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2005 Pollution Prevention Grants Recipients
EPA Regional P2 Coordinator: Tristan Gillespie
Project Summaries
Cornell
University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 
Project Title: Facilitating Agricultural Plastic Film Recycling as a Means for Reducing Pollution from Open Burning
EPA Funding: $60,000
Project Summary: Over the past several decades, plastics have become ubiquitous throughout agriculture. With few options for off-farm disposal, used plastics are often burned in open fires, releasing levels of dioxins, heavy metals and particulate matter that create serious health risks. In this project, Cornell University will facilitate the building of an infrastructure in New York State for collection and pollution-preventing disposal of agricultural films. Cornell will implement pilot recycling programs; use them as a "field laboratory" for testing and disseminating "Best Management" protocols; cultivate markets for reprocessed film; and lay groundwork for institutionalizing agricultural plastic film recycling throughout New York State and beyond.
Contact Information: Dr. Lois Levitan, lcl3@cornell.edu
NYS
Department of Environmental Conservation, Pollution Prevention Unit
Project Title: Continuing to Educate Schools on How to be Mercury Free in New York State
EPA Funding: $50,000
Project Summary: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is continuing to promote the elimination of mercury in schools throughout New York State. Through this project, NYSDEC will continue its partnership with the Northeast Waste Management Official's Association (NEWMOA) as they share with schools in New York the valuable knowledge that they have learned through their experience of working with schools in Massachusetts. Over the past 5 years, NEWMOA has worked with over 100 Massachusetts schools to identify, collect and recycle elemental mercury and mercury-containing products. NEWMOA has removed over 850 pounds of mercury from Massachusetts schools, generally removing an average of 9-14 pounds per high school. Through their work, NEWMOA has educated hundreds of teachers, schools administrators, nurses and students about the health and environmental hazards of mercury and the importance of preventing future use of mercury in schools. Through this grant, workshops will be held to educate schools in New York City, Long Island, Syracuse and Buffalo on the methods, pros and cons, which have been learned over the past years by the NEWMOA staff.
Contact Information: Dennis J. Lucia, djlucia@gw.dec.state.ny.us
NYS
Department of Environmental Conservation, Pollution Prevention Unit
Project Title: Mobile Outreach for Pollution Prevention
EPA Funding: $30,000
Project Summary: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) proposes to take pollution prevention technology and expertise to small business communities in a specially designed mobile home. This project will be a cooperative effort between the NYSDEC, the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (NYSEFC), and the Iowa Waste Reduction Center (IWRC). The IWRC recently received their new mobile outreach for pollution prevention vehicle (MOPP) and staff from NYSDEC and NYSEFC has been in contact with IWRC regarding use of the vehicle to do pollution prevention outreach to small businesses in New York. The MOPP is a customized motor home that contains equipment intended to introduce pollution prevention ideas to small businesses. NYSDEC and NYSEFC propose to borrow/rent the vehicle from IWRC to initiate this pollution prevention outreach in New York. Demonstrations to small business owners will feature spray painting techniques, including a comparison of conventional spray guns and newly designed equipment to reduce waste generation. Other equipment training will include antifreeze recycling, solvent distillation, aqueous parts washing, an oil filter crusher, a used oil furnace and paint gun washers. Through the use of the MOPP, manufacturers, automotive service centers and auto body repair shops can learn about new pollution prevention techniques and equipment through a series of insightful demonstrations. The advantage of this type of outreach versus conventional outreach workshops is that it brings the training and equipment to the site of the business.
Contact Information: Dennis J. Lucia, djlucia@gw.dec.state.ny.us
NJ
Department of Environmental Protection, Diesel Risk Reduction Team
Project Title: Anti-Idling Challenge for Truck Stops and Locomotives
EPA Funding: $20,000
Project Summary: This proposal will educate /challenge trucking and locomotive companies to eliminate unnecessary idling of diesel vehicles and locomotives, reduce the amount of fuel burned, and prevent harmful emissions from diesel engines. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) will build partnerships, develop educational materials, and conduct outreach/training regarding pollution prevention (P2)/anti-idling technologies, costs/energy savings, and health benefits associated with reducing idling. Training will identify negative health impacts associated with diesel exhaust, positive economic benefits from P2 techniques/technologies, and provide incentives for truck drivers and locomotive workers who implement best practices. The NJDEP will follow-up with counties and residents to determine if noticeable improvements in air quality and noise occurred.
Contact Information: Sharon Davis, sharon.davis@dep.state.nj.us
NJ
Department of Environmental Protection
Project Title: Investigation of release, fate and transport of lead from automotive wheel weights, and development and evaluation of best management approaches
EPA Funding: $40,000
Project Summary: The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) will investigate the release of automotive lead wheel weights to the environment. In Phase I of this project, the quantity of lead from automotive wheel weights entering the New Jersey environment will be estimated, and its importance in the overall cycle of anthropogenic lead in the state will be assessed. If Phase I findings indicate that lead from this source has a significant impact, Phase II will be initiated. Phase II will develop management approaches and evaluate their effectiveness through a series of pilot projects.
Contact Information: Michael Aucott, michael.aucott@dep.state.nj.us
Project Title: Using Engineering Clinics to Advance Pollution Prevention in the Chemical Industry
EPA Funding: $40,000
Project Summary: Through this project, Rowan University will assist chemical, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, specialty chemical, and agribusiness in New Jersey with source reduction, pollution prevention, and green engineering design through a unique partnership activity: "engineering clinics." Rowan will visit corporate sites to train practicing scientists and engineers from the chemical processing industry in the current state-of-the-art in green engineering fundamentals to design. They will develop a model program for partnerships between state universities and industry by providing pollution prevention services through an "engineering clinic" program. Through this project, Rowan expects to achieve significant reductions in pollution in terms waste reduced, energy conserved and dollars saved.
Contact Information: Dr. C. Stewart Slater, slater@rowan.edu
Rutgers
University, New Jersey EcoComplex
Project Title: Providing Technical Assistance and Outreach to Achieve a Successful Food Waste and Organics Recycling System in New Jersey: A Model Program
EPA Funding: $30,000
Project
Summary: The Rutgers
University, Solid Waste Policy Group (SWPG) ,
and its partners seek to build on experience gathered through the last
eight years in the area of food waste recycling to bring the State of
New Jersey past a critical stage in the development of food waste recycling
markets and systems in the state. The SWPG will draw on models
from other states as well as its own observations in dissolving the considerable
barriers to successful food waste recycling within the State. This
project will deliver technical assistance to recycling operations, which,
as in Massachusetts, may mean the difference between success and failure.
Contact Information: Priscilla Hayes, hayes@aesop.rutgers.edu
St.
Regis Mohawk Tribe, Environment Division
Project Title: Beneficial Use Action Plan for the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino
EPA Funding: $31,938
(NOTE : This project has been incorporated into the PPG grant for the SRMT)
Project Summary: In this project, the staff of the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino (AMC) will be trained on how to use Environmental Management System (EMS) approaches in doing business. An Environmental consultant will assist the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT) in using an EMS for the AMC. This approach will focus on AMC's by-products (waste streams) and make recommendations for beneficial use projects that offer the latest environmental, technological, operational and economic solutions. A SRMT Pollution Prevention (P2) information sharing campaign will occur to share the project outcomes with regional and nationwide Tribes. This will be accomplished through the production of a fact sheet that summarizes the project methods and outcomes. This fact sheet will be placed on the SRMT Environment Division website and will be submitted to EPA's Tribal P2 website, and will be shared with other tribes at the Tribal Environmental meeting, which occurs twice per year.
Contact Information: Laura J. Weber, laura_weber@srmtenv.org