“THREE CRITICAL SKILLS TO TACKLE P2 WITH” John Seymour NC Div. of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance 919/

Don’t fall, or get pushed, into doing things because “that’s the way it’s always been done”.  Old guys always teach the new guys the bad habits.  Learn why things are done the way they are.  Sometimes you can’t do anything because of “sunk costs”.

Observation makes all the difference in finding P2.  Look at the environment that is being impacted, then backtrack through the system to find the cause.  People get used to working with flawed systems.  Find out what people are most concerned about so they will want to listen to a P2 idea.

Communication, Communication, Communication.  People not fully understanding how a system works is common.  A system can be locked in to serving special customers.  Good P2 ideas will die without long range planning to keep them going.

Safety Tips for Doing P2 Audits  The left hand rule keeps protects  Do not follow the leader.  Respect for Workers who know the dangers  Confined spaces kill.

There are a lot of state, national, and international P2 programs.  ISO – the required EMS is very P2 (Ford and GM are requiring all their suppliers to be certified –about 200 NC companies.)  Strategic Goals Program (SGP)– A National Metal Finishers Association program for reducing waste and chemical usage.  Responsible Care – A nationwide Chemical Industry Association program to reduce waste.

Turning Pollution into a Resource  A plant in the western part of NC is saving over 10,000 gallons of process water a day, using the condensate water from their chiller units.  A plant in southern NC uses copper shavings from its process in its cooling tower system to save thousands a year in chemicals.

P2 Resources, Checklists, and Technical Help  30,000 on line technical P2 documents  NC Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance