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The following case studies contain information on how to reduce toxics in the workplace. See reusable supplies and equipment for more case studies on reducing toxics. Visit reducing toxics in waste less at agencies & schools for information on the toxic constituents of items commonly used in workplaces.
"Green" housekeeping improves indoor air quality The office buildings in Inglewood Center in Largo, MD, experienced high rates of employee complaints and absenteeism. Building management worked to improve the situation by implementing a “Green” housekeeping program that changed the type of cleaning products used in the building, and provided training for janitorial staff on how to use the new products more safely. Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems were also cleaned and balanced. A second phase calls for improvements to the ventilation systems for copier centers, kitchenettes, and janitor’s closets. The program has improved indoor air quality and has led to a reduction in employee air quality complaints and absenteeism. Employees have taken renewed interest in activities within the facility and now display more “ownership” of the building. Source: GSA Office of Governmentwide Policy, Real Property Sustainable Development, p. 25. ALSO SEE cleaners and disinfectants in tips for your business for additional information on the use of cleaning products in the workplace. Inventorying cleaning products In the fall of 1998, the University of Minnesota’s Facilities Management Division realized that empty and partly filled cleaning-product containers were piling up in janitors’ closets. With 11 million square feet being cleaned every day, the container pile-up posed not only a logistical disposal problem but also an employee health threat. Environmental Health Specialist Clayton Handt and his colleagues set up a review board to do a top-to-bottom evaluation of the division’s cleaners. The board discovered that Facilities Management was buying nearly 500 different products, many of which were redundant and contained chemicals listed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s toxic chemical “hit list,” the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). After a thorough review, the board decided to clean house. It set two goals: 1) to consolidate the number of janitorial products purchased and 2) to find safer products. In 1999, it cut from 500 to 135, the number of approved chemicals it purchases. The board also agreed to switch to bio-based cleaners by 2005. Source: The Carbohydrate Economy, Spring 2000, Volume 2, Issue 4, a publication of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance ALSO SEE cleaners and disinfectants in tips for your business for additional information on the safer use of cleaning products in the workplace. Supplier responsibility for inventory management PSE&G and Perrigo both developed similar relationships with their chemical suppliers in order to get a better handle on inventory problems. The supplier for each company tracks the companies’ on-site chemical inventories to maintain proper inventory levels. If an employee mistakenly orders a product that is already on site, the vendor will alert the employee rather than delivering the additional product. Perrigo took an additional step by offering a percentage of the cost savings to suppliers whose efforts result in reduced quantities of chemicals purchased. By making it the financial interest of suppliers’ to minimize sales, Perrigo saves additional money because it no longer pays to acquire unneeded chemicals, and it also reduces its costs to dispose of outdated overstock. Source: USEPA Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program’s Private Sector Pioneers, p. 35 Visit obsolete inventory and off-spec waste in tips for your business for additional information on how to reduce inventory waste. Environmentally friendly paint alternative cuts emissions Ulano Corporation, a graphic arts supply manufacturer located in Brooklyn, specializes in stencil-making products for screen printing. By substituting non-hazardous, water-based emulsions for all hazardous, solvent-based coatings, Ulano achieved a 79 percent reduction in toluene emissions. The project also resulted in a 94 percent reduction of hazardous waste generated. Source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ALSO SEE paint in tips for your business for tips on reducing paint usage. Improve environmental performance through Gould Pumps, a division of ITT in Seneca Falls, NY, employs 1,090 employees and manufactures pumps for municipal water supplies, as well as for industries associated with chemical processing, paper manufacturing, and petroleum. In order to better meet internal and regulatory environmental requirements, in 1995, the company embarked on a plan to improve their coating process, reduce emissions, maximize the capture of paint overspray, and minimize the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The company formed a team consisting of personnel from every discipline involved in the coating process. In 1996, the Seneca Falls Operation teamed up with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to further reduce emissions. The company’s efforts produced the following results:
Source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ALSO SEE paint in tips for your business on reducing paint usage. Reducing vehicle maintenance waste The United States Postal Service (USPS) — Albany employs over 17,000 people in upstate New York and operates seven vehicle maintenance facilities (VMFs) that maintain a fleet of over 4,200 vehicles. The VMFs provide full-service maintenance and perform more than 7,400 routine vehicle services per year. The waste generated is typical of vehicle repair shops: degreasing solvents, brake cleaners, antifreeze, oil filters, tires, and paint. By implementing a pollution prevention program, the VMFs reduced their generation of hazardous waste by 90 percent during a three-year period. The pollution prevention cost savings are tracked by means of the total waste management cost per vehicle service. In 1992, the average annual cost for waste management per vehicle was $7.39. By the end of 1995, the cost had decreased to $4.52. After two years of operation, the pollution prevention program had saved $21,364, or 39 percent in reduced waste management costs. Examples of initiatives undertaken by USPS–Albany include:
Source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ALSO SEE vehicle maintenance in tips for your business for more information on how to reduce vehicle maintenance waste, and measurement tools to calculate the financial benefits of switching to reusable or alternative products. NYC Fire Department and Department of Sanitation case studies in waste less at agencies & schools describe other successful waste prevention efforts in the area of vehicle maintenance. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) replaced their solvent parts washers with an aqueous cleaner at their Palmetto facility in downtown Los Angeles. Among other operations, the site runs a machine shop and conducts fleet maintenance on 85 automobiles and construction vehicles. DWP began testing aqueous cleaners to replace the existing mineral spirits cleaners when shop employees voiced their concerns about the hazards of using mineral spirits. DWP settled on Green Unikleen, a water-based surfactant cleaner with a neutral pH. The machine shop uses the aqueous cleaner for machine maintenance and for cleaning non-mobile equipment. Fleet maintenance uses the Green Unikleen on engine parts for their trucks and heavy construction vehicles. Not only does the aqueous cleaner reduce the use of the hazardous solvent; it also has saved DWP an estimated $1,400 per year in cleaning costs. Source: Institute for Research and Technical Assistance ALSO SEE vehicle maintenance in tips for your business for more information on how to reduce vehicle maintenance waste. NYC Fire Department and Department of Sanitation case studies in waste less in agencies & schools describe other successful waste prevention efforts in the area of vehicle maintenance. |  |
Reducing Toxics Case Studies
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