The Iowa Waste Reduction Center at the University of Northern Iowa is offering free energy assessments for Iowa small businesses. The services available through this program include compressed air leak assessments, facility lighting analysis, and building envelope inspections.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has created an online option for businesses to complete air quality construction and operating (Title V) permit applications, called Iowa EASY Air (Environmental Application System). The DNR will notify businesses in December when the system will be available for use.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently finalized its standards for managing hazardous waste (HW) pharmaceuticals. The goals of these standards are to create cost-saving, streamlined regulations that better fit the operations of the healthcare sector and maintain protection of human health and the environment. The final rule was published in the Federal Register on Feb. 22, 2019, and will become fully effective in Iowa on Aug. 21, 2019.
If your facility or business generates any hazardous waste, it's important to conduct periodic inspections of the storage and storage areas. For Small and Large Quantity Generators of hazardous waste, it’s a regulatory requirement that these inspections be done weekly. Performing weekly inspections of hazardous waste storage will not only help manage waste streams and minimize the risk of state and federal fines, but it will also help identify any small problems within the storage areas and prevent them from turning into big, costly problems.
In 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopted a new regulation to reduce the amount of mercury being released into the environment. With dental offices continuing to be a primary source of mercury being sent out to municipal wastewater treatment plants, it potentially poses a serious public health risk. The EPA is requesting that dental offices comply with this new regulation to minimize the potential of harm.
On Saturday, June 16th, we were excited to attend and be a sponsor at the Iowa Craft Brew Festival in Des Moines. Despite the high temperatures, the festival was well attended and featured over 70 craft breweries and cideries each pouring two or more brews.
Every business knows that along with regulations, come recordkeeping. And environmental regulations are no exception. If your business gets audited, one of the first items likely covered is a request to look at your records. So, what do you need to know about regulatory recordkeeping?
Last month, the Grafx Club at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) had a chance to tour a facility of one of their clients - the Iowa Waste Reduction Center’s (IWRC) spray painter training and research facility located in the Cedar Falls Industrial Park.
Starting your compost pile was easy, but now you have a few questions. Perhaps one major question...can this be composted? We all know veggie scraps and dry leaves can be added to your compost pile, but what about dryer lint? Don’t worry, the IWRC has you covered!
There are a vast amount of resources available to small businesses who are interested in reducing waste. They range from online tools and databases to entire organizations that exist to assist businesses with their waste reduction needs.