Congratulations to Yolanda Pilastro (WM) and Ali Farvid (MFD), recipients of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Champions of Green Government award.

This award is given to federally funded facilities for efforts in preventing pollution and exercising environmental stewardship. The work performed by Pilastro and Farvid, along with their teams, represents their contributions in waste reduction and pollution prevention to both SLAC and DOE.

EPA award recipients and their teams being congratulated by Lab Director Jonathan Dorfan. The third award in the picture was given by ES&H to Richard Cellamare (WM) for his efforts in promoting the waste minimization and pollution prevention program at SLAC. Shown left to right: Dave Macias (WM), Clair Stevens (WM), Dorfan, Cellamare, Ron Sanchez (WM), James Smith (WM), Pilastro, Michael Sharfenstein (WM), Ardie Jacob (WM), Parvinder Pataria (MFD), Wilevaldo Benitez (MFD), Jose Magana (MFD), George Laxson (MFD), Krishan Narula (MFD), Balbir Gosal (MFD), Farvid and Oscar Zelaya (MFD)

Farvid and the Plating Shop staff received the award for reducing hazardous waste generation by extending the life of electroplating bath solutions.

To accomplish this, Farvid purchased analytical equipment that allowed metal finishing operators to make adjustments to plating bath solutions, which would otherwise be discarded as hazardous waste. This reduced hazardous waste generation from electroplating operations down from 10,000 to 5,000 gallons per year at an annual cost savings of $35,000 to $50,000.

Additionally, Farvid replaced ferric chloride, a coagulant used in rinse water treatment operations, with a system that generates the coagulant electrochemically. This reduced hazardous waste generation in rinse water treatment operations, saving $3,400 per year.

Pilastro and the Hazardous Waste Management Group staff received this award for implementing projects that reuse and reclaim hazardous materials, avoiding the expenses associated with managing these materials as hazardous waste.

Projects included returning old fire protection and gas cylinders to the original manufacturers; returning empty chemical containers to vendors; sending lab chemicals and hazardous products to on-site users; collecting and crushing empty metal containers and sending the metal to recyclers; and collecting and recycling empty plastic containers containing household cleaners.

This effort managed to divert 36 metric tons of hazardous waste in 2002 and saved an estimated $121,000 by eliminating the need to send the waste to a permitted, off-site treatment and disposal facility.

Pilastro and Farvid both played important roles in helping SLAC and DOE achieve environmental stewardship and waste reduction performance goals.

If you have any questions or are interested in participating in waste reduction or pollution prevention opportunities, please contact Richard Cellamare (Ext. 3401, rcellamare@slac.stanford.edu).