
Vehicle Maintenance
• Enter into written agreements with pri-
vate service stations, rather than per-
forming maintenance activities onsite
where waste recovery equipment is
absent or minimal. The agreement
should specify compliance with USPS
environmental standards.
Vehicle Washing
• Consider washing vehicles at an
offsite installation that recovers and
reuses wash water.
• Evaluate the toxicity and pH of the
product and the impacts of wastewa-
ter discharge to the sanitary sewer.
Grounds Maintenance
• Small quantities of leaves and yard
trimmings can be composted onsite.
The finished compost can be applied
to lawns and shrubs as a soil amend-
ment. Local farms or community com-
post operations may provide alterna-
tive composting sites.
• Leave grass clippings on the lawn.
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Lighting and Energy
• In accordance with the Energy Policy
Act of 1992 and Executive Order
12902 that require Federal agencies
to reduce energy consumption 20%
by the year 2000 and 30% by the
year 2005, increase the use of mo-
tion sensitive lighting; establish a
"Lights Out" policy; obtain technical
assistance from Green Lights Pro-
gram; and procure computers that
meet Energy Star requirements.
Chemical Storage and
Hazardous Wastes
• Establish a policy to purchase only
what is needed and used within a
reasonable time and adopt a first-in/
first-out policy.
Conclusions and
Recommendations
The Pollution Prevention Opportunity
Assessment report documents the pro-
cesses performed, wastes generated and
current waste management practices at
six USPS Post Offices southwest of Pitts-
burgh, PA. The PPOA identified opportu-
nities to reduce both the quantity and tox-
icity of the wastes generated by this facil-
ity and recommended techniques for imple-
mentation of those pollution prevention
options.
The full report was submitted in partial
fulfillment of Contract No. 68-C2-0148,
Work Assignment No. 3-10 by Science
Applications International Corporation un-
der the sponsorship of the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency.
Carole O.Bell, and Henry Huppert are with Science Applications International Corporation,
Newport, Rl 02840
James S. Bridges and Theresa T. Hoagland are the EPA Project Officers (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Pollution Prevention Assessment U. S. Postal Service Post
Offices, Pittsburgh, PA Area" (Order No. PB97-100051; Cost: $21.50, subjectto change)
will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officers can be contacted at:
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, OH 45268
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Center for Environmental Research Information (G-72)
Cincinnati, OH 45268
BULK RATE
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
EPA
PERMIT No. G-35
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
EPA/600/SR-96/114
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