Environmental Progress - Spring 1999

Pollution Prevention Office Practices What It Promotes

Using field inspectors as P2 promoters spreads word, avoids duplication

Source Reduction = P2
Ask IEPA How To: Reduce solvent use Avoid over-application Improve fiber recovery Recycle rinse water

Simply put, pollution prevention (P2) is source reduction. P2 means reducing waste before it goes into the dumpster, down the sewer, out the stack or away with the hauler. Properly disposing of waste may require extra effort and can be costly. Reducing the amount of waste up front benefits everyone.

At the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, responsibility for promoting P2 falls to the Office of Pollution Prevention (OPP), where a small staff handles the huge task. Recently, OPP has been looking at ways to get other areas of the Agency to help spread the word about P2 and its benefits. In May 1997, OPP trained approximately 180 field inspectors on P2 techniques. The goal: to integrate P2 into the inspectors' daily activities and have the field inspectors be P2 messengers.

Upon completion of the training, OPP wanted to find out how many facilities were implementing P2 suggestions made by field inspectors and determine areas where OPP needed to improve P2 information available to field inspectors. Working with the field operations section managers for the Bureaus of Air, Land and Water, the pollution prevention staff developed a method to track P2 assistance being offered by field inspectors. The P2 Feedback Summary was created. After each inspection field inspectors complete and forward a summary to OPP. Approximately five to nine months after a facility was given P2 assistance, a follow up contact is made with the facilities.

Nearly half have implemented the suggestions, others are looking at ways to do so.

Becky Lockart, Environmental Protection Specialist in OPP, has seen gratifying progress at several facilities during her follow-up activities. Of the 35 facilities that have been contacted, 16 implemented recommendations made by the field inspectors. An additional seven facilities have not implemented the recommended changes, but indicated that they would like technical assistance in implementing P2 at their facilities. Lockhart will coordinate technical assistance with them.

Use of alternative solvents is frequently suggested by field inspectors. In at least three cases, facilities were able to eliminate use of solvents entirely, and at least two others have found and switched to less hazardous alternate solvents. Two auto dealers are currently researching ways to switch to membrane filtration technology.

A paint and varnish firm, following an inspector's suggestion, increased its use of launderable bags, reducing the amount of disposable items going into its waste stream. Another firm has already completed the first of a three-phase P2 project, and is halfway through the second phase that will recycle rinse water back into the process.

A boat manufacturer in southern Illinois really got into the P2 spirit, implementing all of the numerous suggestions made by a Bureau of Land inspector. That company changed the size and configuration of its acetone containers, implemented level spraying to eliminate over-spraying, sealed vents in a resin tank secondary containment, separated cloth fabric from vinyl to recover cloth fibers, changed its handling of used solvent to allow its additional use, and is using reusable shipping containers for large volume items.

Tracking allows OPP to give inspectors feedback about their suggestions. On-site P2 technical assistance or more information can be obtained from Becky Lockart at 217/524-9642.