After the one-time incentive monies are spent, SQGs will pay to dispose of the waste through the HHW Facility. The cost will be our programs' cost for disposal (via our contract schedule of prices per DOT class) plus a 15% Administrative fee. They must bring the materials to our facility - we will not go and pick up wastes.

Here's the text that I've pulled from the grant that may explain it better:

CESGQ ONE-TIME DISPOSAL INCENTIVE

Ten thousand dollars will be made available to CESQGs (first-come, first-served basis) for a one-time disposal cost. This incentive money will not be made available again through the Lawrence/Douglas County Household Hazardous Waste Program.

Priority will be given to pre-qualified CESQGs with accumulations greater than their normal CESQG monthly generation. (In Kansas, a SQG is defined as a business generating less than 55 pounds /25 kilograms of hazardous waste in any single calendar month or 2.2 pounds / 12 kilogram of extremely hazardous waste). All businesses will be pre-qualified by Waste Reduction and Recycling Division staff. Those businesses found to be Kansas Generators will be referred to KDHE for registration and the Kansas State Pollution Prevention Institute for non-regulatory technical assistance.

WR/R staff will coordinate with certified hazardous waste haulers to schedule "milkruns" as appropriate for drum quantities of CESQG waste. Containers (DOT approved) will be available for those businesses who have need of them. Businesses will not have to pay for either the milkrun collection or container costs for the duration of this incentive program. (An additional $5,000 has been earmarked through the grant for container and "milkrun" collection costs).

Mollie Mangerich
City of Lawrence
Waste Reduction and Recycling Division
(785) 832-3030
(785) 832-3056

For more detail on Minnesota’s Small Business Environmental Improvement Loan Program:

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) recognizes the fact that environmental regulations often have a significant impact on small businesses. As a means to respond to this concern, the MPCA created the Small Business Environmental Improvement Loan Program to help small businesses achieve successes with their environmental projects and goals. The program offers low-interest loans to small businesses for making equipment or process upgrades that meet or exceed environmental regulations, and for costs associated with the investigation and clean-up of hazardous materials. So far the program has been nothing short of a series of environmental and economic successes for participating businesses and the MPCA. As a means to illustrate, loans made to members of the dry cleaning industry were evaluated to provide a "sector snapshot" of the program's effectiveness. Dry cleaners were chosen due to the high response rate their industry has had to the program. The results of the evaluation are summarized as follows.

Since October of 1995, the program has loaned out close to $900,000 for 22 environmental improvement projects at dry cleaning businesses. The vast majority of these projects have involved new equipment purchases focused on replacing outdated "transfer" equipment technology. As a means to measure the effectiveness of these projects, loan recipients were surveyed a minimum of one year after project completion. The survey results were impressive. From an environmental standpoint, average annual solvent consumption has dropped 75 percent, or about 235 gallons per business. Similarly, average annual hazardous waste generation has been reduced by almost 70 percent. Reductions in water, natural gas and electricity consumption were reported but not consistently quantified. Businesses also credited the projects with improving indoor employee work environments.

Dollar-wise, the reported reductions in solvent usage are saving each business an average of nearly $2,500 per year in material purchase costs, while reductions in hazardous waste generation are saving each business nearly $1,000 per year in handling and disposal fees. Reductions in water, natural gas and electricity consumption were also estimated to result in savings of as much as $1,500 per year. Collectively, the annual cost saving per dry cleaner is believed to be in the neighborhood of $5,000.With most of the loans to dry cleaners falling in the $35,000 to $50,000 range, the new equipment purchases are expected to pay for themselves in 7 to 10 years. This timeframe may be even shorter given the higher load capacity and greater cleaning efficiency of the new technology equipment, resulting in increased production and higher profits margins.

The impacts of these cost savings are further evidenced by the fact that none of the loans to dry cleaners have gone into default. Information collected during the loan application process indicates that dry cleaners are keenly aware of the cost savings possible with the new technology equipment, and point to them as a means to help them qualify financially for the loan program. This scenario provides a positive benefit to the MPCA by providing a reliable, self-perpetuating, and growing source of funding for the program via monthly principal and interest payments. The small business community is benefited by the continued existence of program funds to finance new environmental improvement projects.

As a brief aside, not all of the information collected during the evaluations fell into quantifiable environmental or economic categories. Anecdotal information highlighting positive responses to the program were also collected. For example, many respondents indicated that they entered into the program because it was more flexible, and clearly more affordable than loans offered through traditional lending institutions. Others indicated that they elected to participate after receiving environmental compliance assistance from the MPCA’s Small Business Assistance Program. Many of the respondents indicated that they would not have conducted their projects without the program, while all of the respondents indicated that they would recommend the program to other businesses.

As indicated at the outset, the Small Business Environmental Improvement Loan Program has been a success from both sides of the regulatory fence. While somewhat brief, I hope that this "sector snapshot" has been helpful in illustrating this point. Future evaluations will be conducted to help monitor the environmental and economic pulses of the program. These evaluations will be used to keep the program on course with the needs of the small business community. As they become available we intend to share them through various forums, including this web site. In the interim, please feel free to contact me should you desire additional information regarding the MPCA’s Small Business Environmental Improvement Loan Program.

Hydronic heating from water heaters is similar to co-generation, capturing energy that would otherwise be wasted from heating water, and using it for other means. In the arena of food service, the City of Austin pays restaurants assistance to purchase booster water heaters for dish washing. The small, auxiliary water heaters boost the water temperature from the main water heaters to that needed for sanitary dishwashing. This allows the main water heater to be set at a lower temperature, saving energy and possibly increasing safety. On the residential side, the City promotes the installation of higher efficiency water heaters, similar to California standards, reducing energy demands. All of these measures help to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.

Some examples of eligible loan uses include environmental pollution control equipment, equipment to implement voluntary pollution prevention measures, or equipment and structures to implement agricultural best management practices.  The equipment must be needed by the small business to comply with the federal Clean Air Act or enable the small business to implement voluntary pollution prevention measures or Agricultural Best Management Practices.  Loans may not be used to comply with an enforcement action. 

Interest rates on these loans will be fixed at 3%. The maximum loan amount is $100,000 per borrower and repayment terms will be based upon the borrower's ability to repay and the useful life of the equipment, or the life of the BMP being implemented. There is an application fee of $30.00.

Loans may only be made to qualified businesses defined as small businesses that meet the definition of a small business found in § 10.1-1197.1 of the Code of Virginia; e.g., the business employs 100 or fewer people; and is a small business concern as defined in the federal Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. § 631 et seq.) as amended.

(from www.deq.state.va.us/osba/finance.html#loanfund)

Francis Campbell
DEQ Office of Financial Management
800.592.5482

King County (Seattle, Washington) provides technical and financial assistance to businesses that are considered small quantity generators (SQGs) to assist them to come into compliance with applicable environmental regulations. The purpose of the Voucher Incentive Program (VIP ) is to provide financial assistance for these businesses to better manage their hazardous materials. Field team staff issue vouchers to SQGs that have implemented the Best Management Practices (BMPs) specified by the field team staff. The VIP reimburses eligible businesses for half the cost of their hazardous materials management up to $500 per business site. The vouchers can cover costs associated with utilizing hazardous waste transporters, as well as treatment, storage, and disposal facilities (TSDFs). These costs might include services such as waste profiling; transportation and shipping; treatment, storage, and disposal; or recycling of hazardous materials. Vouchers may also be issued to help pay for the purchase of secondary containment, spill control, and cleanup equipment, fire suppression or safety equipment, personal protective equipment (PPE), and education or training pertinent to the management of hazardous materials. Vouchers do not cover disposal costs for nonhazardous wastes or services not specified by program field team staff. Businesses that receive reimbursement must agree to continue to manage their hazardous waste in a proper, responsible manner.

King County is currently working with the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency on joint inspections at automotive body shops. If the shops agree to adopt a certain standard of hazardous materials management, then the County can help shops attain this standard with Voucher Incentive Program funds. Shops can then apply to have their air emission permit fees reduced, and not have to have any local government agency inspection for a period of time, maybe two years. This is a cooperative effort that you may be able to practice in your State.