Sustainability Division

State & Local Governments

State Government

P² is available to assist any state agency which requests assistance with resource conservation, source reduction, reuse, or recycling issues. For example, in the past P² has assisted the Parks & Historic Sites Division of DNR by assessing waste and recycling issues in some of Georgia’s state parks. P² has also provided speakers for and co-sponsored a number of environmental events in cooperation with other state agencies.

Pollution Prevention Programs for Local Governments

Throughout the country, many local governments also operate their own pollution prevention programs. These programs can be

  • educational programs (either internal for the government’s own operation or external to the industries and businesses in the city or county)
  • technical assistance programs, for industries, the general public, or occasionally both
  • pollution prevention in conjunction with a local regulatory program office.

A variety of different P2 activities are carried out by local government programs such as

  • Conducting waste reduction/pollution prevention assessments
  • Sharing information with other businesses (environmental networking)
  • Compiling case studies/success stories
  • Public recognition or awards program for businesses
  • Referring businesses to a state P2 assistance program, such as P2AD
  • Participating in National Pollution Prevention Week
  • Providing education to the public on pollution prevention
  • Presenting workshops, seminars, and presentations to businesses
  • Distributing information packets
  • Writing a newsletter.

P²AD is interested in fostering the establishment of local government pollution prevention programs in Georgia. Local officials are knowledgeable about the businesses in their area, and can be an invaluable asset in promoting pollution prevention as a preferable means of environmental management. P²AD can help you get started with a program in any of these ways

  • Training employees or selected persons about P2
  • Assistance in drafting a local P2 resolution
  • Providing reference materials about other organizations
  • Assistance in conducting an internal (county or city operations) assessment.

For more information, contact P2AD at (404) 165-5120 or (800) 165-2443 or inforn@p2ad.org. Also, visit the following links for more information on P2 efforts by other local governments in the U.S.

National Pollution Prevention Roundtable’s Local Government Work Group (http://www.p2.org/workgroup/localgovernment/index.html)

Local Government Environmental Assistance Network (www.lgean.org)

National Association of Counties Environmental Programs (http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Environment,_Energy_and_Land_Use)

Local Government Services for Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)

With the population growth occurring in many towns, cities, and counties in Georgia, Household Hazardous Waste is an increasing environmental and health concern. The national generation rate of HHW per household, per year, is 20 pounds. Of that, roughly 54% are paint related wastes, 19% are used motor oils, 9% are auto batteries, 9% are pesticides, 4% are fuels, 2% are acids and bases, and the remaining 3% are various other products such as household batteries, antifreeze, propane cylinders, and mercury containing products.

P2AD highly recommends that local government officials responding to various solid waste, recycling, and health-related citizen inquiries, develop a plan or at least familiarize themselves with the proper management of HHW in order to address their citizen’s needs. This can be accomplished several different ways, and P2AD can assist local governments in planning any approach they decide to take.

Approach #1 (low effort)

Respond to citizen inquiries as they are received, using P2AD’s “Guide to Best Management Practices for Household Hazardous Waste and Radon.” A hard copy of the guide has been mailed to all local governments and more are available at no charge. For local governments with websites established, P2AD encourages linking to our website, www.p2ad.org which has an electronic version of the Guide and a link to a national database of recycling locations. The guide encourages (in this order)

  1. Reduction of hazardous wastes generated at home
  2. Reuse of unwanted products
  3. Recycling of HHW products
  4. Disposal as the “last resort” recommendation.

Approach #2 (low-medium effort)

Use the guide as described in #1, plus some or all of the options below (P2AD either has existing materials for this approach or will help local governments develop them):

  • Monitor and update all recycling locations (including HHW) on the national database, 1-800-CLEANUP or www.1800cleanup.org.
  • Develop or use existing public outreach campaigns to discourage the generation of HHW in the first place with wise shopping decisions and reuse of unwanted products before they go bad.
  • Encourage government offices to implement integrated pest management (IPM) solutions or hire contractors that offer IPM solutions to reduce the use of pesticides.
  • Use P2AD’s existing “You’re the Solution to Water Pollution” outreach campaign, including tips on how to reduce the household impact on local streams with IPM, proper HHW, solid waste, and yard waste management.
  • Develop public outreach programs to encourage the recycling of products that are currently recyclable locally via retail programs, such as used motor oil, auto batteries, nickel cadmium (rechargeable) household batteries, and mercury containing products (thermostats, thermometers, barometers, tilt switches, fluorescent tubes…).

Approach #3 (medium-high effort)

Use the guide and outreach campaigns as described in approaches #1 and #2, plus some or all of the options below (P2AD will customize assistance to fit the approach and as grant funds are available through the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority.)

  • Develop one-day collection events for some types of HHW not recyclable locally.
  • Develop a reuse or “swap” program for paints and other products that could be stored at a central location for others to pick up and reuse.
  • Develop a permanent collection location for most or all types of HHW.
  • Develop a mobile collection program for some types of HHW.

Approach #4 (high effort)

Use the guide and outreach campaigns as described in approaches #1 and #2, plus some or all of the options below (P2AD will customize assistance to fit the approach and as grant funds are available through the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority.)

  • Develop one-day collection events for ALL types of HHW.
  • Develop a permanent collection location for most or all types of HHW.
  • Develop a reuse or “swap” program in conjunction with a proper disposal/recycling program.
  • Develop a mobile collection program for most or all types of HHW.