Florida Department of Environmental Protection Florida Department of Environmental Protection
More Protection, Less Process
* DEP Home * About DEP * Programs * Contact * Site Map * Search
MyFlorida.com  
Pollution Prevention     Central District Highlights

To CD Home >

Debby Valin, Coordinator

E-Mail:  Debby.Valin@dep.state.fl.us
Phone:  (321) 722-5381

 

The Pollution Prevention Program provides free, non-regulatory assistance to Central Florida businesses.  Take advantage of the opportunity to reduce your waste, improve the environment and improve your bottom line.  We can help you:

  • Cut Costs 

  • Reduce Waste

  • Protect the Environment

Learn about P2 projects in Enforcement (PiEs)

Pollution Prevention Links

Spotlight

P2 Spotlight

Sensus Metering Systems

9495 Delegates Drive

Orlando, Florida 32837

http://www.sensus.com/corporate/locations_fl.asp

P2 Project in Enforcement (PiE) 

 

A P2 Success Story

Submitted by Debby Valin

September 1, 2005

From Large Quantity Generator of Hazardous Waste to Small Quantity Generator

 

Sensus metering Systems (Sensus) receives old water meters from customers, refurbishes them to new meter standards and returns them back to the original customer.  The brass components are re-used in the process.  The brass casting must be cleaned, given many of these products have been buried in the ground for 30+ years.

 

The brass components are cleaned using a bead blasting process.  A bead medium is sent at a high speed through a nozzle and bounces off the brass casting, cleaning the surface in the process.

An automatic ceramic–bead cleaning cabinet was installed that maximizes media usage and reduces waste generation through a filtration and collection system.  This equipment processes about 85% of the products.  Some castings are thoroughly dirty and stained and our automatic cabinet does not clean them sufficiently.  A secondary cabinet is used with a manual glass-bead process to clean the difficult parts, or the remaining 15% of the product.  The glass beads are more aggressive than the ceramic type.

 Sensus was inspected by FDEP Central District hazardous waste staff in 2004.  The facility was inspected as a Large Quantity Generator of hazardous waste and was out of compliance at the time.  An enforcement case ensued with a civil penalty assessed of $17,970.  Sensus opted to pursue a PiE to offset a majority of the penalty.

 

The original manual cabinet was inadequate at capturing and separating the cleaning media effectively.  The amount of hazardous waste generated was equal to that from the automatic cabinet, even though only 15% of parts were cleaned in it.  Sensus chose to upgrade to a newer manual cleaning cabinet that automatically captures the used glass beads and separates and filters the used beads.  The beads are re-used in the process for a number of cycles before they become waste.

 

The upgrade reduced the facility hazardous waste generation rate at the back end by 66%.  The amount of raw bead use has also been reduced by 66% at the front end.

 

The new manual cleaning system cost over $17,000, which exceeded the required dollar offset of $14,376 by20%.  The total amount saved annually by use of the new manual blast system in raw material consumption and hazardous waste generation is about $6,000.  The estimated payback period to the facility for the system is 2.8 years.

Sensus just notified FDEP that they now operate as a Small Quantity Generator of hazardous waste.  They now generate 12,000 pounds annually instead of up to 30,000 pounds, a net 9-ton reduction per year.

Sensus is further looking at replacing their bead media with a plastic variety that can be sent off site once spent to make outdoor furniture and decorative fixtures.  They are monitoring their spent bead generation to see if this avenue is feasible, since they generate much less now.  This move to total bead recycling would result in zero waste.  Sensus would become a Non-Handler of hazardous waste and thus:

 

*Minimize environmental, health and safety impacts

* Conserve natural resources

* Reduce regulatory and financial liability

* Improve public image

* Save money

 

 

Learn about Windsor Metal Finishing

Governor's 2004 Council for Sustainable Florida Small  Business Award

 

Additional information can be found on  Florida's Pollution Prevention site.

The State’s P2 Program encourages industry to conserve resources, reduce waste and recycle on site, in order of priority. When we reduce use of resources (raw materials and energy) at the front end, we can often minimize waste at the back end. Conservation of resources and waste reduction are even more desirable than recycling because the resources contributing to wastes are not used at all.

return to Central District home

 

 

Central District Office

3319 Maguire Blvd, Suite 232

Orlando, Florida 32803-3767

407 894-7555

fax 407 897-6499

 

If you have technical problems with the functioning of this web site, 

please e-mail our webmaster.

Contact us for:

 

  • On Site Technical Assistance
  • Pollution Prevention Research Library
  • Speakers
  • Workshops
  • Telephone Consultation

DEP P2 Initiatives (leaving CD)

P2 Resources

 

Last updated: January 18, 2008

  Central District Office 3319 Maguire Blvd, Suite 232 Orlando, Florida 32803-3767
Contact Us 
DEP Home | About DEP  | Contact Us | Search |  Site Map