Industrial Strength Tips for Preventing Pollution

P2 Benefits

P2 can not only help the environment, it can also help your business. You can reduce costs and improve competitiveness by adopting P2 practices that increase operating efficiency, reduce the amount of waste to be treated and disposed, decrease regulatory compliance costs, and reduce workers’ exposure to hazardous materials.

Where to Begin?

To implement P2 practices in your business, you should first conduct an evaluation of current hazardous waste management practices. Identify hazardous waste streams entering the water, soil and air; then list and evaluate P2 alternatives for each waste stream. The next step is to select the best P2 practices for each waste stream, and implement them.

P2 Practices for Industry

As you read over the following P2 practices, think about the ways that your industry contributes to the release of pollutants into the environment and how your business can benefit by practicing P2:

On-Site Recycling/Reusing Material

This practice involves reusing materials on-site that are the source of pollution. An example is filtering and recirculating cleaning solvents.

Material Substitution

This technique involves substituting highly toxic polluting materials with more environmentally friendly less-toxic materials. An example is replacing a solvent-based paint with a water-based paint.

Equipment Modifications and Process Re-Design

This involves purchasing new equipment and redesigning production lines, and the product itself to enable a business to more efficiently use materials.

Improved Housekeeping

Improved material handling, storage, and management practices may result in substantial reductions in spills, fugitive emissions, and leaks. Simple steps such as improving record-keeping and maintenance checks can really make a difference.

Little Office Helpers: Tips for Preventing Pollution at the Office

You can prevent pollution every day. Believe it or not, your office can play an important role in reducing the amount of pollution that is released into the environment. Various activities associated with an office, such as purchasing office equipment and commuting to and from work, can impact the quality of local water, soil and air.

Through adopting pollution prevention practices, such as conserving energy and carpooling, your office can help eliminate pollution at the source, before it is created.

Saving Energy is Preventing Pollution

By reducing the amount of energy your office consumes, you can help decrease the amount of fossil fuels burned to generate electricity while, at the same time, lower your monthly energy bill. The following energy saving P2 tips can help make your office more efficient:

Turn off lights in rooms that are not in use like conference rooms and storage areas.

Replace incandescent lights with energy efficient fluorescent lighting. Fluorescent bulbs are more expensive, but last up to 10 times longer and use about 1/4 the energy.

Purchase office equipment, such as copiers, printers and computers, with power saving devices.

If half of all office copiers, for example, had power-saving devices, an estimated 35 billion kilowatt hours of electricity could be saved, the equivalent of 20 million barrels of oil a year.

P2 To and From the Office

Everyone knows that driving their car to and from work each day contributes to diminished air quality. Most people are also aware that less-polluting commute alternatives exist, such as carpooling, riding a bike, or taking the bus, lightrail, or subway. Unfortunately, however, only a small percentage of people actually end up using these less-polluting options.

To help your office better prevent pollution while on the road, consider these carpooling and biking tips:

Carpooling—A Team Effort

Carpooling is not only an effective way to reduce the number of vehicles on the road, it can help minimize the cost of your commute through sharing fuel and parking costs with fellow carpoolers. Carpooling can also be a very social activity and, if you are a passenger, can help make your commute more relaxing. Having a successful carpool, however, requires a little planning and a lot of teamwork. In establishing your carpool, keep in mind the following tips:

Be committed to making the carpool work, even if that means not carpooling every day. A carpool that meets only once or twice a week is better than no carpool at all.

Make a roster. Write down the carpooler’s names and numbers, and a “game plan” with established routes, schedules, meeting places, and times.

Share the responsibility for driving equally. Drivers need to be timely and avoid running errands while carpooling.

If a member of the carpool cannot contribute to the driving, work out a system so that the other drivers are compensated.

Consider having the non-drivers help pay for gas and parking or encourage them to bring snacks to share with the carpool, such as pastries or brownies.

P2 Wheels: Bike to Work

Because most people live in the suburbs many miles away from where they work, commuting by bike is not an option. However, for the lucky few who live close to work, it is. Here are a few pointers to make your bike commute safe and enjoyable.

Choose the safest route possible, not necessarily the shortest. Be sure to test it out first on a non-workday.

Find a secure place to park your bike. If bike racks are not available, ask your employer to install them.

Make sure your bike is in good mechanical shape to avoid problems en route.

Use the proper cycling accessories, such as a helmet and water bottle. If you commute in the dark, be sure to use a headlight, light colored clothing, and reflectors.

Have clean-up items available at work, such as a towel or a change of clothes. Find out if a shower is available in the building for you to use if necessary.

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