Pollution Prevention for Retail Facilities

Retail facilities have many opportunities for waste reduction. Reducing wastes can reduce your facility's costs and increase your bottom line. At the same time you can prevent pollution and benefit the environment.

Waste prevention means getting the same job done using less materials. Often the savings from small changes in operations can result in surprisingly large savings and reductions in waste. Implementing a waste reduction plan involves planning goals, measuring their success, and educating employees and the public about successful waste reduction programs. Remember: reduce waste first, then recycle Some opportunities for waste reduction at retail facilities include:

• Packaging
• Transportation / Shipping
• Purchasing and Inventory Control
• Reusing / Recycling
• Purchasing recycled materials, using recycled building materials.
• Energy Efficiency
• Catalogs and direct mailings, and more...

Two areas that offer some of the easiest and largest potential reductions in waste generation are shipping and energy efficiency.

Some Successful Waste Reduction Ideas Include:

• Switch to lighter weight coated paper for catalogs.
• Purge direct mailing lists to limit number of mailings.
• Utilize Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) to reduce paper forms and invoices.
• Eliminate paper training manuals for new employees and install computer-and/or video based learning centers.
• Eliminate envelopes and use self-mailers made with recycled content.
• Replace wooden pallets with reusable plastic, paper, or metal pallets. (Click here for more information on non-wood pallets)
• Reuse incoming corrugated boxes and packaging materials for outgoing shipments.
• Work with suppliers to reduce product packaging for product lines; implement bulk packaging for clothing.
• Give customers bag or no bag option.
• Recycle plastic strapping.
• Recycle fiber cores used for shipping paper rolls.
• Recycle polystyrene packaging peanuts.
• Recycle wooden pallets.
• Purchase customer plastic bags with recycled content.
• Print monthly circulars on paper with recycled content.
• Use building materials, such as floor tiles, with recycled content.
• Use EnergyStar energy efficient lighting systems, HVAC systems, and other appliances.
• Use the appropriate amount of HVAC, and outdoor lighting.

Contact Ohio EPA for a free P2 assessment at your retail facility.

More Information

* U.S. EPA's Waste Wi$e Program* - Includes a wide range of excellent case studies
See also: Wastewise 1998 Award and Recognition Recipients ( PDF format).