For best results, pollution prevention must be integrated into a business' daily operations, in all departments, not thought of separately as just the environmental manager's job. Once you have that, then it's just a matter of implementing the process. Involving workers is also important, said Container Care's Bunch. We found it beneficial to involve employees in training and coming up with ideas. They felt part of the team and caught on quickly.
Education plays a central role in pollution prevention.
The Pipers Creek watershed restoration project in north Seattle, one of the first in the state, keyed on education as a way to help businesses and residents keep paints, yard care materials, vehicle fluids, soap suds and other potential pollutants from ending up in the creek. Education and drainage improvement projects undertaken through the watershed plan seem to be paying off. For many years, the creek was largely devoid of salmon as a result of pollution and habitat damage, but in the last five years, more salmon have returned to Pipers Creek than in the previous half century combined. An ounce of prevention today could be worth a pound of salmon tomorrow. Jim DiPeso is communications director for the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center in Seattle.