Waste audits

The project will progress in stages, beginning with a waste audit carried out by an audit team. The audit team consists of a waste audit expert, a sector specialist, a financial expert, an economist/ marketing expert, and an expert in product life-cycle assessments. The audit team also supports the project in its different stages. 

Organize seminar to present the results of the waste audit and its evaluation and tangible waste reductions achieved so far to plant management and to draft waste reduction plan... 

They prepared and distributed country-specific technical reports (a waste audit manual in the appropriate language, sector-specific guidelines and fact sheets) to allow factories interested in cleaner production to pursue relevant activities on their own. 

A systematic approach will produce better results than piecemeal efforts. An essential first step is a comprehensive waste audit ... 

The waste audit should systematically evaluate opportunities for improved operating procedures, process modifications, process redesign, and recycling. 

DHS. 1989. Waste Audit Study Fabricated Metal Products Industry. Department of Health Services, Toxic Substances Control Division, Alternative Technology Section. Prepared by Jacobs Engineering Group. Contract No. 87-T0096. 

The major activities undertaken by the Waste Reduction Unit include managing the Department s Hazardous Waste Reduction Grants Program and contracting for waste audit studies to assist California s smaller businesses in reducing their hazardous wastes. Each of these two activities is discussed below. 

The waste audit program is Intended to provide assistance to California s small quantity generators of hazardous waste. This is accomplished by issuing contracts to evaluate waate reduction opportunities in industries typically comprised of small to medium businesses. Waste-generating operations are studied to identify potentials for reducing waste, recycling or recovering resources, or alternative treatment measures. The economic feasibilities of the various alternatives are analyzed, and the study results are compiled in a final waste audit report. 

The audit program employs contractors for completion of waste audit studies of specific industries. After the studies are completed a final report is then generated, containing recommendations and conclusions for waste reduction. The final report is used as a source document for developing the fact sheets and the WRAM for use by small quantity generators (SQG). Currently 19 different industry waste audit studies have been completed. 

PRC Environmental Management, Inc. 1988. Waste Audit Study—Metal Finishing Industry. United States Environmental Protection Agency and California Department of Health Services, San Francisco, California. 

Typical Barriers to a Successful Waste Audit Waste Reduction Audit Process Identifying Hazardous Waste Sources Rinsing Systems Chemical Drag-out Chemical Bath Dumps Spills... 

Industry Observations Wasle Management Concerns Technology Development and Transfer Management Involvement Waste Audit Results... 

Waste Audits The company must identify the processes, the products, and the waste streams in which (hazardous) chemicals are used. Mass balances of specific (hazardous) chemicals will help to identify source reduction opportunities. Engineering interns could be very valuable in conducting such audits. An outside person can achieve significant progress in this area as well, due to the fact that he or she may be able to cut through some of the management and personnel barriers of the industry. 

Once a waste-minimization program is set to be undertaken, the physical work starts with a series of detailed surveys of ongoing activities inside the industry, starting from raw material entering the premises to finished products and byproducts (including wastes). These audits can be termed as waste audits or waste-minimization audits. The principal intent of such audits is to critically assess various inputs, processes and outputs to find methods and practices for... 

The phases of a typical waste audit process are illustrated in Figure 2. Note that an energy audit process can also be divided into similar phases. The rest of the chapter discusses each of these steps in detail with illustrations, examples, and workouts. 

Preparatory work for a waste audit consists of three main steps ... 

Obtain funding Execute waste reduction plan Repeat waste audit periodically... 

Involvement of the supervisors and workers is another key factor in the success of such programs. They have the hands-on involvement with each of the individual activities of the factory. In order to make the best use of their day-to-day experience with the machineries, processes, and a myriad of issues with the factory processes, audit exercise should be carried out with their full involvement and support. Typically, the barrier to such an involvement is fear on the part of certain supervisors and workers that a waste audit will expose inefficiencies that lead to job cuts. In order to overcome such a barrier, supervisors and workers should be assured of their job security, barring evidence of Fraud or sabotage. 

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