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Greening EPA

Pollution Prevention at EPA

EPA promotes pollution prevention in its own facilities to demonstrate its mission to protect human health and the environment. Following are just a few of the pollution prevention strategies EPA implements in its laboratories:

  • Incorporating integrated pest management (IPM), hardscape management and landscape management best practices where applicable in leases and maintenance contracts to reduce or eliminate the use of toxic and hazardous chemicals
  • Reducing or eliminating hazardous chemicals used in research where feasible and developing chemical inventories and chemical reuse and recycling programs where appropriate
  • Requiring reporting facilities to inventory ozone-depleting substances (ODSs), refrigerants and other chemicals
  • Developing ODS management plans, which includes phasing out applicable ODSs