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City of Phoenix Pollution Prevention (P2) Program
What is P2?
Since the early 1970's, environmental protection programs, in general, have consisted of regulations governing discharge, storage and treatment of hazardous substances with penalties for non-compliance. Overall, these programs have been effective, but environmental protection challenges remain. It is apparent that these challenges require a different approach to environmental protection. The P2 approach involves continuing pollution control programs while at the same time developing and implementing broad-based programs to minimize waste generation at the source.Two ways to address waste:
- Prevent it.
- Manage it.
P2 can simply be described as actions that reduce or eliminate waste at the source.
Pollution Prevention Hierarchy
P2 is a proactive component of an environmental management approach as shown in the pollution prevention hierarchy first outlined in the federal Pollution Prevention Act of 1990. The hierarchy provides options and a prioritization mechanism to achieve solutions to environmental protection.
The following provides a summary of each of the city's Pollution Prevention (P2) Program elements.
Getting Started
For more information, contact:
Liz Paulus
Pollution Prevention Coordinator
Office of Environmental Programs
200 W. Washington, 14th Floor
Phoenix, AZ 85003602-256-3447
602-534-0795 (Fax)
liz.paulus@phoenix.govReturn to P2-Pollution Prevention Program
Getting Started
The Pollution Prevention (P2) Program was recommended by the Phoenix Environmental Quality Commission, a citizen's group appointed by the mayor and City Council. The commission developed City Council Resolution No. 18054, which was adopted in 1992 to ensure a pollution prevention program would be implemented in the city of Phoenix. A comprehensive Pollution Prevention Plan was developed by an interdepartmental team and approved by City Council in December 1994, demonstrating the city's commitment to improving the quality of the environment while continuing to provide exceptional service to citizens. The P2 Program, established in the city's Office of Environmental Programs in September 1995, began with the hiring of the Pollution Prevention coordinator and two facility assessors. Each of the major operating departments also has designated a Pollution Prevention coordinator, who serves as the primary liaison between the department and the Office of Environmental Programs P2 staff which is comprised of 5 environmental specialists.
A key factor in the program's success has been the extensive use of interdepartmental committees and subcommittees, which allows staff from the operating areas within the city to develop each element of the program. Their understanding of city operations ensures that the concepts evolve in a workable and cost-effective manner. This approach has facilitated program development and helped build ownership as the program expands.
Through this foundation of interdepartmental cooperation, the level of activity in P2 has grown, the concepts underlying pollution prevention have become more widely shared and creative solutions to issues have begun to emerge.
Goals and Elements
Goals
The P2 Program, coordinated by the city's Office of Environmental Programs (OEP), is one of many environmental programs within the city. Other programs, sponsored by various departments, also help prevent pollution by protecting and enhancing the environment. 
The following goals have been selected to guide the P2 Program:
- Reduce the use of hazardous materials and eliminate the generation of hazardous waste
- Enhance the city's approach to environmental management
- Reducing liability
- Reducing costs
- Improving worker safety
- Provide ongoing technical assistance
Elements
The program focuses on hazardous materials and waste management, with the main elements being:
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- Communication and Incentives
- Hazardous Materials Purchase and Exchange
- Environmental Data Management
- Facility assessments to evaluate compliance and P2 opportunities
- Regulatory assistance/policy development
- Training on environmental requirements and P2
City Commitment
The city manager's P2 Policy Statement commits the city to environmental protection and enforcement and is the cornerstone for the city's environmental management approach. Pollution Prevention Policy Statement
The city of Phoenix is committed to providing leadership that will foster conservation, protection and improvement of the environment. It is the city's policy that:
- Minimizing use of toxic materials and the generation of hazardous waste will be an important consideration in research and purchase of materials, and the operation of all city functions;
- Preventing pollution by reducing the generation of waste at the source is the preferred alternative whenever possible;
- When waste cannot be avoided, the city is committed to recycling, treatment and disposal in ways that minimize undesirable effects on air, water and the land;
Pollution prevention is an individual, as well as a collective, responsibility of all city employees. The city promotes the spirit of cooperation toward goals and programs that protect the community and the environment for future generations. All of us should make this commitment and incorporate sound pollution prevention and waste minimization practices into our daily work activities.
- Environmental protection through regulatory compliance and pollution prevention is the responsibility of every city employee and contractor.
Spreading the Word
A P2 Communication Plan has been developed to define methods that can provide information about pollution prevention to all city employees. Training and outreach have been combined to make the program educational and fun. Examples include:
- P2 Week -- celebrated every year in the fall in association with National Pollution Prevention Week. City P2 activities include a week-long celebration of P2 programs including storm water management, urban forestry, water conservation, recycling, alternative fuels and Rideshare.
- EnviroNotes -- a bimonthly newsletter that reaches more than 1,000 employees has been created to discuss P2 activities in the departments and provide information on the Trading Post, P2 tips and more.
- What's New in P2? -- uses posters to help keep city employees familiar with P2 concepts. The poster has a space for flyers, and hundreds have been placed in high traffic areas for easy visibility. Colorful flyers with new P2 ideas are distributed every month.
- "P2 at Work," the program's theme, is used in the P2 logo to encourage employees to demonstrate P2 in their work place. P2 can include equipment or procedure modifications, safer substitutes for products and improvements in housekeeping, maintenance or inventory control. An incentive program has been initiated to recognize employees who introduce P2 alternatives into their work place.
Hazardous Materials Purchase and Exchange
Hazardous materials are used in many ways in city operations. The P2 Program has developed methods to identify alternative approaches to help departments reduce the use of these products.Hazardous Materials Purchase Policy
The city manager approved an interim hazardous materials purchasing policy that encourages departments to consider alternatives to purchasing hazardous materials. This policy provides a way for departments to select environmentally preferable products that are cost effective and efficient to use over other, less environmentally safe products.To assist in implementing the new purchase policy, a comprehensive guide and worksheet also was developed. This guide will help employees learn how to use Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) to select alternatives to hazardous materials. The concept of reviewing products for environmental and safety specifications was tested with Central Stores, which is the city's distribution point for selected items. Each hazardous material was reviewed using the hazardous material purchasing guidelines. This test resulted in the selection of environmentally preferred substitutes, which now are offered through the Central Stores catalog.
The hazardous materials purchase policy also encourages departments to establish internal procedures to review chemicals prior to purchase and to develop a department-approved products list. Several departments have implemented a department-wide review process, that trains department buyers and supervisors on the use of the MSDS worksheet. The process also includes a field test form that records the effectiveness of samples distributed for evaluation. Through the implementation study at Central Stores and the department-approved products list under development in other departments, the P2 Program can provide a citywide list of environmentally safe products.
Review Products List (RPL)
The citywide Reviewed Products List (RPL) allows departments access to a comprehensive list of products reviewed and evaluated for potential affect on employee health and safety, and the environment. Employees can see the results of the review through the citywide chemical inventory, and use this information to determine whether a safe substitute is recommended. Alternative products also are included in the RPL.The Trading Post
Departments may find themselves with products that are no longer needed, but which can still be used. The P2 Program sponsors an exchange program, known as the Trading Post, to provide an alternative to disposal or long-term storage.This innovative program provides an opportunity for departments to "trade" excess hazardous materials, reducing potential disposal as hazardous waste. The Trading Post allows departments to phone in or forward information about their material(s) on a form to the Office of Environmental Programs P2 staff, who helps find uses for the materials.
Since July 1996, successful exchanges have occurred between departments diverting material from landfills and providing a cost savings to the city of approximately $4.1 million. Cost savings are realized by avoiding both disposal costs and the cost of purchasing new materials. Examples of successful exchanges include:
- Sixty-five 17-oz. cans of pesticide from the Human Services Department were provided to the Parks, Recreation and Library Department, with an estimated savings of $195.
- 4,512 lbs. of soda ash from the Housing Department was provided to the Fire Department to use for neutralizing hazardous materials, with an estimated savings of $249.
- 200 used plastic buckets from the Neighborhood Services Department were provided to the Public Works Department for use at a household hazardous waste collection event, with an estimated savings of $2,400.
Presentations on the Trading Post have been made to organizations outside the city, including the University of Tucson that sponsors the Arizona Resource Exchange, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and other local governments.
Environmental Data Management
Environmental Data Management System (EDMS) A key element of the P2 Program's technical support is a computer database program that automates many environmental activities and also allows city departments to share environmental data information. In October 1998, the system became operational. Managed by OEP, the database:
- Automates department chemical inventories
- Provides a citywide Reviewed Products List
- Provides an online service for retrieving Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) that, under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, are required to be provided to city employees for every hazardous material they use.
- Automates Fire department reporting requirements.
Facility Assessments
Facility Assessments
The P2 Program includes assessments of city facilities to acquire a baseline of environmental information, ensure compliance with environmental requirements and identify opportunities to reduce the use of hazardous materials and the generation of hazardous waste. This program uses a team approach with departments to evaluate some basic requirements of a multitude of federal, state and local environmental regulations. Both potential compliance actions and best management practices are identified to enhance the work environment of employees and minimize the impact city operations have on the environment.Mandated P2 Opportunity Assessments
Arizona Revised Statute §49-963 identifies the requirement for preparing pollution prevention plans based on hazardous waste generator status and the use of certain chemicals in excess of 10,000 pounds. Each year, the city submits a plan to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality for the following facility:
Police Training Academy Lead ammunition use The pollution prevention plan discusses options researched for reducing the use of a specific material used in city operations and provides an implementation schedule for the options selected. The plan also includes material on the city's P2 communication and training program and other information.
Regulatory Assistance/Policy Development
The Office of Environmental Programs assists departments with federal, state and county regulations including hazardous waste and hazardous materials. The OEP staff also works with and establishes interdepartmental teams that develop city environmental policies and regulations. In conjunction with other departments, the OEP helps determine the impact of existing rules and regulations on city operations and recommends compliance and planning strategies. Below are a few examples. Regulatory Assistance
Environmental regulations are complex and ever-changing. OEP staff have worked with many departments to provide assistance on regulatory interpretations.
- Underground storage tank cleanups
- Contaminated soil disposal
- Environmental investigations on city property
- Air quality issues
- Hazardous waste regulatory issues
- Assistance on citations and notices of violation
Policy Development
Policy development helps build consistency within the city's environmental management system. In addition to the policies mentioned (P2 Policy Statement, the Interim Purchasing Policy for Hazardous Materials, and the Water Services Department's hazardous materials purchase policy), P2 Program staff is participating in or coordinating other policy issues including:
- A reporting policy for Notices of Violation to ensure proper coordination and notification
- Assistance on regulatory and environmental issues associated with methamphetamine laboratory police actions
- Coordination with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality on fluorescent lights to streamline regulatory requirements
- A spill prevention, response and reporting policy to ensure rapid and efficient reporting of spills or release of hazardous chemicals on city property
- A management policy that requires departments to place environmental goals and objectives into their executive and mid-manager annual evaluations
Training
Training on environmental issues, including pollution prevention concepts, enhances the ability to actively participate and contribute to our community's environmental quality. Pollution Prevention University (P2 U) provides formal classroom training on the topics listed below. In addition, tailgate sessions, which are 30 minutes or less, include a brief summary of the classroom material as an on-site alternative to operating staff.
- Introduction to Pollution Prevention
- Environmentally Preferred Purchasing
- Evaluating Your Wastestreams
- Hazardous Materials Management
- Supervisor's Guide to P2
- Introduction to Web-Based Chemical Inventory Management (EDMS)
City Successes
Department participation is critical for the success of the program. Many departments have initiated P2 ideas to enhance the environment for city employees and the community including the following:
- Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) (May-June 2004 Environotes)
9 City departments have registered for an innovative program to recycle batteries for free from cell phones, pagers, and other electronic equipment.
- Aerosol Can Depressurizers (May-June 2003 Environotes)
Aerosol can depressurizers minimize a hazardous waste stream and provide a scrap metal recycling opportunity in a multitude of City facilities.
- Aqueous Parts Washers (March-April 2003 Environotes)
Petroleum-based parts washers are being replaced with better cleaning aqueous-based solvents that are safer to use and have less volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
- Environmental Data Management System (EDMS) (Sept.-Oct. 2002 Environotes)
The EDMS is now online and is a citywide system for tracking hazardous chemicals. The EDMS helps ensure compliance with environmental and safety regulations and Fire Code reporting requirements. It also includes a color-coded rating for all chemicals to help identify the safest products to use.
- Housing Hazardous Material Reduction (July-August 2002 Environotes)
A multi-purpose janitorial cleaner helped to eliminate up to 8 more hazardous products in use in the Housing Department Senior Housing Division.
- Civic Plaza Approved Paint List (July-August 2002 Environotes)
The Convention Center undertook an initiative to select a single paint manufacturer to help reduce the potential generation of excess paint.The number of paint containers was reduced from 2,786 to 831.
- Public Works Antifreeze Reduction (July-August 2004 Environotes)
The Public Works Equipment Management Division successfully reduced their antifreeze use to a level that no longer requires them to submit a Pollution Prevention Plan three years ahead of schedule.
The Future
Use Pollution Prevention and Waste Minimization Techniques to Help Reduce the Environmental Impact of City Operations In the future, our goals include:
- Identify and prioritize environmental risks at city facilities and develop approaches to reduce those related to hazardous materials/wastes. Through this process, develop or review goals to minimize waste and reduce hazardous materials.
- Encourage city departments to develop contract language that takes into account the effect that requested products and services will have on the environment.
- Expand the city database of MSDSs and environmentally preferable products.
- Provide coordinated pollution prevention programs through continuing cooperation and communication with other government entities.
- Conduct additional outreach, training, and assessments to ensure city employee understanding of compliance and P2 issues.
Thanks to:
Pat Manion, who passed away on May 21, 1997, was the Deputy City Manager overseeing creation of the program. Pat was personally committed to the P2 Program, providing guidance and leadership throughout the planning and early implementation and chaired the P2 Team.
Return to P2-Pollution Prevention Program
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