A Comparison of Voluntary and Mandatory State Pollution Prevention Program Achievements

Published	April 20, 2006
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Mandatory state pollution prevention programs reduce waste an average of 51 percent, while voluntary state P2 programs reduce waste an average of 25 percent, according to a graduate student at Tufts University. Heather M. Tenney’s masters thesis, A Comparison of Voluntary and Mandatory State Pollution Prevention Program Achievements, uses production-adjusted waste data reported in the Toxic Release Inventory to compare states with mandatory P2 planning requirements with states with voluntary P2 planning requirements. Her thesis also finds that from 1991 to 1997 production-related waste for all voluntary programs combined increased 23 percent while production-related waste for all mandatory programs combined decreased by 12 percent.