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Outline of Current State P2 Efforts in Region 8

Here's a quick overview of current state pollution prevention projects in the region.

Colorado || Montana - MSU || Montana DEQ || North Dakota || South Dakota || Utah || Wyoming


Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment

  • Medication Take-Back Pilot Project - The Colorado Medication Take-Back Project is a network of secure boxes for the collection of unused and unwanted household medications. The collection boxes can be found at ten convenient locations - eight on the Front Range and two in Summit County.
  • Pollution Prevention Program - The Pollution Prevention Program, located within the Sustainability Program at CDPHE, is dedicated to promoting and supporting long-term process improvements and best management practices that reduce or eliminate waste before it is generated in household, commercial and industrial scenarios.

Montana - MSU

  • Montana Ecostar Program - The EcoStar Program rewards Montana small businesses and organizations that have taken the initiative to reduce solid and hazardous waste, conserve energy and water, and improve air quality.
  • MSU Extension Montana Pollution Prevention Program - The MTP2 Program is dedicated to helping the state's small businesses and local governments use progressive, integrated pollution prevention (P2) strategies to increase productivity, while safe guarding our air, water, land and other natural resources. Staff provide no-cost, non-regualtory technical assistance services to help businesses and government find cost effective ways to reduce, reuse and recycle resources in all areas of their operations. The focus is on finding ways to conserve energy and water, and reduce the use of toxic chemicals.

Montana - DEQ

  • Lead by Example Sustainable Government Program - This waste reduction program is a result of the Montana Integrated Waste Management Act of 1991. The Act directs state government to assume a leadership role in developing and implementing source reduction and recycling programs and in developing markets for the purchase and use of recycled materials. DEQ coordinates this program and provides technical assistance to agencies and state employees.
  • Montana DEQ Pollution Prevention Program

North Dakota Dept. of Health Pollution Prevention Program

  • Pollution Prevention Program - This Program works with business and industry across the state of North Dakota to minimize waste generation and provide innovative waste management practices. Projects include:
    • Electronic Waste Recycling and Disposal Services - State Surplus Property is currently administering an Electronic Waste Recycling and Disposal Services contract, and the contract is available to other governmental entities. This contract establishes an Electronic Recycling and Disposal program that enables state and local government entities to dispose of electronic equipment that has reached the end of its useful life, in a safe and environmentally responsible way
    • End of Life Vehicle Solutions Corporation (ELVS) - ELVS was created by the automotive industry to promote the industry's environmental efforts in recyclability, education, and outreach, and the proper management of substances of concern. As a first step in implementing the National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program (NVMSRP) and in cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Health, ELVS will provide vehicle recyclers with collection buckets and will pay the costs of transportation, retorting/recycling or disposal of elemental mercury from the automotive switches. ELVS also will provide educational materials to promote vehicle recycling and proper management of mercury switches. The ELVS program is scheduled to run until 2017 and has recovered nearly 5,600 pounds of mercury.
    • Landfill Methane Outreach Program - The North Dakota Department of Health, Division of Waste Management, recently joined the Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) as a State partner. Through partnering with the LMOP Organization, the Department plans to disseminate information to solid waste facilities, citizens, businesses, and other organizations within our state about the uses of landfill generated methane. We will ensure that solid waste facilities within the state are aware that the State allows active landfill gas collection as long as those activities are consistent with the Solid Waste Management Rules.
    • State Electronics Challenge - The SEC is a voluntary program, open free of charge to any state, regional, and local government agency, including public schools, colleges, and universities. The SEC promotes environmental stewardship of computers - from purchasing "green" computers through power management and responsible end of life management - resulting in measurable reductions in energy, greenhouse gases, solid and hazardous waste, and associated costs. In December 2009, the North Dakota Department of Health, Division of Waste Management, was welcomed as the first EPA Region 8 Partner in the SEC.
    • Take the Stairs Campaign In 2010 - On February 1, 2010, The North Dakota Department of Health rolled out a Take the Stairs Campaign, encouraging employees and citizens to take the stairs instead of the elevator if they are able to do so.
  • Green Building Committee - The Green Building Committee provides assistance to the Pollution Prevention (P2) Program, and is currently composed of professionals from the Department of Health. Green Building Committee members meet for one hour on the first Monday of each month. They discuss current opportunities in the work place related to recycling, ways to reduce and re-use items that we normally throw away, ways that we can conserve energy and natural resources at work, and hazardous substance reduction. Occasionally, In lieu of a monthly meeting, the Committee takes a one-hour tour of a business with green building practices in place, to see environmental strides that are being made locally.

South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources

  • Hazardous Waste Project - The Hazardous Waste Program is responsible for regulating the storage, treatment, transport, and disposal of hazardous waste in the state of South Dakota. The hazardous waste program also provides technical assistance, conducts inspections, conducts complaint investigations, and assigns generator identification numbers.
  • Waste Management Program

Utah Department of Environmental Quality

Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality

  • P2 Site Visits - The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality P2 Coordinator provides site visits and assistance to businesses, government agencies and the public to improve the environment and save money through pollution prevention methods. This is a free, voluntary non-regulatory assistance program that provides information and technical assistance to reduce pollution. The site visits are designed to help facility operators identify ways to conserve resources, take advantage of less polluting raw materials, improve housekeeping practices and increase process efficiency.
  • Voluntary Self-Audits
  • Pollution Prevention Program

Peaks to Prairies P2 Information Center

  • Agricultural P2 Projects Database – Searchable database includes descriptions of P2-related agricultural programs in the region with contact information and funding sources. peakstoprairies.org/p2bande/agprojects/
  • Region 8 Network – Providing information exchange among the region’s P2 assistance providers through semi-monthly conference calls, annual roundtable planning, P2 list serve and a web site. peakstoprairies.org/network/roundtable/
  • P2 News Digest – Identifying and collecting P2 news from around the region and national news about regional issues. News is displayed on the web site and circulated to the list serve. News is also available as a “news feed” that can be picked up by anyone looking for syndicated environmental news on the internet. peakstoprairies.org/network/news/
  • P2Rx Topic Hubs – Web-based resources offering basic information and a collection of cataloged links about various topics. All topic hubs are displayed on the regional web site; several are authored and maintained by the Center. peakstoprairies.org/topichub/
  • Rapid Response Network/Help Desk – People searching for information on the web often have questions they can’t find the answer to. With access to an extensive P2 hard-copy library, state, regional and national experts, the Center offers to do some of the legwork. peakstoprairies.org/library/researchassistance.cfm
  • Programs Directory – Searchable database of information about organizations doing P2-related work in the region. Regional information is uploaded to a national programs directory. peakstoprairies.org/Directory/
  • Homes Across America – Showcase for new technologies and resource efficient homes. Also provides contact information for technical assistance in each state. homes-across-america.org
  • Tribal P2 Web Site – In partnership with the NPPR Tribal work group, the Center is designing and developing a web portal to tribal pollution prevention information. www.tribalp2.org
  • Green Parks Program – Facilitate efforts for this regionally chosen initiative in partnership with each state program including creation of an operational survey for public land managers, providing assessments of parks in each state, and creation of a Green Parks Toolkit for park staff and P2 assistance providers.
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