U.S. Pollution Prevention Programs Prevent 6 Billion Pounds of Waste, Says Study

GreenBiz

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2006 - Pollution prevention programs in the U.S. prevented 6 billion pounds of pollution, reduced energy usage by 1.2 billion kilowatt hours, and conserved over 44 billion gallons of water between 2001 and 2003, according to a new study.

As a result of these measures, cost savings for these 29 programs added up to over $500 million, according to the report, Pollution Prevention Produces Results: Waste Reductions, Resource Conservation, and Cost Savings, published by the Pollution Prevention Roundtable.

Respondents to the report include state, regional, and academic programs dedicated to pollution prevention, which is defined as any practice that avoids, eliminates or reduces waste at the source and reduces impacts to air, water, and land.

Pollution prevention is defined as any practice that avoids, eliminates, or reduces waste at the source and reduces impacts to air, water, or land. Prevention includes all innovative sustainability measures that do not transfer waste streams from one medium to another.

In its study, NPPR collected data, mainly through surveys and follow-ups,, on the methods that programs use to identify pollution-prevention opportunities. These include environmental management systems, industrial site visits, permitting, and voluntary public-private partnerships.

Says NPPR: "Not only does this study confirm that pollution prevention has resulted in resource conservation and waste reductions, but cost savings were four times greater than the amount of money used to implement the programs."

A copy of this report can be downloaded here (PDF).