Sustainability In The Fleet Unit
The Village’s Fleet Unit practices the EPA’s pollution prevention program in our vehicle maintenance and repair garage.
The pollution prevention program is the most effective way to solve pollution-related problems that impact costs and the environment. Pollution prevention offers a win-win solution because the program protects the environment and saves money.
What Is Pollution Prevention?
Pollution prevention encourages a more efficient use of materials and resources in order to generate less waste and emissions. It is preferred over traditional pollution control approaches, like treatment and disposal, which often just shifts pollution around (e.g., from land to water) without eliminating it.
Source Reduction
Our top pollution prevention priority is reducing the amount of pollution generated and associated hazards to the public and the environment.
Source reduction includes:
- Strict housekeeping, maintenance, training, and inventory control.
- Equipment or technology modifications.
- Process or procedural modifications.
- Reformulation or redesign of products.
Pollution prevention also includes resource conservation and other practices that reduce or eliminate the creation of pollutants through:
- Increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, energy, water, and other resources.
- Protection of natural resources.
Although reuse and recycling are lower priorities than source reduction and conservation, these activities, conducted in an environmentally sound manner, share many of the advantages of the pollution prevention program.
Examples of reuse and recycling include:
- Segregating wastes to increase recyclables.
- Installation of a solvent sink with filtration system to increase reuse and/or extending the solvent change out frequency.
The pollution prevention program is a powerful way to solve pollution-related problems. As the examples above show, the pollution prevention program can address these problems, save money and protect the environment by:
- Reducing raw materials use and costs.
- Cutting waste recycling treatment and disposal costs.
- Improving operations and efficiency.
- Helping you comply with environmental regulations more easily.
- Minimizing air emissions and waste water discharges.
- Protecting employee health and safety.
- Protection of natural resources.
Biodiesel Fuel Use
As a means to reduce harmful emissions the Public Works Department has been using biodiesel fuel since 2007. Through the use of biodiesel fuel, the Village is making significant progress toward improving air quality by reducing soot, hydrocarbon, and carbon monoxide emission levels.
Diesel Retrofit
In 2007, ten Public Works trucks were retrofitted with diesel particulate exhaust filters. This $17,819 project was fully funded through a grant from the Clean Air Counts campaign. Diesel exhaust is responsible for more than 20% of the nation’s smog causing nitrogen oxide emissions and 15% of particular matter (soot) emissions.
Hybrid Vehicles
Since 2007, the Village has acquired a total of nine hybrid vehicles, three vehicles in Public Works, five inspector vehicles, and one vehicle in the Fire Department. It is estimated that the Village will reduce fuel consumption by as much as 3,000 gallons per year for an annual savings of $7,500.
One of the Village's nine hybrid vehicles
Waste Oil Reuse at Annex
In 2004, the Public Works Department installed a waste oil heater at the Public Works Annex building. This heater is fueled by the waste oil generated by various Village vehicles.