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Toxic Chemicals
NEW JERSEY POLLUTION PREVENTION PROGRAM
The New Jersey DEP Office of Pollution Prevention and Right-to-Know administers
the P2 program in New Jersey, which includes P2 planning focused on TUR. The
preparation of P2 plans by industries is one of the primary tools used by New Jersey
for toxic use and waste reductions. The P2 planning is targeted at 90 percent use or
nonproduct output (NPO) or releases and must target PBT (persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic) substances due to their low thresholds. P2 planning does not include
waste minimization. Waste minimization is encouraged but is not counted as part of
the overall reduction for a facility.
Although the P2 planning is a mandatory component in the NJ P2 program
for regulated facilities, the plans prepared by the facilities are voluntarily implemented. Between 500 and 600 facilities are currently subjected to the P2 planning
requirements. The plans are approved by an administrative checklist to encourage
self-direction. The plans are not reviewed for technical content by the engineers at
the New Jersey DEP, but the engineers do review the plans to make sure that the
material accounting calculations make sense.
The New Jersey P2 program sets goals of “significant reduction” in the use of
toxic (TRI-listed) chemicals and a statewide 50 percent reduction in toxic waste
generation. Materials accounting is used in the New Jersey program as a regulatory
tool to measure use of toxic substances and to facilitate preparation of mandated P2
plans. Materials accounting data provide a complete view of hazardous substances
as they flow through communities and manufacturing operations of the facilities.
The P2 planning program is structured so that the technical assistance component is
separate from the data collection and enforcement components.
P2 planning in New Jersey is pursuant to the federal TRI reporting requirements
and the New Jersey Pollution Prevention Act (P2 Act). Worker and Community
Right-to-Know (WCRTK) Act of New Jersey established a regulation process for
collecting data on the flow of toxic materials through individual facilities. Under the
WCRTK Act, information on releases to the environment, transfers to off-site waste
management facilities, NPO (i.e., total production-related waste), and throughput
(i.e., use) of over 600 toxic chemicals is reported annually.
The regulations established by the P2 Act were adopted by the state in 1993 and
are readopted every 5 yrs. The basis behind the legislation was the findings by the
legislators that thousands of tons of hazardous substances are discharged into the
environment of the state each year, and the regulatory approaches at the time were
fragmented and allowed pollution to be shifted from one environmental medium
to another. The legislators also declared that the inherent limitations of the traditional system of P2 should be addressed by a new emphasis on P2 that included
the following:
• Reduction in the use of hazardous substances in industrial and manufacturing processes
• Rigorous accounting of the use, generation, and multimedia environmental
releases of hazardous substances to identify points at which pollution can
be prevented
Toxic Chemicals
NEW JERSEY POLLUTION PREVENTION PROGRAM
The New Jersey DEP Office of Pollution Prevention and Right-to-Know administers
the P2 program in New Jersey, which includes P2 planning focused on TUR. The
preparation of P2 plans by industries is one of the primary tools used by New Jersey
for toxic use and waste reductions. The P2 planning is targeted at 90 percent use or
nonproduct output (NPO) or releases and must target PBT (persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic) substances due to their low thresholds. P2 planning does not include
waste minimization. Waste minimization is encouraged but is not counted as part of
the overall reduction for a facility.
Although the P2 planning is a mandatory component in the NJ P2 program
for regulated facilities, the plans prepared by the facilities are voluntarily implemented. Between 500 and 600 facilities are currently subjected to the P2 planning
requirements. The plans are approved by an administrative checklist to encourage
self-direction. The plans are not reviewed for technical content by the engineers at
the New Jersey DEP, but the engineers do review the plans to make sure that the
material accounting calculations make sense.
The New Jersey P2 program sets goals of “significant reduction” in the use of
toxic (TRI-listed) chemicals and a statewide 50 percent reduction in toxic waste
generation. Materials accounting is used in the New Jersey program as a regulatory
tool to measure use of toxic substances and to facilitate preparation of mandated P2
plans. Materials accounting data provide a complete view of hazardous substances
as they flow through communities and manufacturing operations of the facilities.
The P2 planning program is structured so that the technical assistance component is
separate from the data collection and enforcement components.
P2 planning in New Jersey is pursuant to the federal TRI reporting requirements
and the New Jersey Pollution Prevention Act (P2 Act). Worker and Community
Right-to-Know (WCRTK) Act of New Jersey established a regulation process for
collecting data on the flow of toxic materials through individual facilities. Under the
WCRTK Act, information on releases to the environment, transfers to off-site waste
management facilities, NPO (i.e., total production-related waste), and throughput
(i.e., use) of over 600 toxic chemicals is reported annually.
The regulations established by the P2 Act were adopted by the state in 1993 and
are readopted every 5 yrs. The basis behind the legislation was the findings by the
legislators that thousands of tons of hazardous substances are discharged into the
environment of the state each year, and the regulatory approaches at the time were
fragmented and allowed pollution to be shifted from one environmental medium
to another. The legislators also declared that the inherent limitations of the traditional system of P2 should be addressed by a new emphasis on P2 that included
the following:
• Reduction in the use of hazardous substances in industrial and manufacturing processes
• Rigorous accounting of the use, generation, and multimedia environmental
releases of hazardous substances to identify points at which pollution can
be prevented