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Today's Reality

Pollution Prevention (P2)

From 1990 to 2000, P2 planners in Washington reported generating 48 million pounds less hazardous waste, which (adjusted for economic conditions, including business levels) represents a 59 percent reduction from the 1992 generation level. While these reductions are not all directly attributable to P2 planning, many hazardous waste generators point to P2 planning and implementation of P2 opportunities as being instrumental in their efforts to use or generate less hazardous substances.

P2 planning is required by law, but implementing opportunities identified by the facility that would reduce the use of hazardous substances or the generation of hazardous wastes is voluntary. As a result, the follow-through for P2 opportunities does not always occur. Also, P2 plans often address only those waste streams that are the easiest to reduce rather than those that are the most toxic. In addition, P2 plans do not put enough emphasis on reducing hazardous substances, yet many “future wastes” (for example, used/discarded products) are hazardous due to the substances they contain. Ecology’s involvement with businesses is generally limited to regulating activities that are already established and in place. Thus, early opportunities for Ecology to influence the decisions a business makes that affect the use of toxic substances and the generation of hazardous waste are also limited.

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