Definition and Links | Tips | Pollution Prevention Week

Pollution prevention (P2) is good for business. The following P2 ideas can help you save money and improve employee and public relations.

• Avoid using aerosol spray cans.
• Buy low-emission equipment.
• Conserve energy and purchase energy efficient equipment.
• Drive less; cars and trucks cause approximately half of our smog-forming air pollution.
• Educate yourself and your employees; learn as much as possible about air pollution.
• Focus on pollution prevention. Ask yourself, “Is this the most efficient way to do this?”
• Get certified by Santa Barbara County’s Green Business Program.
• Have your vendor give you information on water-based or  low-polluting alternatives to the solvents, coatings, adhesives, and paints you use.
• Increase efficiency and minimize waste.
• Join government-industry partnerships for innovative ways to reduce pollution and save money.
• Keep all solvents, paints, and adhesives covered when not in use.
• Label all containers to prevent mistakes that might result in wastes requiring disposal.
• Maintain equipment and processes in good working order to avoid leaks and spills.
• Never top-off your car’s tank when buying gasoline.
• Oil: recycle it. Contact the Community Environmental Council, 805-963-0583, for information on how and where to recycle your used motor oil.
• Publicize your pollution prevention efforts.
• Quantify the amount of pollution and waste your business creates. How can you reduce waste and save money through lower permit and disposal costs?
• Reduce, reuse, and recycle paper, aluminum, cardboard, glass, and more! Landfills and the transport of solid waste cause air pollution, too.
• Smog Check: participate in the Smog Check program and do not remove smog control equipment. Tampering is illegal, expensive, and does not improve a car’s performance.
• Telecommute: work at home when your work allows it. Help develop a telecommuting pilot project for your company.
• Use a broom; leafblowers stir up fine particles and move the problem somewhere else. In an hour, a gas powered leaf blower can pollute as much as some cars.
• Vanpool; help set up vanpools for employees with long commutes. Call 805-963-SAVE.
• When replacing equipment, buy energy-efficient or low-polluting models.
• Xeriscape with slow-growing, drought-tolerant plants to save water and reduce yard waste.
• Your efforts make a difference!
• Zero emissions: the next time you buy a car, consider a partial zero-emission vehicle (PZEV) or Super Ultra Low Emission vehicle (SULEV).

Remember, a P2 program is never finished. It is an ongoing and integral part of the way you do business. For more information on what you can do to prevent pollution, or for a copy of our more detailed introduction to Pollution Prevention at Your Business, e-mail or call the APCD’s Business Assistance Line at 805-961-8868.