United States	Pollution Prevention Office	September 1989
Environmental Protection	Washington, DC 20460
Agency
<&EPA Pollution
Prevention
News
Inside:
2
3
4
People & Places
in the News:
1LSR, INFORM
Reports from
EPA Offices
Upcoming
Events in
October and
November
Your comments and
letters are wclcomcJ
Please write*
Pollution Prevention News
U.S. EPA
401 M Street SW (PM.219)
Washington, DC 2Q460
Editorial Staff
Prise ilia Flattery, Editor,
Gilah Laogner
Editor's Corner
This month we are delighted to run a guest
editorial by Dr. Rodney Lay of Mitre Corpora-
tion. 1 think you will find the design engineer's
perspective interesting and worthy of further
consideration. We welcome other guest edito-
rials to further the development of pollution
prevention ideas.
A quick report on the 2% Pollution Preven-
tion Fund awards for fiscal year 1991. These are
one-time awards initiated by the Administra-
tor, intended to stimulate new and innovative
pollution prevention initiatives. Over 100 pro-
posals were received, and were evaluated by a
review panel made up of representatives from a
variety of EPA offices. The panel has made its
recommendations to EPA's Deputy Adminis-
trator and we believe that some exciting proj-
ects will be coming along. We will report de-
tailed information on each of the projects after
the President submits his budget to Congress.
Guest Editorial:
A Design Engineer's Perspective
by Dr. Rodney K. Lay, The Mitre Corporation
Pollution prevention is one of the few "good
news" stories in the environmental arena today.
It is good news partly because it makes sense,
because it implements what the people already
know. Although reducing or eliminating the
creation of wastes at the source will never totally
replace the command and control strategy,
pollution prevention makes good economic,
energy, and environmental sense.
The new prevention "culture" calls for a new
perspective from design engineers as well. We
must embed the environment into process de-
sign thinking. This is hardly a new notion, but
it has yet to take effect. Environmental benefit
must take its place as a fourth process design pa-
rameter, with a status equal to the current three
parameters: performance, profitability, and effi-
ciency.
Contemplating such a major change to the
design status quo is daunting. But the history of
design thinking — the codifying of society's
desires into technical design parameters —
records similar previous advances. This is not
the first time that criteria have changed to ac-
commodate broader perspectives. Each new in-
vention plays out the classic cycle. I ni rial ly, per-
formance alone is the single significant crite-
rion. If not protected by patent, secrecy or per-
mit, profitability quickly becomes critical. In
recent times, the geopolitico-economics of
energy sources has raised efficiency considera-
tions to an equal status with performance and
profits.
As a fourth major design criterion, environ-
mental benefit will need particular nurturing: a
four-legged table is more difficult to build flat
continued on page 3

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Pollution Prevention Nem - 2
September 1989
People and PI
Neil Seldman,
Institute for Local Self'Reliance
Co-founder and president of the Insti-
tute for Loca 1 Sel f- Rel iance (ILSR), a Wash-
ington, D.C., based organization promoting
community economic development, Neil
Seldman views materials recovery and reuse
as a means to establish urban self-reliance.
Seldman believes these techniques can
enable a city and its citizenry to transform
waste disposal from an increasingly costly
service to a productive element of the local
economy.
Founded in 1974 by three community
workers in a Washington, D.C. neighbor-
hood, 1LSR has three areas of focus. The
first is technical assistance in implementing
recycling programs. ILSR'seconomicanaly-
ses show waste recycl i ng programs as cheaper
and more effective solutions to air pollution
and solid waste problems than other treat-
ment methods. But recycling isonly the first
step, in Scldman's view, if a city is fore-
sighted enough to view its waste disposal
expenditures as an economic development
investment. Benefits to the local economy
begin to multiply when scrap is converted
into useful products, providingemployment
and revenues that stay in the city.
A second focal poi nt for the insti tute is to
help community development groups form
joint ventures with companies seeking to set
up manufacturing plants with secondary raw
materials as their primary feedstock. A for-
mer university professor and manufacturer,
Seldman uses his business-oriented back-
ground to work effectively with business.
Third, 1LSR is working on a national
materials policy that links proper energy
:es in the News:
use, agricultural use, recycling, reduction of
pollution, and global warming. If this last
undertaking seems overly optimistic,
Seldman has an answer. "In many of our
endeavors, the technology is very simple,
and getting the capital is relatively easy.
The hardest challenge is to show Ameri-
cans, city managers, even governors, that
there arc new ways of defining our resources
and solving problems."
Because "entrenched ways of thinking
are our biggest barrier" to change in pollu-
tion prevention practices, Seldman contin-
ues to search for novel ways to open the
minds of Americans. ILSR has become the
first environmental consultants to one of
the world's most popular television shows.
This fall, Sesame Street will introduce envi-
ronmental issues such as recycling, using
Oscar the Grouch and Snuffleupagus as role
models for young viewers.
Despite the appeal of Sesame Street's far-
flung audience, ILSR still promotes the small
community perspective — ideally, "a globe
of villages" rather than the global village.
"My mother still lives in the house in
Brooklyn where I was born," Seldman ex-
plains. "ILSR knows what close families
mean. 'Local' is an important aspect of our
name."
Selected 1989 ILSR Publications
Salvaging the Future: Waste-Based Pro-
duction. Economics of converting waste
materials into usable products. $100.
Taking Recycling Seriously: A Primer
for Atlantic County, New Jersey. Evalu-
ates County's plan to burn 75% and
recycle 25%; offers other strategics.
$75.
Beyond 25 Percent: Materials Recov-
ery Comes of Age. Opera ting experience
of 15 communities. $40.
Directory of Waste Utilization Tech•
nologies in Europe and the UnitedStates.
Summaries from over 80 waste utiliza-
tion companies. $50.
Proven Profits front Pollution Preven-
tion, Volume 11. Case studies* $20.
For more information, contact ILSR,
2425 18th Street NW, Washington,
D.C. 20009. Tel: (202) 232-4108.
ILSR, INFORM
Joanna D. Underwood, INFORM
Joanna Underwood is founder and presi-
dent of INFORM, Inc., an environmental
research organization dedicated to identify-
ing and reporting on practical actions that
governmentsandbusinessescan take for the
conservation of natural resources.
In one of its most acclaimed publica-
tions, Cutting Chemical Wastes, INFORM
documents how changes in plant processes
or products, chemical substitutions, im-
proved housekeeping, and other techniques
can reduce wastestreams at plants across the
country.
"In 29 plant case studies, we saw initia-
tives that produced 30,50,80, and even 100
percent reductions," Underwood says. For
example, a Borden plant in Freemont, Cali-
fornia, reported eliminating 93 percent of
organic chemicals from its wastestream
through a variety of housekeeping changes.
With such tremendous opportunities for
plants to cut their wastes, Underwood be-
lieves that setting rigid plant-specific reduc-
tion standards is nor the best approach.
'There is so much to be gained by encourag-
ing companies to do all they can," she ex-
plains. "Flow do you quantify a potential for
waste reduction? Even similar facilities are
so vastly different. From our experience,
numerical plant-specific targets overlook
opportunities. However, an overall national
goal of reducing total hazardous waste by 25
to 50 percent over die next decade seems
eminently attainable, just by implementing
measures that would save industry money."
INFORM advocates two ways to encour-
age industry to reduce wastes. The first is
continued on page 3

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September 1989
3 - Pollution Prevention News
Reports from 1
OSWs Draft Guidance on
Waste Minimization Programs
In response to numerous inquiries on
what constitutes a waste minimization pro-
gram, EPA's Office of Solid Waste (OSW)
has identified key elements of a program in
a Federal Register notice published on June
12, 1989. The guidance is intended to pro-
vide direction to large and small quantity
generators in fulfilling their manifest certi-
fication requirement. Six key elements of a
waste minimization program are identified:
(1)	Top management support which
can be demonstrated in a variety of ways,
includi ng a wri tten company pol icy, specific
goals for reducing waste stream volume or
toxicity, andemployee trainingand rewards;.
(2)	Characterization of waste genera-
tion through a waste accounting system;
(3)	Periodic waste minimization assess-
ments, including a determination of the
true costs of wastes;
(4)	A cost allocation system, whereby
department and managers are charged "fully-
loaded" waste management costs for the
wastes they generate, factoring in liability,
compliance, and oversight costs;
(5)	Encouragement of technology
transfer, both within the firm and with
People and Places
from page 2
public disclosure of plant release data (as is
already beginning tooccur with EPA'sToxic
Release Inventory).
The second is economic incentives. If
companies are required to audit their pro-
cesses and determine the costs of lost mate-
rials, Underwood believes they will quickly
realize how much money can be saved by
changing procedures or instituting simple
housekeeping measures.
If these types ofincentives fail, INFORM
can suggest others that might be more
powerful. One possibility might be a "total-
waste tax," as Underwood explains, "not
just to landfills and sewage treatment, but to
all wastes leaving the plant." But it may not
be necessary at this point to go to such
lengths. "The options for major cost-effec-
tive change are broad and exciting right
now," she notes. "It's worth seeing what
informational and economic incentives can
produce before taking stronger steps."
PA Offices
other firms, trade associations, states, uni-
versities, and consultants; and
(6) Program evaluation, to provide feed-
back and identify potential areas for im-
provement in the program.
Comments on the draft guidance were
due to EPA by September 11 th. According
to Jim Lounsbury, Director of OSW's waste
minimization staff, this represents "one of
many opportunities throughout the RCRA
program to encourage implementing waste
minimization programs." Once the guid-
ance is published in final form, OSW will
prepare a booklet of case studies on the dy-
namics of implementing such programs in
different industrial settings.
OAQPS Meets with GM on
Chemical Management Program
EPA staff from the Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards recently met with
representatives of General Motors to hear
about an interesting new program that has
already cut down on manufacturing costs
and pollution. An internal GM review of
chemical usage in the over 170 GM domes-
tic plants revealed excessive costs associ-
ated with the purchase, inventory, and dis-
posal of almost 200,000 chemical materials
in use. In response, GM initiated a new
Selected INFORM Publications:
Cm tting Chemical Was tes; What 29 Or-
ganic Chemical Plants Are Doing to
Reduce Hazardous Wastes. In-dcpth
case studies. $47,50
Promoting Hazardous Waste Reduction
Six Steps States Can Take. Why hazard-
ous waste reduction should be an ag-
gressively pursued management ap-
proach. $3.50
Garbage Management in Japan} Lead'
ing the Way. A look at Japan's sophis-
ticated integrated waste management
practices. $15.
Tracking Toxic Wastes in New Jersey
(Ohio) (California). Guides to federal
and state information sources on indus-
trial chemical wastes in these states*
$15 each.
For more information, contact IN-
FORM, Inc., 381 Park Avenue South,
New York,NY 10016 (212)689-4040.
chemical management program in seven
plants, with plans to extend it to 20 facilities
within the next 18 months.
Under the old system, GM's multiple
suppliers had an economic incentive to
maximize their sales volume to GM. Under
the new program, GM has hired a chemical
management contractor to inventory, sup-
ply, and dispose of all chemical require-
ments at a single plant. The contractor is
compensated based on output measures (such
as the number of engines cleaned) rather
than on input measures (such as the volume
of solvents purchased). The program has
already resulted in lower chemical usage,
lower costs to GM, and waste reductions.
EPA is particularly interested in whether
this incentive-based approach could be
successfully applied to other industries and
businesses. Forfurtherinformation, contact
John Calcagni at OAQPS, (919) 541-5621.
Editor's Corner
from page 1
and stable than a three-legged stool. Tech-
nical, economic, and political interactions
will all be affected. There will naturally be
inertia working against the necessary changes
in design thinking. Nevertheless, environ-
mental benefit is already being applied as a
concept. Major industries have pointed the
way. Within government we are starting to
see examples such as the Department of De-
fense's TQM program (Total Quality Man-
agement) shifting the focus from end-of-
the-line quality control to an ongoing aware-
ness of quality and environmental concerns
prior to and during the entire design and
manufacturing process.
Whether in industry or government, pol-
lution prevention programs must be planned
with clearly defined objectives. Progress
will accelerate when these objectives are
measured in terms of positive environmental
benefi ts, and when the search for opportuni-
ties to prevent pollution is conducted at the
earliest possible stage, by the design engi-
neers most involved with the activity.
Dr. Lay is Associate Technical Director at the
Mitre Corporation and co-author of a recent
workshop report, "PollutionPrevention: Maxi-
mizing Opportunities by Creative Policies,
Programs, and Advocacy." For a copy of the
report, call (703) 883-6514.

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Upcoming Events in October & November
Title
Sponsor
Date/Location
Contact
1989 Recycling Conference
&. Exposition
Recycling Office,
Westchester County Covt.
Oct. 4-5, 1989
White Plains, NY
Abby Pelton
(914) 285-2588
Environmental Hazards
Conference/Exposition
Hazmat World, EHMI,
Tower Conference Mngmnt.
Oct. 10-12, 1989
Hartford, CT
Bob Myhelic
(312) 469-3373
Waste Expo's "Solutions"
West
National Solid Waste
Management Association
Oct. 10-11, 1989
San Jose, CA
Patti Jo Barber
(202)659-4613
6th Annual Environmental
Exposition
Environmental Exposition,
Inc.
Oct. 16-18, 1989
Asbury Park, NJ
Linda Siecke
(201)782-0062
HazWaste Expo Chicago '89
Haz. Waste Management
Magazine, Transportation
Skills Program
Oct. 16-19, 1989
Rosemont, IL
Robert McCarty
(215) 683-5098
Using Environmental Auditing
to Effectively Manage Risk
Univ. of Wisconsin, Dept. of
Engineering Professional
Development
Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 1989
Madison, WI
Pat Eagan
(608) 263-7429
Enviro Expo '89
Anchor Resources, Inc.
Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 1989
Beaumont, TX
Andy Johnson
(504)291-9996
8th National Recycling
Congress
National Recycling
Coalition
Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 1989
Charlotte, NC
Brenda Barger
(704)336-2770
Conference on House Bill 592:
Planning for Ohio's Solid
Waste Management Districts
Ohio Alliance for
the Environment
Nov. 1, 1989
Columbus, OH
Irene Probasco
(614)421-7819
2nd Topical Conference on
Emerging Technologies
in Materials
American Institute of
Chemical Engineers
Nov. 6-9, 1989
San Francisco, CA
John Kardos
(314)889-6062
HazMatWest '89
Conference &. Exposition
HazMat World Magazine
Nov. 7-9, 1989
Long Beach, CA
Brenda O'Neal
(312)469-3373
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