Case Studies

Mountain Home Air Force Base

Mountain Home Air Force Base, a participant in Idaho GEMStars, views pollution prevention (P2) as a top priority. P2 practices are incorporated in all Air Force projects and a P2 consciousness is present throughout the base community. Mountain Home has discovered that preventing pollution not only benefits Idaho's environment, but also has benefited the base with reduced disposal, water, and energy costs.

There are many industrial centers at Mountain Home that have incorporated P2 initiatives into their daily practices. For example, the Propulsion Shop uses a special heating system to burn off carbon deposits from jet engine parts, eliminating the use of toxic chemicals and solvents. The shop also uses a towel-wringing device that removes oil from absorbent towels. The "wrung out" oil is collected and sent to a waste oil burner. Meanwhile, the towels are reused, decreasing the amount of new towels purchased.

In dealing with hazardous materials, Mountain Home takes responsibility from "cradle to grave." The Hazardous Material Pharmacy, a central ordering unit for hazardous materials, serves to minimize and track the ordering, storage, use, and disposal of hazardous materials. By requiring distribution of hazardous materials through the pharmacy, Mountain Home ensures that correct quantities of materials are ordered and materials are used before their shelf life expires, preventing waste. Even more so, the pharmacy orders, tracks, and reports on hazardous materials electronically, reducing paper costs.

In addition, Mountain Home has a Hazardous Waste Central Collection Facility. This facility is equipped with a fluorescent bulb extractor, a drum crusher, and a waste oil burner, all aiding in their P2 efforts. Fluorescent bulbs are collected form the entire base. When the machine crushes a bulb, mercury vapor is released and absorbed into a filter. the filter filled with mercury is shipped as hazardous waste. Most entities do not remove the mercury from fluorescent bulbs prior to disposal, thus polluting the environment. the 55-gallon drum crusher enables steel drums to be recycled; reducing disposal costs. Furthermore, used oil collected from the base is poured into a waste oil burner, heating the facility. Thus, the burner decreased energy costs, plus hazardous waste costs (used oil is not disposed of as hazardous waste).

Mountain Home's water conservation efforts are impressive. The wastewater effluent from the wastewater treatment plant is used to irrigate the base grounds, high pressure-low volume wash racks are used for washing machinery and vehicles, and the base has adopted the philosophy of "xeriscaping," resulting in many grassy areas being replaced with lava rocks. Xeriscaping results in reduced maintenance costs and lower water bills.

Mountain Home's experience with P2 has been a win-win situation; environmental benefits as well as economic. Idaho should be proud to have such an entity within its boundaries.

Luper Brothers Automotive

Luper Brothers Automotive, located in Lewiston, is no stranger to pollution prevention. As a new member of Idaho GEMStars, Luper Brothers has been recognized before for its pollution prevention efforts - as the 1994 winner of the Pacific Northwest Industrial Pollution Prevention Award and recipient of the North Central Idaho Green Star Award in 1996.

Pollution prevention is part of doing business for Luper Brothers. This is evident in the purchase of a hot water spray cabinet, used to clean automotive parts. Wash water is collected, filtered and reused - a closed loop system that greatly reduces water consumption. Furthermore, the heaters in the cabinet have "seven-day timers," eliminating unnecessary water heating when the shop is closed. Also, cleaning parts in the cabinet has reduced employee labor and the quantity of solvents previously used when cleaning was done by hand.

To remain a Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator (or possibly become non-regulated), Luper Brothers has curtailed the production and transportation of hazardous waste - reducing current and future liabilities for the small business. Owners Jim and Dan Luper say "the used oil produced from servicing of cars and trucks used to be a large portion of our waste stream that was difficult to store and expensive to have hauled away." Luper Brothers invested in waste oil burners that all but eliminated the hazardous exposure. The burners have also reduced energy costs. Just within the first month of using the burners, the small business saved $125.

Toxic waste reduction is another important goal for Luper Brothers. For example, carburetors and throttle bodies are pre-washed in the spray cabinet, then cleaned in a cold dip chemical. This pre-washing process almost doubles the life of the chemical. Also, the shop has changed from a toxic naphtha solvent to a high flash point kerosene that is later burned for heat recovery. Moreover, the building 's plastic roof does not require periodic re-coating, eliminating the need for a petroleum-based product.

Luper Brothers Automotive is a community leader in pollution prevention. According to Jim Luper, "current waste audits and community involvement help us to focus our P2 efforts and encourage others to do the same."

Idaho Department of Environmental Quality

DEQ Director, Steve Allred (right), receives GEMStars recognition certificate and plaque  from Darrell Buffaloe, GEMStars steering committee member

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) state office was recently recognized by Idaho GEMStars for their success in preventing pollution in their own operations. Governor Kempthorne introduced the Idaho GEMStars program in the fall of 1999 to recognize companies and organizations that voluntarily meet criteria which demonstrate leadership in preventing pollution before it occurs. IDEQ is the first state department to meet the criteria. "The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has demonstrated that agencies can realize cost savings from pollution prevention activities. I am proud of the creativity and commitment of our employees in helping us meet the GEMStars requirements," said Director Steve Allred.

An employee committee evaluated the state office’s pollution prevention efforts and developed an action plan and recommendations for management. Recommendations included providing additional education in-house. Initiatives included incorporating information on pollution prevention activities, such as office recycling and alternative transportation, into the new employee orientation materials, as well as on the agency’s internal website.

DEQ staff member removes unneeded light bulbs for energy savings

Specific actions taken by IDEQ have resulted in both pollution prevention and cost savings.  For example, a shift to more energy efficient lighting is estimated to save an estimated 97,000 kWh per year with an associated cost savings of over $4,000 a year. An Idaho Power Energy Audit identified a number of other areas for energy savings including the removal of unnecessary lighting. Employees assisted in the implementation by evaluating the lighting needs in their work area and identifying unneeded lights for removal. An additional reduction in energy use of 22,000 kWh per year with cost savings of over $1,000 per year is projected. Other actions include waste reduction and water conservation measures. IDEQ plans to share their successful pollution prevention practices within their own regional offices as well as with other state agencies.

 

 

 

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