ABSTRACT
A pollution prevention opportunity assessment (PPOA) is dened as a systematic, planned procedure with the objective of identifying ways to reduce or eliminate waste, preferably at the source. Generally, the assessment is preceded by careful planning and organization to set overall pollution prevention goals. Next, the actual assessment procedure begins with a thorough review of a plant’s operations and waste streams and the selection of specic areas of the plant to assess. Once an area is selected as a possible “minimization” or “opportunity” area, various options with the potential for reducing waste generation can be developed and screened. The technical and economic feasibility of each option is evaluated, and nally, the most cost effective and technically feasible options are implemented. Initiating a successful program must begin with a secure commitment from top management, allocation of adequate funding and technical expertise, appropriate organization, and a good understanding of the goals of the assessment and planning required to make it effective. To be successful, pollution prevention must become an integral part of a company’s operations. The PPOA offers opportunities to increase production efciency, reduce operating costs, reduce potential liability, and improve the environment, while also improving regulatory compliance. Much of the material presented in this chapter has been drawn from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) original “waste minimization opportunity assessment” procedure (U.S. EPA 1988). This procedure has been modied and adapted to apply to what is dened earlier as a pollution prevention opportunity assessment.
