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Pollution prevention (P2) is a strategy for reducing the amount of waste created and released into the environment by industrial facilities in particular. The strategy of P2 includes reducing the amount of pollution generated by industries, agriculture, or consumers. Additionally, many large corporations view P2 as a method of improving the efficiency and profitability of production processes; strategies include waste reduction and technology advancements. Some of the issues surrounding P2 have reached authoritative bodies such as the United States Congress, as both the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 and the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990 have established a federal response to some of the issues surrounding P2.

Significance
Pollution prevention is any action (large or small) that reduces the amount of contaminants released into the environment. By implementing P2 processes, fewer hazards will be posed to both public health and natural wellbeing. Thus, pollution prevention is a key method to preserving natural resources. It can also have significant financial benefits in large scale processes. In the long run, by implementing suggested P2 processes, large corporations may realize great benefits. If companies produce less waste, they do not have to worry about proper disposal. Thus, pollution prevention is also a proactive measure taken to reduce costs in the long run that would have been dedicated to disposal and elimination of waste.

Health Hazards
There are many health hazards associated with pollution that P2 strategies aim to mitigate. Long-term exposure to certain pollutants can cause cancer, heart disease, asthma, birth defects, and premature death. Additionally, excessive pollution to water sources can be detrimental to the biodiversity present in different areas around the globe.

Pollution Prevention Act of 1990
In order to enforce some of the notions of P2, the United States Congress passed the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990. Congress declared that pollution should be prevented and reduced wherever possible; in addition, any waste that must be released into the environment must be done in a responsible, environmentally-conscious manner. The Pollution Prevention Act mandates that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must:


 * create effective policies
 * establish a standard form of measurement of pollution prevention
 * establish a network and advisory board among the offices of the EPA to coordinate the prevention initiatives and data collection
 * create a training program to be distributed to EPA offices
 * identify aspects of policies that can be presented to and enforced by Congress
 * create a model of source reduction that can be used to teach interested industries of pollution prevention opportunities
 * integrate a reward program to encourage companies to comply with regulations

In order to enforce the points outlined in the Act, the EPA is directed to present a report to Congress biennially. Another aspect of the report required that companies fill out a toxic chemical release form allowing the EPA to collect information on the levels of pollution released into the environment.

Clean Air Act
In addition to the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, Congress amended The Clean Air Act. The revisions provided many pollution prevention strategies, including governmental intervention, research and development programs, guidelines for efficient technologies, reduction of vehicle emissions, and a suggested Congressional status report.

2010-2014 Pollution Prevention Program Strategic Plan
The 2010-2014 Pollution Prevention Program Strategic Plan introduced a number of ways to reduce harmful industrial outputs (i.e. greenhouse gases, hazardous materials) while conserving natural resources.

Pollution Prevention in Industrial Processes
The possibilities of P2 strategies are still being implemented at the corporate level, but benefits are already being realized by many companies. Recently, the view of pollution prevention in industrial businesses has shifted from one of necessity to one of strategic advantage. If companies invest in pollution prevention methods early in their development, they realize greater gains not too far down the road. Additionally, if companies do not produce waste, then they do not have to worry about properly disposing of it. Thus, pollution prevention is a proactive measure taken to reduce costs in the long run that would have been dedicated to disposal and elimination of waste.

There are two main ways to reduce waste through pollution prevention: waste reduction and technology improvements. Waste reduction at the source implies the same amount of input raw materials with less waste and more output of the product. Technology improvements imply changes to the production process that reduce the amount of output waste, such as an improved recycling process. Companies are moving past simply complying with the minimum environmental requirements, and they are taking a more strategic, forward-thinking stance on tackling the issue. However, the advancements in technology are still limited, implying that pollution prevention techniques are still in the early stages of formation. The most profitable strategy is “in process recycling.” Though it is not the most efficient form of “reduction at the source,” recycling is very profitable due to its ease of process. By engaging in recycling practices, industries not only cut down on the amount of material discarded as environmentally-hazardous waste, but they also increase profitability by reducing the amount of raw material purchased. The most widespread strategy is “reduction at the source,” which is the idea that byproducts of production can be reduced through efficient and careful use of natural resources. This method reduces the amount of dangerous pollutants present in waste before the waste is released. In turn, this creates a safer environment free of hazardous waste. This idea ties strongly into the benefits to corporations of investing in newer, more efficient technology.

P2 Task Force
In order to reduce costs of pollution prevention techniques, many officials are turning to pollution elimination strategies, thereby eliminating any need for end-of-pipe solutions. A task force was created by the EPA in order to directly target reduction strategies. The P2 program task force has 5 main goals:


 * 1) create feasible pollution prevention objectives and corresponding time frames
 * 2) provide training to the individuals involved in the effort
 * 3) oversee the program’s main tasks and measure progress
 * 4) evaluate the progress of the effort
 * 5) maintain the program’s goals longterm

Voluntary Approach
Voluntary approaches to pollution prevention are on the rise. Governmental organization often collaborate with businesses and regulatory agencies to create a structure of guidelines. There are four types of voluntary approach programs: public voluntary programs, negotiated agreements, unilateral commitments, and private agreements. Public voluntary agreements are the least restrictive. Environmental authorities collaborate and create specific guidelines. Companies are then invited to follow these procedures on a strictly voluntary basis. Negotiated agreements are created through collaboration between public authorities and industry authorities. The agreement establishes bargains that are beneficial to the industry. Unilateral commitments are established by industry authorities alone, and the guidelines they set are self-regulated. Private agreements are established between “polluters” and other affected parties. The regulations set forth create a compromise regarding a variety of pollution regulation strategies. The Unites States mainly follows the end-of-pipe prevention strategy. However, President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency, and one of its aims, among others, was to regulate pollution. The EPA’s implementation of policies is almost entirely voluntary.

There are a few keys to a successful voluntary approach. First, the program needs a dependable source of funding (from the government, usually). The program also needs a dynamic relationship with the targeted industries. This creates a base of trust between all involved in the agreement. In terms of regulation, the program should be monitored by a reliable source. In order to assure that the program will establish itself long term, there should be visible benefits to the participants and obvious results to the greater community. The long-term establishment of the program also comes from setting attainable goals to measure progress.

Governmental Approach
The EPA has released waste minimization guidelines with 5 major steps:


 * 1) organizing the primary task force
 * 2) assessing the current pollution situation
 * 3) evaluating the feasibility of different program options
 * 4) reporting and planning the preparations based upon the analysis
 * 5) implementing the program.

This framework mainly benefits smaller facilities.

Waste Reduction Approach
The Waste Reduction Algorithm (WAR) is used to quantitatively describe the benefits of different pollution prevention strategies based on each unique facility. The WAR tracks pollutants through the entire production process in order to obtain accurate measurements.

Industrial Efforts
By maximizing pollution prevention opportunities, some companies choose to redesign their entire industrial process. Managers focus more on what enters and moves through the entire process, instead of only focusing on the output. Overall, the pollution prevention strategies that financially benefit companies are the most likely to be implemented. However, since pollution prevention has only recently been realized as a cost benefit, many corporations have not adopted significant measures to realize the potential gain.

Potential Benefits
Pollution prevention can also be viewed as a form of environmental entrepreneurship, as companies are increasingly concerned with the cost benefits of reducing the amount of waste created. For example, 3M has accrued a savings of over $750 million since 1973 due to their implementation of pollution prevention incentives. If implemented correctly, pollution prevention strategies can result in an increase in yield, a commonly sought after result of industrial processes. Pollution prevention can also reduce the cost of waste removal because of the reduces amount of waste to remove. By preventing the amount of pollution released, companies can avoid some of the liability costs imposed when large amounts of pollution are released and contaminate the land on which the facility is located.

Individual Efforts
According to the EPA, there are some everyday steps that can be taken to prevent pollution.


 * Use paper in limited quantities, and print double-sided. Also, look for paper that has been made with recycled materials.


 * When shopping, buy in bulk in order to reduce the amount of packaging required to package the goods. Look for products made with recycled materials. Bring reusable bags in which to carry purchased goods in order to reduce the number of disposed paper/plastic bags.


 * Use water sparingly by installing water-efficient shower heads and faucets, and install energy-efficient appliances. Make sure that sinks and hoses are not dripping. Don’t excessively water plants.


 * Use transportation efficiently, and utilize mass transportation when possible. Recycling used motor oil is also a way to eliminate the disposal of a hazardous material.


 * Eating locally-produced foods reduces the amount of fuel required for the food’s transportation.

Additional examples of pollution prevention include using energy efficient machinery, developing clean-burning fuel, reducing the amount of chemicals released into water sources, creating a production process that results in a reduced amount of waste, and utilizing water conservation techniques.

Article Evaluation
Content: Everything that is mentioned in the article is relevant to the topic of pollution prevention. However, the article mentions various topics and their relation to pollution prevention without fully explaining the similarities and differences between the two. For example, the concept of "cleaner production" is referenced as a concept similar to pollution prevention; there is no further discussion on "cleaner production" though. This remark, along with various others that litter the article, distracts from the main topic of the article, pollution prevention. The information that is presented is relatively broad, and there are no specific dates given regarding actions that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken. Some of the content needs to be updated in this respect. The article is missing details about pollution prevention, such as a specific definition, actions that have been taken, and modern examples. There is hardly any scientific information presented. The article does, however, include a few links to related Wikipedia articles, which is helpful in further comprehension of the topic.

Tone: The tone of the article is relatively neutral. There is one statement in the article that could be perceived as biased, but it does present both sides of the argument in a straightforward manner. Other than that, the remainder of the article is neutral in its presentation of information. It would be beneficial to present the various sides of the argument regarding pollution prevention procedures and policies in the article because this information is not currently available.

Sources: The citations included with the article seem to be reliable source. The links to the citations worked. The sources do support the claims in the article, but not all the claims in the article have sources linked to them. Some of the sources that are referenced seem to be out of date. Many of them link to the EPA's website.

Talk Page: There are two conversations about this article on the talk page. The first conversation regards some information that was previously included in the article but has since been removed due to a biased tone. The conversation also emphasizes the lack of details represented in this article. The second conversation regards another change that a more experienced user made. The user describes the sources that he/she chose, and he/she explains the process by which another user can edit a source included with the article. The article is rated as a stub. It is included in many different WikiProjects, including international law, law, business, technology, politics, and environment. Depending upon the project, it is rated as either low-importance or high-importance.