WASTE REDUCTION

Properly designed packaging helps reduce some of these food losses while also reducing the enviromnental footprint of food production (Alter, 1989 Hide, 2002  

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Hazardous Waste Reduction Checklist and Assessment Manualfor the Metal FinishingJndusty, California Department of Health Services, Alternative Technology Division, Toxic Substances Control Program, Sacramento, Calif., 1990. 

By-Products. The PUREX process is efficient at separating uranium and plutonium from everything else in the spent fuel. Within the high level waste stream are a number of components which have, from time to time, been sufficiendy interesting to warrant their recovery. The decision to recover a particular isotope is usually based on a combination of market incentives and desired waste reduction. 

Resource Recovery and Waste Reduction Third Report to Congress Report SW-161, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., 1975 R. A. Lowe, Energy Recovery from Waste Report SW-36d.ii, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., 1975. 

Phase III Synthesis. (/) Identify options identify opportunities, target problem areas, and confirm options. 2) Evaluate options technical, environmental, and economic. (J) Prepare action plan waste reduction plan, production efficiency plan, and training. 

Waste Reduction. In 1991, EPA started a voluntary program for industrial plants to reduce releases and off-site transfers of 17 specific chemicals, including... 

C VRT Center for Waste Reduction Technologies SCR Selective catalytic reduction... 

LCC Life cycle costing WRAP Waste reduction always pays... 

ICF Technology Incorporated, New York State Waste Reduction Guidance Manual, Alexandria, VA, 1989. 

Waste Reduction, Recycling, Treatment, and Disposal of Hazardous Wastes The Fouith Biennial Repoii, CaUfornia, 1988, p. 110. 

Of course, several of these pollution-prevention elements are used by industiy in combination to achieve the greatest waste reduction. Residual wastes that cannot be prevented or otherwise managed are then disposed of only as a last resort. 

Assessment Phase The assessment phase aims to collect data needed to identify and analyze pollution-prevention opportunities. Assessment of the facility s waste-reduction needs includes the examination of hazardous waste streams, process operations, and the identification of techniques that often promise the reduction of waste generation. Information is often derived from obsei vations made during a facihty walk-through, interviews with employees (e.g., operators, line workers), and review of site or regulatory records. One professional organization suggests the following information sources be reviewed, as available (Ref. 7) ... 

Additionally, the EPA pubhshes a newsletter entitled Pollution Prevention News that contains information including EPA news, technologies, program updates, and case studies. The EPA s Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratoiy and the Center for Environmental Research Information has pubhshed several guidance documents, developed in cooperation with the California Department of Health Services. The manuals supplement generic waste reduction information presented in the EPA s Waste Minimization Opportunity Assessment Manual (Ref. 9). 

Institutional hai iiers. In an organization without a strong infrastructure to support pollution-prevention plans, waste-reduction programs will be difficult to implement. Similarly, if there is no mechanism in place to hold individuals accountable for their actions, the successful implementation of a pollution-prevention program will be limited. 

Based on the above three areas of potential concern, a plethora of waste reduction ac tivities can be performed at home or in an office environment. One can easily note the similarities between these activities and those pollution-prevention activities performed in industry. The following few exampes are identified by categoiy according to this notation (Ref. 21) ... 

Waste Reduction Processes can be redesigned to reduce the amount of waste generated. For example, transfer hnes between processes can be Blown clear pneumaticaUy to drive liquid into the Batch mix tank. 

Often, the walkthrough and analysis of the process flow sheets lead to an early identification of P2 and waste-reduction opportunities. By studying the process flow sheets and information gathered from the walkthrough, and by conducting brainstorming sessions with team members, the team will be able to identify sources... 

Now you can reconsider the material balance equations by adding those additional factors identified in the previous step. If necessary, estimates of unaccountable losses will have to be calculated. Note that, in the case of a relatively simple manufacturing plant, preparation of a preliminary material-balance system and its refinement (Steps 14 and 15) can usefully be combined. For more-complex P2 assessments, however, two separate steps are likely to be more appropriate. An important rule to remember is that the inputs should ideally equal the outputs - but in practice this will rarely be the case. Some judgment will be required to determine what level of accuracy is acceptable, and we should have an idea as to what the unlikely sources of errors are (e.g., evaporative losses from outside holding ponds may be a materials loss we cannot accurately account for). In the case of high concentrations of hazardous wastes, accurate measurements are needed to develop cost-effective waste-reduction options. It is possible that the material balance for a number of unit operations will need to be repeated. Again, continue to review, refine, and, where necessary, expand your database. The compilation of accurate and comprehensive data is essential for a successful P2 audit and subsequent waste-reduction action plan. Remember - you can t reduce what you don t know is therel... 

It may have been possible to implement very obvious waste-reduction measures already, before embarking on obtaining a material balance (even as early as at the end of Phase I). You should now consider the material balance information in conjunction with visual observations made during the data-collection period, to pinpoint areas or operations where simple adjustments in procedure could greatly improve the efficiency of the process by reducing unnecessary losses. 

Use the material balance for each unit operation to pinpoint the problem areas associated with a process. The material-balance exercise may have brought to light the origin of wastes with high treatment costs, or may indicate which wastes are causing process problems in which operations. The material balance should be used to set priorities for long-term waste reduction. 

Step 19 Developing Long-Term P2 and Waste-Reduction Options... 

When deciding which options to pursue as part of a waste-reduction action plan, consider each option in terms of environmental and economic benefits. 

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