Ecology Services > Technical Assistance

Technical Assistance

Ecology provides various resources to support voluntary compliance with environmental rules and good stewardship of Washington's environmental resources. Although an attempt has been made to organize this information by groups of potential users, users are encouraged to scan the entire listing since these groups are not exclusive.

General

• 1-800-Recycle Online
• Organics and composting
• Green Building
• On-Line Guide for Homeowners and Small Businesses: What to do if you discover toxic wastes on your property
• Toxic Free Tips
• Underground Storage Tanks
• Water Rights

Homeowners / Property Owners

• Aquatic Plants and Lakes
• At Home With Wetlands: A Landowner's Guide.
• Enviro-Tips - simple things you can do to protect the environment
• Fertilizer Database - Information on waste-derived fertilizers that are registered for distribution and available to consumers in Washington State.
• Flood and Storm Preparation for Households
• Mercury-containing Light Bulbs/Lamps - safety and recycling tips
  • How to Build a Bulb Carrier for easier recycling
• Mercury Thermostat Recycling Program
• Problem Wastes for Property Managers - Managing your properties requires also managing the dangerous materials and wastes that are on the premises, to avoid the potential risks to people and the environment.
• Puget Sound Landslides
• Recycle database - search for recycling opportunities in your neighborhood
• Slope Stabilization and Erosion Control Using Vegetation - How to use plants to stop erosion on coastal slopes
• Surface Water and Groundwater on Coastal Bluffs - How to design a drainage control system for your coastal property.
• Toxic Free Tips - information about about hazardous substances in their home, school, work place, and community.
• Vegetation Management Guide - How to manage plants on your coastal bluff.
• Water Quality Guide for Homeowners and Small Farms
• Wells - Drilling a new well or decommissioning (filling in) an old well.
• Wood Stoves / Fireplaces

Automotive Repair Shops

• Environmental Results Program (ERP) Autobody - is a self-certification project offering technical assistance for dangerous-waste, air, and stormwater issues in certain Washington counties. Guidance from this project includes technical assistance and training.
• Authorized Emission Specialist (AES) Training Program
• Manage Waste for Auto Body/Collision Repair
• Mercury Auto Switches
• Pollution Prevention for Auto Body / Collision Repair Shops
• Pollution Prevention for Automotive Repair Shops

Businesses (General)

• Air Quality Small Business Assistance Program
• Authorized Emission Specialist (AES) Training Program
• Flood Readiness - Manage Your Hazardous Materials
• Manage Dangerous Waste gives the basics of waste management for businesses.
• Alphabetical Listing of Dangerous Materials lists products and wastes that may be hazardous.
• Manage Waste by Business Type offers targeted information about dangerous waste at many types of businesses.
• Identify and Designate Waste Know if your waste is dangerous waste. Which Rules Apply? (Generator Status)
• Shop Guide for Dangerous Waste Management - Helps hazardous waste generators manage common shop wastes that threaten the safety of the business, employees, and local community when mishandled.
• Tutorials and Trainings for Dangerous Waste Generators
• Shoptalk - A newsletter for dangerous waste generators.
• Pollution Prevention
• Assistance Preparing Your Pollution Prevention Plan - contact information for Ecology staff who can help you
• Pollution Prevention Planning Businesses that generate more than 2,640 pounds of hazardous waste or are required to report as part of the national Toxic Release Inventory must submit Pollution Prevention Plans.
• Pollution Prevention by Business Type offers resources for many types of businesses to prevent pollution and reduce waste.
• Local Source Control Partnership focuses directly on assisting small businesses to prevent polluted runoff to Puget Sound and the Spokane River Basin.
• Spill Prevention and Preparedness
• Technical Resources for Engineering Efficiency (TREE)

Builders / Contractors

• Environmental Handbook for Washington Construction Contractors: Regulatory Guidance
• Green Building
  • Making Green Building Practices Mainstream
• Mercury Thermostat Recycling Program
• Manage Construction and Demolition Waste
• Sampling Demolition Debris for Dangerous Waste discusses procedures for this hard-to-sample waste stream.
• Working in the Water

Dentists

• Manage Dental Waste discusses dangerous dental wastes from amalgam to x-rays.

Farmers

• Best Management Practices (BMPs) for reducing emissions from agricultural burning
• Fertilizer Database - Information on waste-derived fertilizers that are registered for distribution and available to consumers in Washington State.

Hospitals

• Ecology's Interactions with Hospitals
• Hospital Best Management Practices

Manufacturing

• Children's Safe Products Act - Reporting guidance for manufacturers of children's products that products contain certain chemicals
• Lean manufacturing - technical assistance partnership with Washington Manufacturing Services (WMS)
• Toxic Metals Prevention Project - a joint effort between the Department of Ecology and Washington’s larger businesses that participate in Pollution Prevention Planning

Teachers

• Environmental Education - curriculum guides, workshops, and research and reference resources

Miscellaneous

• Dam Safety Guidelines
• "Orange Book" or Criteria for Sewage Works Design