On October 25, 1990, Congress passed the Pollution Prevention (P2) Act - a national policy implementing techniques to prevent/reduce pollution at the source prior to its release. The P2 Act states that:
- pollution should be prevented or reduced at the source;
- pollution that cannot be prevented should be recycled in an environmentally safe manner;
- pollution that cannot be prevented or recycled should be treated in an environmentally safe manner; and
- disposal or other release into the environment should be employed only as a last resort and should be conducted in an environmentally safe manner.
Pollution prevention is defined in the P2 Act as source reduction. Source reduction is any practice that reduces the amount of a contaminant from entering a waste stream in the first place. Source reduction does not mean altering the characteristics or the volume of the contaminant, i.e., changing it from one form to another. This is because pollution prevention is a multimedia approach to reducing pollution, meaning the effects on water, air, and land must all be considered.
Contact Information
ADEM
Attn: Pollution Prevention Unit
Post Office Box 301463
Montgomery, Alabama 36130-1452
(334) 394-4352
(334) 394-4383 fax
cej@adem.alabama.gov
For additional Information:
ENERGY STAR
Danny Orlando
U. S. EPA, Region 4
61 Forsyth Street
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 562-9087
orlando.danny@epa.gov