United States Office of Solid Waste and   EPA 542‐F‐08‐002

Environmental Protection Agency Emergency Response (5203P) April 2008

Incorporating Sustainable Practices into 

Site Remediation 

Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation Quick Reference Fact Sheet 

This introduction is the first of a series of fact sheets on 

the opportunities for implementing best management 

practices (BMPs) of green remediation. Upcoming topics 

include renewable sources of energy, enhanced 

stormwater control measures, BMP checklists for the 

field, and enabling mechanisms for practitioners. 

As part of its mission to protect human health and the 

environment, EPA is committed to developing and 

promoting innovative cleanup strategies that restore 

contaminated sites to productive use, reduce associated 

costs, and promote environmental stewardship. The 

Agency strives for cleanup programs that use natural 

resources and energy efficiently, reduce negative 

impacts on the environment, minimize or eliminate 

pollution at its source, and reduce waste to the greatest 

extent possible. EPA supports adoption of green 

remediation as the practice of considering all 

environmental effects of cleanup actions and 

incorporating strategies to maximize the net 

environmental benefit. 

Sustainable practices result in cleanups minimizing the 

environmental and energy “footprints” of all actions 

taken during a project life. BMPs of green remediation 

emphasize a “whole-site” approach that closely 

evaluates core elements of a cleanup project: 

▪ Energy requirements, 

▪ Air emissions, 

▪ Water requirements and associated impacts on water 

resources, 

▪ Impacts on land and ecosystems, 

▪ Material consumption and waste generation, and 

▪ Impacts on long-term stewardship of a site. 

Green Remediation: The practice of considering all 

environmental effects of remedy implementation and 

incorporating options to maximize net environmental 

benefit of cleanup actions. 

Evolving Practices

Concerns regarding climate change have prompted 

major efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) 

emissions caused by activities such as fossil fuel 

consumption. Accordingly, one category of EPA’s 

evolving practices for green remediation places greater 

emphasis on approaches that reduce energy 

consumption and GHG emissions. Another category 

focuses on related “greening” goals concerning water 

conservation. Best practices include: 

▪ Designing treatment systems with optimum efficiency Overview of Green Remediation and modifying existing systems as needed, 

▪ Using renewable resources such as wind and solar 

energy to meet power demands of treatment systems, 

▪ Generating electricity from byproducts such as 

methane gas or secondary materials, 

▪ Participating in power generation or purchasing 

partnerships based on renewable resources, 

▪ Minimizing fresh water consumption and maximizing 

water reuse during treatment processes, 

▪ Preventing impacts such as nutrient loading on water 

quality in nearby water, and 

▪ Reclaiming treated water for beneficial use such as 

irrigation or for storage through aquifer reinjection. 

Site Profile: Umatilla Army Depot, 

Hermiston, OR 

▪ Mixed 15,000 tons of explosives-contaminated 

soil with manure, sawdust, and alfalfa, 

▪ Destroyed contaminant byproducts or permanently 

bound byproducts to soil or humus, achieving 

non-detectable concentrations of explosives, 

▪ Provided $150,000 potential revenue from sale of 

humus-rich soil, 

▪ Saved an estimated $2.6 million compared to 

alternative of soil incineration, and 

▪ Avoided significant fossil fuel consumption by an 

incinerator and for offsite transportation. 
Sustainable site cleanup and revitalization reflects sound 

decision-making that balances environmental, social, 

and economic factors. Green remediation builds on 

environmentally conscious practices already used by 

public agencies and within business sectors, and 

promotes state-of-the art methods for: 

▪ Conserving water, 

▪ Improving water quality, 

▪ Increasing energy efficiency, 

▪ Managing and minimizing toxics, 

▪ Managing and minimizing waste, and 

▪ Reducing emission of criteria air pollutants and GHG. 

BMPs and high performance criteria of green 

remediation often draw on elements of private or public 

initiatives such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s 

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or 

EPA’s low impact designs for stormwater management. 

 

 

 

Best management practices of green remediation may 

be applied to cleanup actions taken at almost any 

hazardous waste site, whether conducted under federal, 

state, or local cleanup programs or by private parties. 

The practices holistically apply to all phases of site 

assessment, remediation, and redevelopment including 

removal actions, site investigations, remedy 

construction, operation of treatment systems, monitoring 

of treatment processes and progress, and site close-out. 

To maximize sustainability, cleanup and reuse options 

are considered early during the planning process, 

enabling best practices used during remediation to carry 

forward to redevelopment activities and ultimate land 

reuse. Incorporation of green remediation strategies 

into cleanup procurement documents and site 

management plans helps to open the door for best 

practices in the field. 

Green remediation strategies apply to all types of 

activities undertaken during all stages of a site cleanup 

and land revitalization project such as:

▪ Deconstruction, demolition, and removal, 

▪ Cleanup, remediation, and waste management, 

▪ Design and construction for reuse, and 

▪ Sustainable use and long-term stewardship. 

Building on Current Practices Benefits of Green Remediation 

Implementation of the best practices of green 

remediation results in a range of benefits, including: 

▪ Reduction in fossil fuel consumption and GHG 

emissions, 

▪ Better conservation of water and other natural 

resources, 

▪ Cost savings derived from improved efficiencies of 

energy-intensive treatment systems and increased use 

of optimized passive-energy treatment systems, 

▪ Educational opportunities regarding environmental 

stewardship and sustainable activities, and 

▪ Regional employment opportunities for renewableenergy businesses at revitalized sites. 

Site Profile: Pemaco, Maywood, CA

▪ Uses high-vacuum dual-phase extraction, thermal 

oxidation, and electrical resistance heating to treat 

contaminated ground water and soil, 

▪ Coordinated remedy construction with the city’s 

infrastructure development for a riverfront park, 

▪ Added a roof-top photovoltaic system providing 

375 kilowatt-hours of electricity for the treatment 

system each month, and 

▪ Avoids annual emission of 4,311 pounds of 

carbon dioxide by using solar energy. 

Where and When to Apply Green BPMs

 

Advancing the Use of Green Remediation 

To foster green remediation strategies, EPA’s Office of 

Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) is: 

▪ Documenting the state of BMPs, 

▪ Identifying opportunities for improvement, 

▪ Establishing a community of BMP practitioners, and 

▪ Developing mechanisms and tools for BMPs. 

Partners include other agencies such as the U.S. 

Department of Energy and Army Corps of Engineers, 

state environmental agencies, and local development 

organizations. Key opportunities lay in integrated 

cleanup and reuse planning, daily operations, system 

optimization, and expanded use of renewable energy. 

In accordance with federal procurement policy, 

selection of cleanup equipment and services meets a 

project’s performance and cost requirements, while 

giving preference to green products and providers. Visit Green Remediation Web to learn or contribute 

more about BMPs, decision-making tools, and 

resources such as the technology primer, 

Incorporating Sustainable Environmental Practices 

into Remediation of Contaminated Sites at: 

http://cluin.org/greenremediation. 

For more information, contact: 

Carlos Pachon, OSWER/OSRTI (pachon.carlos@epa.gov) 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency