Royal Green Corp., Berks County, has eliminated 11,000 tons of residual waste and saved $150,000 in costs by installing a new system to recover previously waste metals from its operations.

The $50,000 cost of the project was recovered in the first three years of operation. This was the first of two projects that Royal Green implemented

Royal Green financed the project using a loan from the Small Business Pollution Prevention Assistance Account Program administered by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Loans of up to $100,000 with a 2 percent interest rate and a maximum term of ten years are available under the program.

The loan must be used to purchase or upgrade equipment, or to implement a process change, that reduces or reuses raw materials on-site, reduces the production of waste at the source or significantly reduces energy consumption. Equipment and processes that focus on recycling or pollution control (scrubbers, filters, dust collectors, etc.) are ineligible for the loan.

The project must have a payback period less than or equal to the term of the loan and the expected benefits must extend beyond the term of the loan.

For more information visit the Pollution Prevention Assistance Account Program webpage or contact Gene DelVecchio at 717 772-8951 or send e-mail to gdelvecchi@state.pa.us .

12/1/2006