Source Reduction

PPRC focuses on reducing toxics at their sources. Source reduction provides environmental protection that effectively reduces both pollution and businesses’ costs. Preventing pollution at the source prevents harmful downstream exposures and costly cleanups.

Here are some of projects in this arena.

• Safer Alternatives for Boat Restoration:  A series of factsheets and videos with best practices for boat hull restoration, anode maintenance, and waste management, to help commercial and DIY boat refinishers minimize pollution to waterways.
• Waterborne Automotive Coatings and Safer Practices:  Resources to help shops convert to waterborne coatings and cleaners.
• Fats, Oils, and Grease Prevention Training for Rural Communities: PPRC trains rural communities  and tribes tackle the menace of FOG in sewers.
• Pollution Prevention Assessment / Walk Through:  PPRC offers a fee-for-service P2 assessment, virtually or in-person, to identify environmental improvements in chemical use and management, material efficiency, toxics reduction, waste reduction, and energy and water conservation.
• Safer Alternatives for the Automotive Industry: Resources to help automotive shops use safer chemicals and practices.
• Pollution Prevention of Cadmium and Other Metals: Assessing the health risks for and solutions to cadmium exposure.
• Stormwater Pollution Prevention Resources:  Reducing runoff contaminants at their sources.
• Resources for the Craft Beer Industry:  A series of resources to help craft breweries and brewers manage energy, water, and waste.
• Spray Paint Efficiency Training: Painters and paint managers can save money and improve worker safety through this one-day training program.
• Bilingual Spray Efficiency Training: Offered in Spanish and English, this training not only provides the necessary 6H certification, but will save painters money and materials.

Safer Alternatives for Boat Restoration

A series of factsheets and videos with best practices for boat hull restoration, anode maintenance, and waste management, to help commercial and DIY boat refinishers minimize pollution to waterways.

Waterborne Automotive Coatings and Safer Practices

Waterborne automotive coatings are the choice of almost all major auto manufacturers (OEM’s) and are on the way to becoming industry standard at collision repair shops.  Fact sheets in both English and Spanish have been developed to provide good information on converting your shop to the use of waterborne paint as well as water=based cleaners and degreasers.

Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) Prevention for Rural Communities

In 2014, PPRC is providing technical assistance training workshops for rural communities throughout the Northwest to reduce the harmful impacts of FOG (or fats, oils, and grease) in sewer lines. These one-day workshops will help communities, which may lack technical resources, to:

• Develop a FOG abatement program
• Learn more about Best Management Practices in dealing with FOG
• Access useful FOG-prevention resources and receive ongoing technical support

For more information, go to the full page on FOG Prevention Training. There you’ll find full details about the program and an updated schedule of training dates.

Pollution Prevention Assessment / Walk Through

To maintain competitiveness, manufacturers continually seek more efficient and sustainable practices. A P2 assessment can save businesses both resources and money.  If your business has environmental goals, or challenges with waste, water, energy, or toxics use and exposure, we can help.  Assessments can help businesses:

• Reduce use of and exposure to toxic chemicals
• Eliminate wastes and waste costs
• Improve water efficiency and stormwater quality
• Improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions

Contact Michelle Gaither.

Safer Alternatives for the Automotive Industry

PPRC developed a series of resources to help automotive owners and technicians get informed about common chemicals found in a repair shop. The resources developed were designed to help both Do-It-Yourselfers (DIYers) as well as industry professionals. Resources include:

• A series of fact sheets that provide concise information about Solvent Safety Heirarchy, Best Management Practices for Parts Cleaners, Parts Washers Comparison, Floor Cleanup, and Antifreeze Choices.
• A webinar that focuses on Best Management Practices of a Shop, Safer Alternatives, Compliance, and How to Green Your Shop.
• An Online Training Curriculum that focuses on helping automotive owners and technicians learn about Safer Alternatives, Best Management Practices in a Repair Shop, and How to Green Your Operations.

To see the full list of resources, visit our full page on Safer Alternatives for the Automotive Industry.

Pollution Prevention for Cadmium and Other Heavy Metals

Like many heavy metals, cadmium is detrimental to human health. Cadmium can cause serious effects to renal function, bones, and the pulmonary system. It is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a Group 1 known human carcinogen. Many people consume far more cadmium than than they are aware of; almost all humans carry a significant body burden of the metal.

Where does cadmium come from? How are we exposed? And how can we prevent harmful exposures? These are the questions PPRC and lead scientist, Marjorie MartzEmerson, are seeking to answer. For more information, visit our full page on Pollution Prevention for Cadmium and Other Heavy Metals.

Stormwater Pollution Prevention

Stormwater resources include:

• Best practices to minimize stormwater pollution at boatyards
• Impacts of copper and zinc in stormwater
• A series of best practice factsheets designed for the Green Sports Alliance on stadium cleaning, parking lot maintenance, and more.   .

For more information visit Stormwater Pollution Prevention.

Resources for the Craft Brewery Industry

As prominent community businesses and gathering places, breweries can function as model stewards for environmental health. Those committed to sustainability can build trust among customers, the community, and the local and regional government. PPRC is here to help – to connect breweries with resources, with technical assistance, and with each other to improve both environmental and economic performance.   Link to Resources for the Craft Brewery Industry.  Resources include:

• Best P2 Practices for Craft Breweries – A report detailing pollution prevention opportunities and best practices for the craft brewing industry.
• Report-Outs from a series of Peer Workshops for Craft Breweries

Spray-Paint Efficiency Training

PPRC is currently providing Spray Technique Analysis and Research (STAR®) and NESHAP training to painters and paint instructors. The program is dedicated to improving the overall efficiency of manual spray coating operations by enhancing the techniques of spray technicians.

The benefits of the program include:

• Improved Worker Health: Reducing short and long-term exposures to toxics, solvents, and isocyanates can improve employee health and safety.
• Material Savings: Increased transfer efficiency will reduce material usage. An industrial facility can save as much as $40,000 or more annually. Even the most experienced painters have been shown to improve their efficiency by as much as 25% .
• Environmental Impacts: Reduced emissions can result in cleaner air and better community standing. Also, improved spray efficiency generally reduces the amount of hazardous waste generated.
• Reduced Environmental Liabilities: By reducing the pollutants emitted you can reduce your liability, regulatory burden, and/or permit costs.

For more details about the training program (NESHAP requirements, techniques trained, and case studies), visit our full page on Spray Painting Efficiency or contact Ken Grimm.