ASTM E1609-94
(Guide)Standard Guide for Development and Implementation of a Pollution Prevention Program
Standard Guide for Development and Implementation of a Pollution Prevention Program
SCOPE
1.1 This guide covers guidance on a logical progression of tasks and procedures to be followed in a pollution prevention program to reduce or eliminate the generation of waste, the loss of natural resources, and process emissions through source reduction, reuse, recycling, and reclamation.
1.2 Summary—The basic components of a pollution prevention program should include the following seven activities:
1.2.1 Develop an organizational commitment to pollution prevention (see Section 4).
1.2.2 Establish goals, objectives, and an implementation schedule (see Section 5).
1.2.3 Generate baseline information (see Section 6).
1.2.4 Develop a resource, emissions, and waste measurement and tracking system (see Section 7).
1.2.5 Analyze pollution prevention opportunities (see Section 8).
1.2.6 Prioritize pollution prevention opportunities (see Section 9).
1.2.7 Implement and maintain the progress of a pollution prevention program (see Section 10).
1.3 Organization of Text—This guide is organized based on the activities previously enumerated. Each section of the guide describes the manner in which the specified activity may be conducted to implement a program of pollution prevention at a facility.
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
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Designation: E 1609 – 94
Standard Guide for
Development and Implementation of a Pollution Prevention
Program
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 1609; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope sales, costs, production, and research and development (R&D)
needs and the availability of capital.
1.1 This guide covers guidance on a logical progression of
2.1.3 cost accounting system—the internal procedure used
tasks and procedures to be followed in a pollution prevention
to track and allocate production costs and revenues to a product
program to reduce or eliminate the generation of waste, the loss
or process.
of natural resources, and process emissions through source
2.1.4 cost allocation—a process within an internal cost
reduction, reuse, recycling, and reclamation.
accounting system of assigning costs and revenues to cost and
1.2 Summary—The basic components of a pollution preven-
profit centers for the purposes of product pricing, cost tracking,
tion program should include the following seven activities:
and performance evaluation.
1.2.1 Develop an organizational commitment to pollution
2.1.5 fugitives—emissions or releases that leave a system or
prevention (see Section 4).
process without containment or capture.
1.2.2 Establish goals, objectives, and an implementation
2.1.6 full-cost accounting—a method of managerial ac-
schedule (see Section 5).
counting that accounts for both the direct and indirect costs of
1.2.3 Generate baseline information (see Section 6).
an item. Full-cost accounting uses historical data to assign all
1.2.4 Develop a resource, emissions, and waste measure-
costs to a process, product, or product line, most often for the
ment and tracking system (see Section 7).
purposes of pricing.
1.2.5 Analyze pollution prevention opportunities (see Sec-
2.1.7 materials—physical substances that are used, applied,
tion 8).
produced, formed, or processed.
1.2.6 Prioritize pollution prevention opportunities (see Sec-
2.1.8 media—any or all specific physical components of the
tion 9).
environment, such as air, water (surface water and ground
1.2.7 Implement and maintain the progress of a pollution
water), and soil.
prevention program (see Section 10).
2.1.9 minimization—the process of determining and achiev-
1.3 Organization of Text—This guide is organized based on
ing the optimal amount of resources necessary to perform a
the activities previously enumerated. Each section of the guide
particular function. In addition, minimization is the process of
describes the manner in which the specified activity may be
determining and achieving the least practicable harmful effects
conducted to implement a program of pollution prevention at a
of a particular function or activity.
facility.
2.1.10 performance measurements—a means by which a
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the
system or process can be evaluated for effectiveness or
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
efficiency, or both. It must have a quantitative and consistent
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
basis for evaluating the effectiveness or efficiency, or both, of
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
a particular function or activity.
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
2.1.11 point source—the discrete location of emissions or
2. Terminology releases that leave a system or process through a duct, pipe, or
other containment device.
2.1 Descriptions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
2.1.12 pollutant—any substance that directly or indirectly
2.1.1 by-product—material, other than principal product,
creates an adverse human health or environmental effect when
that is generated as a consequence of a process and that has
introduced into any environmental media.
productive use.
2.1.13 pollution—the introduction of a pollutant into the
2.1.2 capital budget—a statement of the firm’s planned
environment.
financial expenditures, generally based on estimates of future
2.1.14 pollution control—a control device, mechanism, or
system that is used to reduce the quantity or toxicity of a
This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E-50 on Environ-
pollutant, or both, before it is introduced into the environment,
mental Assessment and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E50.03on
Pollution Prevention, Reuse, Recycling and Environmental Efficiency.
Current edition approved Sept. 15, 1994. Published November 1994.
Copyright © ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
E 1609
or to reduce the probability of release of a pollutant to the quantity or toxicity of a waste after its generation in a process.
environment. 2.1.28 waste—any output from a process or facility opera-
2.1.15 pollution prevention—the act of reducing or elimi- tion that is not used, reused, reclaimed, or recycled produc-
nating the use, release, or generation of a pollutant or potential tively, and that is placed directly into the environment or
pollutant through source reduction, recycling, reuse, reclama- treated through pollution control.
tion, or modification of operating practices. 2.1.29 waste minimization—to eliminate or decrease, to the
2.1.16 pollution prevention program—a comprehensive maximum extent practicable, the generation of waste by any
management, planning, capital budgeting, and monitoring method of source reduction, reuse, reclamation, or recycling.
program to promote and support the development and imple- 2.1.30 waste reduction—to decrease or eliminate the gen-
mentation of pollution prevention throughout an organization eration of waste by any method of source reduction, reuse,
or at a specific facility. Such a program should have a statement reclamation, or recycle.
of policy and goals; plan for measuring performance; and
3. Significance and Use
specified time frames for implementation, measurement of
3.1 This guide for development and implementation of a
progress, and reevaluation.
pollution prevention program is applicable to any organization
2.1.17 process—a method, or collection of methods, or
or facility that releases materials to any of the three environ-
series of progressive and interdependent steps for generating a
mental media (such as the air, water, or land) and that wishes
product or performing a service.
to reduce those releases, without using treatment or transfer-
2.1.18 product—the intended output of a process or a
ring them to one of the other two media primarily for the
facility operation, other than a waste.
2.1.19 reclaim—a procedure of either regenerating or pro- purpose of disposal. Incentives for applying this standard of
practice include concern for the environment, conservation of
cessing a material, either used or unused, to recover or make a
usable product. natural resources, economic considerations, and current and
future regulatory compliance. Effective pollution prevention
2.1.20 recycle—the act of using the output of a process as
an ingredient to produce a product in the same, similar, or can also increase the efficiency of operations and use of
resources, employee morale, and profitability while reducing
related process from which that output was generated.
2.1.21 release—any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, liability.
3.2 A successful pollution prevention program can save
emitting, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping,
money by reducing waste management costs and raw material
or disposing any material or pollutant into the environment.
purchases, reduce potential emissions and disposal liabilities,
2.1.22 resource—a material that has a recoverable value.
protect public health and worker health and safety, and protect
2.1.23 reuse—the act of using the output of a process as an
the environment. It will also position an organization to
ingredient to produce a product in a process other than the
compete domestically and internationally through both long-
same, similar, or related process from which that output was
term cost reductions and participation in green marketing
generated originally.
opportunities.
2.1.24 source reduction—any activity that eliminates or
decreases wastes by avoiding their creation, typically by
4. Development of an Organizational Commitment to
materials substitution, process design, or product redesign.
Pollution Prevention
2.1.25 total cost assessment (TCA)—a comprehensive fi-
4.1 Introduction—The purpose of this activity is to develop
nancial analysis of the lifecycle costs and savings of a pollution
an organizational commitment to the pollution prevention
prevention project. A TCA approach includes the following:
process; establish program goals; assign strategic and tactical
(1) Internal allocation of environmental costs to product
responsibilities; and identify and procure requisite financial,
lines or processes through full-cost accounting;
material, and human resources necessary for successful pollu-
(2) Inclusion in a project financial analysis of direct and
tion prevention.
indirect costs and short- and long-term costs, liability costs,
4.1.1 The inclusion of a policy statement on pollution
and less tangible benefits of an investment;
prevention in an organization’s overall environmental policy,
(3) Evaluation of project costs and savings over a long time
or as an independent policy, is necessary to convey, to all
period (for example, 10 to 15 years); and
employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, and the public,
(4) Use measures of profitability that capture the long-term
the organization’s commitment to pollution prevention.
profitability of the project (for example, net present value and
4.1.2 The statement should express clearly the reasons that
internal rate of return).
a pollution prevention program is being implemented, how it
2.1.26 total quality management (TQM)—a management
will be accomplished, and who will be involved. The policy
philosophy involving continuous process improvement activi-
should be relevant to the organization’s activities, products,
ties involving all personnel in an organization in an integrated
and services and the associated environmental effects. The
effort toward improving performance at every level.
policy statement can be general in nature, allowing for the
2.1.27 treatment—any mechanism used for reducing the
specific pollution prevention methods to be developed by
organization employees. For example, the policy statement
It should be noted that ASTM’s definition of “pollution prevention” is different
might be stated simply as follows:
from some definitions used by the Environmental Protection Agency. See, for
4.1.3 It is this organization’s policy for all employees to
example, 58 Fed. Reg. 6478 (Jan. 29, 1993, Council on Environmental Quality), and
58 Fed. Reg. 41,981 (Aug. 6, 1993, Executive Order). reduce or eliminate the use of toxic materials, to reduce the
E 1609
volume and toxicity of all waste generated, and to recycle, countability both internally and externally. Program responsi-
reuse, or reclaim materials whenever possible. bilities should be as consistent as possible with other policies
and commitments in order to provide a solid foundation for the
4.1.4 Alternatively, the policy statement may cover specific
components of the pollution prevention program. pollution prevention program.
4.2.3 Level of Effort—There should be an ongoing commit-
4.1.5 Commitment throughout an organization is necessary
ment to allocate human resources commensurate with the
in order to motivate employees and to encourage cooperation
scope of the program. Human resources should be adjusted by
and participation in achieving overall success in the program.
number and skill as demanded by the program objectives.
The appointment of a team, including members from all
business units in an organization, to assist in the development
5. Establishment of Goals, Objectives, and
of this policy can enhance the overall success of the program.
Implementation Schedule
Approval of the policy by the board of directors of a corpora-
5.1 Introduction—When implementing a pollution preven-
tion and the executive officer lends credibility to the policy and
tion program, it is important to establish goals, objectives, and
demonstrates commitment at the highest level of the organiza-
schedules that are consistent with the organization’s policy
tion.
statement and organizational structure.
4.1.6 Organizational commitment is the key to success of
5.2 Development of General Goals:
the pollution prevention process. Without sufficient commit-
5.2.1 It is important that the goals of the pollution preven-
ment, planning, and organization, any changes recommended
tion program reflect the management style and operation of the
by the following activities may not be implemented properly,
organization. An organization that operates by total quality
and the goals of the pollution prevention program may not be
management (TQM) may focus on goals that allow and
attained fully.
encourage participation by all employees, whereas an organi-
4.1.7 Procedure—Suggested components for the develop-
zation that is more traditionally managed may focus on specific
ment of a pollution prevention commitment include the fol-
pollution prevention projects identified by management.
lowing:
5.2.2 Since each organization’s culture, management struc-
4.1.8 Develop a philosophical and resource commitment to
ture, and operational procedures can differ dramatically, this
the process among key members of the organization.
activity may be accomplished in a variety of ways. For
4.1.9 Determine long- and short-range strategies.
example, pollution prevention goals may be qualitative and
4.1.10 Define and obtain infrastructure, human, and finan-
strive to meet “a significant reduction” in waste generation. A
cial resources.
company that is TQM based may direct its goals toward
4.1.10.1 Infrastructure includes the necessary office space
continuous improvement or zero discharges. However, a com-
and information management systems.
pany that focuses on yearly productivity goals may focus on a
4.1.10.2 Human resources include a structure for imple-
specific waste reduction goal, such as “90 % waste reduction.”
menting a pollution prevention program, such as pollution
5.2.3 It is important that the organization’s overall goals be
prevention teams or committees.
incorporated within each department’s goals in order to allow
4.1.10.3 Financial
...
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