Production Plating of Mukilteo, Washington, was one of three Pacific Northwest companies recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with the 2023 Regional Pollution Prevention Recognition Awards.
The EPA Regional Pollution Prevention Awards Program recognizes businesses that demonstrate leadership in innovative pollution prevention practices that reduce, eliminate, or prevent pollution at its source prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal.
Production Plating, Inc. was honored for successfully reducing sodium hydroxide waste by 50% in its operations. Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye or caustic soda, is a corrosive inorganic compound. The change has decreased its waste disposal weight by 75% in most waste streams and is saving approximately $500,000 per year.
“All of us at PPI are extremely thankful for the recognition, and we look forward to implementing more continuous improvement projects with technical assistance from the WSDOE,” says Marc Wislen, president of Production Plating.
This is the first time the Pacific Northwest was recognized in the Pollution Prevention Awards. The other two winners from EPA Region 10 are:
- Exotic Metals Forming Division of Parker Aerospace, Kent, for eliminating chemical processes that contain n-Propylbromide, a hazardous compound that will soon be noncompliant in Washington state. By switching to a non-hazardous alternative to the anti-spatter product it was using and entirely removing a vapor degreasing process, the company estimates that it is preventing thousands of pounds of nPB waste from being released into the environment and it is saving thousands of dollars in disposal costs.
- Pacific Seafood, Clackamas, Oregon, for switching to safer cleaning options at its seafood processing facility, implementing actions to decrease the amount of chemicals wasted, and focusing on water and energy conservation. The company estimates that the use of more efficient cleaning equipment alone has saved more than 330,000 gallons of water over the course of a year. Pacific Seafood is now implementing these changes at all of its facilities.
More information, including a list of all winners nationwide, can be found in “EPA Announces Winners of the 2023 Regional Pollution Prevention Recognition Awards” at https://bit.ly/456fNBL.
Read more about EPA’s P2 program at https://www.epa.gov/p2.
