Miami-Dade County DERM is urging every business in Miami-Dade to reduce waste by starting a pollution prevention program. Here are some things to consider when setting up your program:

• Make a commitment to pollution prevention. This commitment should start at the top, with the owner or manager of your business, and should extend to every employee.
• Employee participation. Your employees must be aware of the importance of waste reduction through pollution prevention practices. Their participation and suggestions in your waste reduction program will determine if it is a success.
• Evaluate your business’ waste. Look around your shop to see how much and what kind of waste is being produced. This will make it easier for you to spot areas where pollution prevention tips can be applied.
  There are a myriad of ways to make Pollution Prevention possible. Most businesses can instill basic programs that will reduce the amount of waste that they produce. This means having fewer disposal fees, and therefore  saving money and polluting less.
   

General options for implementing Pollution Prevention are:

• material substitution (e.g. switch from a solvent-based to water-based paint or stain;  technology is constantly improving and chemical suppliers have many new products that are environmentally-friendly and high-quality)
• equipment modernization (e.g. upgrade from a conventional spray paint gun to a new High Volume Low Pressure gun. This technology has improved over the years and is now even being used for some vehicle finishes.) Technology from 5 years ago has gotten better.
• process modification
• employee training, re-training, and incentive programs
• reuse & recycling (e.g. distilling solvents on-site for reuse or collecting scrap metal that will be recycled off-site.)  One business' "trash" can be another's raw material.)
• basic maintenance and housekeeping (e.g. fix that leaky pipe today and set up program to check it periodically; get a drip pan under that leaky car if it can't be fixed right now.)
• proper inventory management (e.g. purchasing in quantities that you can use before they expire and using first-in first-out procedures - expired materials are expensive)

Many pollution prevention practices are low-cost and low-risk alternatives to hazardous waste disposal. Most of the approaches do not require sophisticated technology, and your business may already be using pollution prevention practices without realizing it. But never stop looking for ways to save money for your business and save our environment at the same time!