Source Reduction and Waste Minimization

This chapter describes the benefits of pollution-prevention (P2) strategies. Many P2 and waste minimization strategies, such as substituting toxic materials with safer alternatives, do not require process changes, and as such are simple and cost very little to implement. The areas in which P2 has proven effective include the elimination and reduction of impacts from wildlife and habitat damage, property devaluation, remediation costs, civil and criminal fines, permitting fees, insurance costs, process outages and disruptions, and treatment, disposal, and associated labor costs. P2 benefits result in enhanced public image, increased productivity and efficiency, reduced regulatory burden, decreased liability, and improved environmental health and safety. A reduction in pollution minimizes worker exposure and conserves resources and landfill space. The costs for environmental management are multilayered, and the risks of encountering future and intangible costs can be minimized and possibly eliminated by choosing preventive strategies over control-based ones. The application of life-cycle costing (LCC) tools provides the means of selecting cost-effective waste-management strategies.