Pollution Prevention & Green Technology

DTSC's Pollution Prevention program provided guidance to businesses on implementing pollution prevention principles to help generate less solid and hazardous waste, use fewer toxic chemicals, conserve water and energy, and reduce air pollution. These strategies were intended to reduce the burden of cleaning up contaminated sites across California by reducing the sources of pollution through education and process improvements.

In 2013, the Pollution Prevention program ended with the formation of the Department's first Green Chemistry program, Safer Consumer Products (SCP). SCP takes pollution prevention efforts one step further in trying to eliminate the use of toxic chemicals all together, asking manufacturers if the chemicals they are using are necessary and if there is a safer alternative. For more information, visit the Safer Consumer Products page.