The Big Picture

PCR Credit: Good Neighbor Practices 

(1-3 Points, Reciprocal)

Credit Summary

This credit aims to minimize impacts on community quality of life from material recovery and organics processing facility operations. It intends to shine light on the benefits of these services and show how they actually improve the quality of life for residents within the services jurisdictions. 

Impact Summary

Minimizing impacts of material recovery and organics processing facility operations on community quality of life is important in the efforts to improve and increase sustainable practices. This will improve the quality of life for humans, plants, and animals in these settings, making them better places to work and live. Specific improvements will include less noise, less odors from waste, pest and vermin control, less traffic, improved litter management, and reduced likelihood of air and water pollution in the area. 

Submittal Summary

Depending on the Tier to be achieved, there are different degrees of requirements. For Tier 1, the lowest tier, achieve 1 Credit from PCR 6, 7 or 8 and have no unresolved complaints or violations within the last year for noise, traffic, pests or vermin, odor, and litter and be in compliance with NPDES permit requirements. See below for required documentation.

Case Studies and Benefits

Good Neighbor Environmental Board On the government level, the EPA’s Good Neighbor Environmental Board advises the President and Congress of the United States on good neighbor practices along the U.S. border with Mexico. Its recommendations are focused on environmental infrastructure needs within the U.S. states contiguous to Mexico.

Intent and Requirements

Intent

To minimize impacts on community quality of life from material recovery and organics processing facility operations.

Local Government and Industry Requirements

Material recovery and/or organic processing facility/facilities owned or utilized by the Local Government or Company servicing the jurisdiction implement(s) an operational plan that addresses all aspects of operations and that is intended to improve the quality of life for the surrounding residents and/or businesses.

And

• Litter control and mitigation measures are implemented onsite.
• Litter is inspected and recovered:
  • Urban: within 100 yards of the facility’s boundary and at least half a mile¼ along primary access routes.
  • Sub-urban: within 100 yards of the facility’s boundary and at least 2 1 miles along primary access routes.
  • Rural: within 100 yards of the facility’s boundary and at least 2 miles along primary access routes.
• Dust control and mitigation measures are implemented onsite
• Dust control and mitigation measures are implemented:
  • Urban: Within 100 yards of the facility’s boundary and at least ¼ mile along primary access routes.
  • Sub-urban: Rural: Within 100 yards of the facility’s boundary and at least 1 mile along primary access routes.
  • Rural: Within 100 yards of the facility’s boundary and at least 2 miles along primary access routes.
• Install filtration on exhaust ventilation system to the outdoors that captures > 80 percent of PM 2.5 or smaller particles for any enclosed facilities.
• Implement measures that do not allow runoff to exit the site untreated.
• New Facilities are not built within the designated Buffer Zone of residences, schools, parks, prisons, playgrounds, nursing homes, day care centers, or other places people live or congregate. 

The Buffer Zone requirement does not apply to Existing Facilities.27

• Has a system in place to receive and address comments from the community.

And

Tier 1: (1 point)

• Achieve 1 Credit from PCR 6,7 or 8 and
• No unresolved complaints or violations within the last year;
  • Noise
  • Traffic
  • Pest/Vermin
  • Odor
  • Litter
  • NPDES permit requirements

Tier 2: (+1 point)

• Achieve 2 Credits from PCR 6,7, or 8 and
• No unresolved complaints or violations within the last two years
  • Noise
  • Traffic
  • Pest/Vermin
  • Odor
  • Litter
  • NPDES permit requirements

Tier 3: (+1 point)

• Achieve PCR Credits 6,7, and 8 and
• No unresolved complaints or violations within the last three years:
  • Noise
  • Traffic
  • Pest/Vermin
  • Odor
  • Litter
  • NPDES permit requirements

Potential Strategies:

• Follow stormwater management guidelines in PCD Credit 4
• Develop a traffic management plan in consultation with the local community
• Limit idling of waiting vehicles
• Implement Integrated Pest Management techniques
• Rapidly process materials to minimize putrefaction
• Install windscreens or other perimeter techniques to reduce or prevent litter and fugitive dust from escaping the site.

Why We Care

Minimizing impacts of material recovery and organics processing facility operations on community quality of life, especially in close proximity to these facilities, is important in the efforts to improve and increase sustainable practices. This credit would include implementation of litter control and mitigation measures onsite, litter inspected and recovered in urban, sub-urban, and rural settings, dust control and mitigation measures onsite, installing filtration on exhaust ventilation system to the outdoors that captures 80 percent of PM 2.5 or smaller particles for any enclosed facilities, measures that do not allow runoff to exit the site untreated, new facilities not built within the designated Buffer Zone of residences, schools, parks, prisons, playgrounds, nursing homes, day care centers, or other places people live or congregate. 

This will improve the quality of life for humans, plants, and animals in these settings, making them better places to work and live. Specific improvements will include less noise, less odors from waste, pest and vermin control, less traffic, improved litter management, and reduced likelihood of air and water pollution in the area. 

How to Meet the Requirements 

Depending on the Tier to be achieved, there are different degrees of requirements. For Tier 1, the lowest tier, achieve 1 Credit from PCR 6, 7 or 8 and have no unresolved complaints or violations within the last year for noise, traffic, pests or vermin, odor, and litter and be in compliance with NPDES permit requirements.

Potential Strategies:

• Follow stormwater management guidelines in PCD Credit: Effective Utilization of Recovered Methane

• Develop a traffic management plan in consultation with the local community
• Limit idling of waiting vehicles
• Implement Integrated Pest Management techniques
• Rapidly process materials to minimize putrefaction
• Install windscreens or other perimeter techniques to reduce or prevent litter and

fugitive dust from escaping the site.

 Required Documentation

• Required documentation includes:
  • Site map 
  • Maps and/or photographs of mitigation area based on urban, suburban, or rural setting
  • Stormwater mitigation plan
  • Annual logs of litter and dust control mitigation
  • Exhaust system filtration specification
  • Site map of new facility(ies) if applicable
  • Compliance report for the facility from the responsible agency(ies) for the last 1-3 years based on the tier being sought. 

Case Studies & In-Depth Information

Good Neighbor Environmental Board 

On the government level, good neighbor practices are already in use through the EPA’s Good Neighbor Environmental Board (GNEB), which advises the President and Congress of the United States on good neighbor practices along the U.S. border with Mexico. Its recommendations are focused on environmental infrastructure needs within the U.S. states contiguous to Mexico and requires membership from the governments of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas; and private organizations, including community development, academic, health, environmental, and other non-governmental entities with experience and expertise on environmental and infrastructure problems along the southwest border. 

The GNEB also confers regularly with Mexican organizations including The Region 1 National Advisory Council for Sustainable Development (Consejo). The statute requires the GNEB to submit an annual report to the President and the Congress. Its first report was published in 1995. Since that time, it has continued to provide an objective, consensus-based voice on strategic approaches for addressing U.S.-Mexico border issues. GNEB’s reports have been translated into Spanish and widely disseminated on both sides of the border. Recurring themes in its guidance include the following: focus on areas of greatest need; better integrate existing projects; support new initiatives that provide added value; involve many different organizations early on and throughout the process; and institute an underlying, environmentally sustainable framework as the basis for making decisions.

Referenced Standards

NDPES Permit Requirements

EPA Definition of NPDES Permit: The Clean Water Act prohibits anybody from discharging “pollutants” through a “point source” into a “water of the United States” unless they have an NPDES permit. The permit will contain limits on what you can discharge, monitoring and reporting requirements, and other provisions to ensure that the discharge does not hurt water quality or people’s health. In essence, the permit translates general requirements of the Clean Water Act into specific provisions tailored to the operations of each person discharging pollutants.

Definitions

Buffer Zone

EPA Definition: Buffer zones provide distance between the application block (i.e., edge of the treated field) and bystanders. Buffer zones:

• Allow airborne residues to disperse before reaching bystanders, reducing the potential for fumigant exposure.
• Are established around the perimeter of the application block.
• Extend outward from the edge of the application block perimeter equally in all directions

Fugitive Dust

EPA Definition: Significant atmospheric dust arises from the mechanical disturbance of granular material exposed to the air. Dust generated from these open sources is termed “fugitive” because it is not discharged to the atmosphere in a confined flow stream. Common sources of fugitive dust include unpaved roads, agricultural tilling operations, aggregate storage piles, and heavy construction operations.

Integrated Pest Management Techniques

UC IPM Definition: IPM is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of resistant varieties. Pesticides are used only after monitoring indicates they are needed according to established guidelines, and treatments are made with the goal of removing only the target organism. Pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, beneficial and nontarget organisms, and the environment.

NDPES Permit Requirements

EPA Definition of NPDES Permit: The Clean Water Act prohibits anybody from discharging “pollutants” through a “point source” into a “water of the United States” unless they have an NPDES permit. The permit will contain limits on what you can discharge, monitoring and reporting requirements, and other provisions to ensure that the discharge does not hurt water quality or people’s health. In essence, the permit translates general requirements of the Clean Water Act into specific provisions tailored to the operations of each person discharging pollutants.

Putrefaction

Merriam Webster Definition: The decomposition of organic matter.

Windscreens

Cambridge Dictionary Definition: the window at the front of a car, truck, etc.