The goal of our award-winning Pollution Prevention program is to integrate pollution prevention and waste minimization, resource conservation, recycling, and affirmative procurement into all aspects of our planning and decision-making processes. The program applies to all Laboratory employees, contractors, visitors, and guests.
Pollution prevention activities, recycling programs, and conservation initiatives have significantly reduced our waste volume and management costs. In 2017, these efforts resulted in over one million in savings and approximately 10.6 million pounds of materials being reduced, reused, or recycled.
Brookhaven Lab recycles 95% of construction, demolition, and woody materials which are transported to an off-site facility where they are sorted and recycled. Concrete and stone/brick demolition debris is stored on-site and then converted to recycled concrete aggregate, which the Lab uses on firebreaks or as an underlayment for parking areas.
Through our solid waste recycling program, we collected 84 tons of office paper during 2017. Cardboard, bottles and cans, motor oil, scrap metals, lead, automotive batteries, electronic scrap, fluorescent light bulbs, and machining coolant are also recycled.
Concrete aggregate (Photo: Bill Bradley)
Use of recycled concrete aggregate material helped us achieve LEED certification for four of the Laboratory's newest buildings
Brookhaven Lab arranges for removal of hazardous waste materials using procedures that help prevent spills, discharge into wastewater and evaporation into the atmosphere. Our waste handling program is designed to protect human health and the environment by reducing the potential for accidents and improper disposal. We limit the use of hazardous materials by choosing non-hazardous substitutes whenever possible.