Category: Pollution prevention

Events, Pollution prevention

24th Annual Indiana Pollution Prevention Conference and Trade Show

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Thu, September 23, 2021
Indianapolis Marriott North at Keystone, 3645 River Crossing Pkwy, Indianapolis, IN 46240
More information and to register

Please join us for the premiere Pollution Prevention Conference in Indiana. Attend speeches and workshops presented by leaders in their environmental fields. During breaks and lunch, visit the 30+ exhibitors/vendors for services/products to assist you in your work and network with nearly 250 of your peers, including over 100 Partner’s member company attendees/representatives.

The Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention (Partners) is an organization comprised of Indiana industries, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that volunteer for a public-private partnership with IDEM to promote pollution prevention and environmental stewardship in Indiana.

Keynote speaker: Cynthia Nelson, Pollution Prevention Manager at New Hampshire Department of Environmental Sciences will speak about strategies to motivate change.

Pollution prevention

Shoptalk (Washington State Department of Ecology)

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Shoptalk is the Washington State Department of Ecology’s dangerous waste and pollution prevention newsletter. It’s published three times a year and includes information about training, best practices, rulemaking, and reporting deadlines.

The Spring 2021 issue features stories about:

  • paint recycling
  • switching to safer degreasers
  • case studies on switching a military base to safer receipt paper and assisting a metal finisher with making a change that saved them more that $300,000/year in electricity and maintenance costs.
Pollution prevention, U.S. EPA

Yvette T. Collazo steps down as director of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics

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Read the full story in the National Law Review.

Effective May 21, 2021, Yvette T. Collazo has resigned as the Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT). Collazo began as OPPT Director in March 2020.

Green business, Standards, Zero waste

New zero waste standard helps companies demonstrate progress in sustainability journey

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Read the news release at Waste360.

SCS Global Services (SCS), a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability certification, auditing, testing, and standards development, today announced the launch of its new Zero Waste Standard. This new global certification standard enables companies to demonstrate the degree to which their waste streams are prevented, reused, or diverted from the landfill. It is robust yet flexible to allow companies to demonstrate incremental improvements, and to stimulate participation based on regional supply chain differences. As companies look to improve their ESG ratings and strengthen their corporate messages and investment profiles, this third-party certification will provide assurance year-after-year for corporations and their individual facility sites.

Europe, Pollution prevention

EU Commission adopts zero pollution action plan

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Read the full story at New Europe.

The European Commission on May 12 adopted the Zero Pollution action plan, which sets out an integrated vision for 2050 where pollution is reduced to levels that are no longer harmful to human health and natural ecosystems, as well as the steps to get there.

Auto repair, Pollution prevention, Publications

Ultrasonic Aqueous Parts Cleaning in Auto Repair

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Download the document.

In October 2020, PPRC conducted an EcoBiz certification visit with Autobahn Motorwerks (Autobahn). Among several best practices in place, EcoBiz learned of their replacement of a solvent parts washer with an ultrasonic system, utilizing an EPA Safer Choice all-purpose cleaner. PPRC discovered that these ultrasonic cleaners are commonly used by jewelry makers and laboratories, but are becoming popular for auto repair shops, due to excellent cleaning performance and avoidance of solvents. A 30 liter (30L) unit seems suitable for throughput typical of smaller shops (under 10 employees), and 100L may be a better size for larger auto shops.

During an EcoBiz certification at another auto shop in Oregon, PPRC found they were interested in ultrasonic cleaning as well, especially because of staff sensitivity to some solvents. They periodically used non-chlorinated aerosol cleaners for parts cleaning, and for larger-part cleaning jobs, would send out an entire part for cleaning. They purchased a 30L ultrasonic unit and are trialing two non-hazardous aqueous cleaners. Both shops are pleased with ultrasonic cleaning and eliminating solvents for parts washing.

Tips, best practices for use, brief success stories, and cost benefit analyses are presented below.

Aerospace industry, Auto industry, Chemical manufacturing, Events, Food and beverage manufacturing, Green chemistry, Metal cleaning, Metal fabricating, Metal finishing, Pollution prevention

Webinar: Safer alternatives for solvent applications

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May 26, 2021, 11:30 am-1:00 pm CDT
Register here.

A range of many different types of solvents are used in diverse ways by thousands of companies in the nation. Find out how you can help those companies adopt pollution prevention (P2) measures by guiding them to safer alternatives. Get ideas on where and how to focus P2 efforts.

The US EPA P2 grant program describes several National Emphasis Areas (NEAs) and solvents are used extensively by companies in these NEA sectors. This webinar, sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC), will identify nine major solvent applications used in two or more of the NEAs. They will describe:

  • How the solvents are used in the application
  • The types of solvents used
  • The safer alternatives that can be used in their place

Webinar attendees, including P2 program grantees, will have the opportunity to provide input on which solvent application areas they would like to learn more about. Additional webinars may be scheduled in the future that will cover the applications of interest and their alternatives in greater detail.

During the webinar, Dr. Wolf will answer questions on the solvents, safer alternatives, and implementation strategies.

Who should attend this webinar?

  • P2 program grantees
  • State and local government agency P2 technical assistance providers
  • EPA regional P2 staff
  • Industry representatives

Speakers

  • Jean Waters, Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC)
  • Katy Wolf, Ph.D., Consultant
Champaign-Urbana, Green business, Job announcements, Pollution prevention

ISTC hiring up to six applied scientists to assist businesses with sustainability

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The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) is part of the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which is centrally located between Chicago, St. Louis, and Indianapolis. ISTC integrates applied research, technical assistance, and information services to advance efforts in the areas of pollution prevention; water and energy conservation; and materials recycling and beneficial reuse.

ISTC is seeking to hire up to four Visiting Senior Scientific Specialists, Technical and up to two Visiting Senior Scientific Specialists, Sustainability (depending on applicant pool and programmatic need) to collaborate with businesses, manufacturing, and industrial entities as well as municipal agencies, colleges, and universities throughout Illinois to improve sustainability, provide technical assistance in identifying opportunities and implementing sustainable solutions associated with materials, processes, water and wastewater, energy utilization, waste minimization and recycling.

Closing dates

Learn more at PRI Jobs.

Pollution prevention

The smart technology that’s enabling intelligent pollution prevention

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Read the full story at Kando.

It’s taken 30 years, but US pollution prevention law is finally getting the tech support it’s always needed. As smart technology trickles into the sewers, data-driven insights are handing utilities and treatment facilities a clear view of both the challenges they face and the solutions they need. I spoke to Rick Reibstein, lecturer in Environmental Law and Policy at Boston University, and member of the board of the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable, to get to the bottom of what source detection can achieve for US pollution reduction.

Grocery stores, Zero waste

Kroger highlights wins in Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative

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Read the full story at Supermarket News.

The Kroger Co. reported big strides in 2020 for its nearly four-year-old Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative, which aims to end hunger in communities it serves and eliminate food waste companywide by 2025.

Cincinnati-based Kroger said Tuesday that the company diverted 81% of waste from landfills in 2020, up 1% from 2019. The supermarket giant also cut total trash sent to landfills by 4% versus the previous year.

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