Municipal Pollution Prevention
TNRCC's Top Ten List: What Can A Community Do?

1. Develop a Municipal Mission Statement
   1. Economic Growth
   2. Environmental Leader
   3. Environmental Protection
2. Develop Your Community Policy Statements on Pollution Prevention
   1. Water Conservation
   2. Source Reduction
   3. Waste Minimization
   4. Recycling
   5. Policy statements apply to any and all industries that locate in your community
3. Incorporate Pollution Prevention Language
   1. Restate your community's policy statements in the city ordinance, wastewater permits issued to industrial users and industrial user permit applications
   2. Require pollution prevention (P2) plans and best management practices as part of the industrial user wastewater permit application
   3. Inspections
   4. Enforcement options
4. Learn about Pollution Prevention Opportunities for Specific Industries
   1. Point out potential areas where P2 may be incorporated into an industrial user's process and operations during inspections
   2. Provide P2 information, contact persons and telephone numbers to industrial users
   3. Use the internet as a resource
5. Present Local Pollution Prevention Awards
   1. Acknowledge the voluntary P2 efforts made by each industrial user
   2. Accomplish at a low cost to your community
   3. Provide free positive publicity
   4. Encourage community involvement
6. Serve as a Role Model - "Walk the Talk"
   1. Coordinate recycling efforts within the city government and between industries
   2. Arrange an industrial user mentor program
   3. Set up a city-wide household hazardous waste program
   4. Provide meeting facilities
7. Use the Media and Local Resources
   1. Request local universities to provide technical expertise
   2. Send public service announcements to newspapers, radio, and local television stations to communicate your community's purpose in P2 activities, meeting times and locations
   3. Ensure the success of your programs by involving community organizations and asking for feedback
8. Educate Your Community
   1. Go beyond tours of the wastewater treatment plant
   2. Request that community leaders influence curriculum and terminology taught at all levels
   3. Promote changes to university courses as college students may become part of your community leadership
9. Establish Credibility and Trust with Your Industrial Users
   1. Treat all industrial users the same during preliminary or ongoing evaluations
   2. Develop and implement your own organization's P2 plan, and industrial users will more likely follow
   3. Collect and compile reliable data to record trends
10. Evaluate Why Pollution Prevention is Important to Your Community
    1. Water is a limited resource
    2. Statewide Water Quality - Once quantity is restricted, the quality must be monitored
    3. Total Maximum Daily Loads - Limits to what a watershed can receive
    4. P2 may be the first step to encourage non-pretreatment communities to reduce pollutant contributions

Benefits

1. Economic growth
2. Political benefits
3. Protects worker health and safety
4. Regulatory compliance

[ Back to Previous Selection ]

[ Home ][ Pollutants ][ Tips ][ Links ]
[ Glossary ][ Help ][ Acknowledgement ][ Disclaimer ]