Pollution prevention

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-021450",
  "term": "Pollution prevention",
  "field": "Environment",
  "term_source": "Pollution Prevention",
  "definition": "1. Identifying areas, processes, and activities which create excessive waste products or pollutants in order to reduce or prevent them through, alteration, or eliminating a process. Such activities, consistent with the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, are conducted across all EPA programs and can involve cooperative efforts with such agencies as the Departments of Agriculture and Energy.\n\n2. EPA has initiated a number of voluntary programs in which industrial, or commercial or \"partners\" join with EPA in promoting activities that conserve energy, conserve and protect water supply, reduce emissions or find ways of utilizing them as energy resources, and reduce the waste stream. Among these are: Agstar, to reduce methane emissions through manure management. Climate Wise, to lower industrial greenhouse-gas emissions and energy costs. Coalbed Methane Outreach, to boost methane recovery at coal mines. Design for the Environment, to foster including environmental considerations in product design and processes. Energy Star programs, to promote energy efficiency in commercial and residential buildings, office equipment, transformers, computers, office equipment, and home appliances. Environmental Accounting, to help businesses identify environmental costs and factor them into management decision making. Green Chemistry, to promote and recognize cost-effective breakthroughs in chemistry that prevent pollution. Green Lights, to spread the use of energy-efficient lighting technologies. Indoor Environments, to reduce risks from indoor-air pollution. Landfill Methane Outreach, to develop landfill gas-to-energy projects. Natural Gas Star, to reduce methane emissions from the natural gas industry. Ruminant Livestock Methane, to reduce methane emissions from ruminant livestock. Transportation Partners, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the transportation sector. Voluntary Aluminum Industrial Partnership, to reduce perfluorocarbon emissions from the primary aluminum industry. WAVE, to promote efficient water use in the lodging industry. Wastewi$e, to reduce business-generated solid waste through prevention, reuse, and recycling.\n\n3. Actively identifying equipment, processes, and activities which generate excessive wastes or use toxic chemicals and then making substitutions, alterations, or product improvements. Conserving energy and minimizing wastes are pollution prevention concepts used in manufacturing, sustainable agriculture, recycling, and clean air/clean water technologies.\n\n4. A strategy that emphasizes reducing the amount of pollution or waste created, rather than controlling waste or dealing with pollutants after they have been created.\n\n5. Pollution prevention means reducing pollution or waste at the beginning of a process. The underlying theory to this approach is that if you don't generate waste in the first place, there is nothing to treat or dispose of.\n\n6. Pollution prevention is the use of materials, processes, or practices that reduce or stop the creation of pollutants or waste at the source. It includes improved operating practices like material substitution, process and equipment modifications, and energy and wastewater conservation. Pollution prevention is stopping pollution before it starts.\n\n7. Practices that reduce or eliminate the creation of pollutants through: increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, energy, water, or other resources; or protection of natural resources by conservation, including: 1.) Reduction in the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment (including fugitive emissions) prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal. 2.) Reduction in hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of such substances, pollutants, or contaminants.\n\n8. Practices that reduce or eliminate the creation of pollutants through increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, energy, water, or other resources, or protection of natural resources by conservation, including: (1) Reduction in the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant into the environment prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal. (2) Reduction in hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of such substances, pollutants, or contaminants.\n\n9. The use of processes, practices, materials, products, services or energy to avoid, reduce or control (separately or in combination) the creation, emission or discharge of any type of pollutant or waste, in order to reduce adverse environmental impacts.",
  "abbreviation": "P2",
  "synonyms": [
    "PP"
  ],
  "subject": "Sustainability and green living",
  "see_also": [
    "Prevention of pollution"
  ],
  "references": [
    "Terms of Env; Terms of Environment",
    "Environmental Issues Terms & Acronyms; Pesticides Glossary",
    "Superfund for Students and Teachers Glossary",
    "Environmental Management System Glossary",
    "Improving Air Quality in Your Community Glossary",
    "Greener Products Glossary",
    "Glossary of Sustainable Manufacturing Terms",
    "Safety, Health, and Environmental Management System Terms and Definitions"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/pollution-prevention/"
}