About

Description

The Retired Engineer Technical Assistance Program (RETAP) was established by the State of Michigan to help Michigan businesses and institutions prevent pollution, reduce waste and conserve energy. The Retired Engineer Technical Assistance Foundation (RETAF), a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) foundation incorporated in the State of Michigan, provides these technical services through a contract with the State of Michigan. The Environmental Science and Services Division within the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality administers the program.

Pollution prevention (P2), as defined by the state, includes source reduction and environmentally sound on-site or off-site recycling and reuse of materials. The core of RETAP assistance is to offer on-site pollution prevention and energy conservation assessments to Michigan small businesses and institutions. RETAP assessment teams are made up of retirees from many Michigan industries willing to apply their skills, expertise, and time to assess potential pollution and waste problems and to provide recommendations for improvement. The assessments are performed only at the request of the organization and at no cost to that organization. A confidential report is provided only to the assessed business or institution.

The program is NOT one of compliance with or enforcement of regulations. Implementation of the recommendations is entirely voluntary and at the discretion of the facility management. Acceptance of the offered assistance is evidence of a good faith effort at waste reduction and pollution prevention, and may ease the process for the business or institution to be eligible for low-interest pollution prevention loans from the State.

What Does RETAP Offer and What are the Benefits?

This program provides confidential and non-regulatory on-site pollution prevention and energy efficiency assessments for Michigan small businesses and institutions, free of charge.
Teams of RETAP professionals review operations for potential waste reduction strategies and pollution prevention opportunities, including source reduction, reuse, recycling, and energy efficiency.
Assessed businesses receive written, confidential reports that identify pollution prevention options and contain specific recommendations to save money, increase efficiency, reduce need for costly waste disposal and treatment, and promote a positive public image.
All reports are sent directly to the company by the Retired Engineer Technical Assistance Foundation (RETAF), a nonprofit corporation providing the technical services for the program. It is staffed by dedicated retired engineers and scientists with extensive experience in pollution prevention, waste reduction, energy conservation and on-site assistance.
The program does not impose any obligation to implement the recommendations. However, significant cost savings can be achieved from implementing pollution prevention and energy efficiency techniques. Follow-up with companies assisted through RETAP has shown large savings in annual cost as well as large reductions in usage of utilities and tonnage of waste disposed in landfills.