The Resource WWW Links Publications Contact Us Defining Pollution Prevention Pollution prevention means reducing pollutants at the source rather than controlling them after they have been created. Methods of reducing pollution include, but are not limited to, process modification, inventory control measures, feedstock substitutions, various housekeeping and management practices, and improved efficiency of machinery. The term includes equipment or technology modifications, reformulation or redesign of products, substitution of raw materials, and improvements in housekeeping, maintenance, training, or inventory control.
Pollution prevention is the preferred method in the hierarchy of environmental practices.
Pollution prevention assumes shared interests and partnerships. The prevention approach applies to many sectors and activities. The federal and Minnesota pollution prevention acts focus primarily on industrial sources and on hazardous and toxic materials. However, the concept of pollution prevention applies much more broadly. Pollution prevention is one of many environmental protection tools.