Ohio EPA Director Donald R. Schregardus on November 18 presented seven companies the annual Governor's Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Pollution Prevention. Below is a list of the companies that were recognized and their accomplishments.
Alcoa Building Products Inc., which coats and fabricates aluminum and steel building products, eliminated 190,000 pounds of ethylene glycol releases. It implemented a non-chrome "dried-in-place" process that has reduced the chrome sent to the city's wastewater treatment plant by 89%. From 1995 to 1997, the company reduced landfilled solid waste by 48%. In addition, the company reduced hazardous-waste generation from water-based paint cleanups by 428,000 gallons per year--an 84% reduction.
BP Oil's Toledo Refinery installed flare flow meters, allowing reduction of carbon dioxide and criteria air pollutant emissions by more than 5500 tons per year, saving more than U.S.$4000 per day in reduced hydrocarbon emissions
Honda of America's Motorcycle Plant, switched to powder coat paints from solvent-borne paints, reducing paint-sludge generation and VOC emissions. Respectively, the reductions are 14.6 tons in 1997 and a projected 27 tons in 1998 (the first full year of implementation) and 26.1 tons in 1997 and a projected 52 tons in 1998. Also, the company's eliminating purge solvent from the painting process removed 1300 gallons of solvent.
Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Science (IAMS), (Hamilton County) a manufacturing assistance organization, for providing pollution prevention technical assistance, outreach and education since 1992. In addition, the institute provided technical assistance to clients, who reduced emissions and saved money on waste treatment and storage.
Lubrizol's Wickliffe Facility, by integrating pollution prevention throughout its operations, reduced Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) air releases by 78% since 1987 and eliminated land and water TRI releases. Lubrizol reduced hazardous waste generation by 50% from 1990 to 1996. Also the company increased the paper and cardboard recycled from 105 tons in 1990 to 280 tons in 1996.
RJF International Corp. substituted raw materials to reduce the amount of toxic chemicals used. Since 1993, the company reduced Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) releases by 97.7%, eliminated more than 236,700 pounds of hazardous waste and eliminated more than 160,000 pounds of toxic air pollutants from the processing operation.
Hedstrom Corporation, manufacturer of vinyl play balls, since 1995 has reduced VOC emissions by almost 70%, eliminated 64.6 tons of waste, reduced hazardous waste by more than 60%, and recycled 192 tons of PVC scrap.
The Governor's Awards have been coordinated by Ohio EPA for 12 years.
