Chapter 5

WASTE MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES

5.1 Pollution Prevention/Waste Minimization (P2/CP)

Pollution prevention (P2) occurs when raw materials, water, energy and other resources are
utilized more efficiently, when less harmful substances are substituted for hazardous ones, and
when toxic substances are eliminated from the production process. By reducing the use and
production of hazardous substances, and by operating more efficiently we protect human health,
strengthen our economic well-being, and preserve the environment. According to EPA, it is
reducing or eliminating waste at the source by modifying production processes, promoting the
use of non-toxic or less-toxic substances, implementing conservation techniques, and re-using
materials rather than putting them into the waste stream. On the other hand, waste minimization
supports efforts that promote a more sustainable society, reduce the amounts of waste generated,
and lower the toxicity and persistence of wastes that are generated. Waste minimization focuses
on reducing the generation and subsequent release to the environment of the most persistent,
bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals in hazardous waste. In the proposed wastewater treatment
process, the effluent that will be discharged into the environment is the water with neutral pH
and sludge to be used in the future as fertilizers. The water effluent characteristics should meet
the required specifications set by DENR.