The pollution prevention practices described here have been developed specifically for the petroleum refining industry and have been implemented in other petroleum refining facilities. Pollution prevention is the reduction or elimination of discharges or emissions to the environment. Each of the pollution prevention practices described in this fact sheet is an extension of the simple but powerful idea that it makes far more sense to eliminate the generation of waste than to develop complex and costly treatment schemes once it has been generated.
Pollution prevention is good business.
While most pollution control strategies cost money, pollution prevention has saved many firms thousands of dollars in treatment and disposal costs alone. Many companies have already discovered the tremendous benefits of pollution prevention. Smaller companies can also benefit. Reduce vulnerability to lawsuits and improve its public image Generate income from wastes that can be sold. A systematic approach will produce better results than piecemeal efforts.