ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

Academy Corporation strives to operate within the community as an environmentally responsive company. Our goal is to minimize the environmental impact associated with the production and use of our products. This means going beyond regulatory compliance by adopting an environmental management system to achieve a sustainable industry.

Academy’s environmental management system, the P2-Green Zia Committee, is committed to pollution prevention by reducing air, storm water and wastewater emissions, reducing solid waste, recycling and reducing natural resource consumption and increasing process efficiency. We ask that all employees contribute to this program of continuous improvement by reviewing all facets of the production process.

*Academy Precision Materials(APM), Academy’s subsidiary company, has also received Gold Pretreatment Awards for 1996, 1997, and 1998

Air Quality
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board has issued Academy Corp. a Registration Certificate and Authority to Construct Permit #494. In compliance with local, state and federal regulations, we are authorized for air emissions associated with the Secondary Smelting and Refining of Nonferrous Metals. We have installed air pollution control equipment to ensure the air quality is protected and that the byproducts generated from these cleaning technologies are recycled.

Wastewater Treatment
City of Albuquerque Public Works Department, Wastewater Utility Division has issued Academy Corporation a Wastewater Discharge Permit #2013A-9, #2013B and #2192A-2, which authorizes the discharge of wastewater to the City of Albuquerque Sanitary Sewer. In compliance with local, state and federal regulations, process wastewater from Academy is treated on-site prior to acceptable levels. Academy Annex is also certified under the 5-PPM Silver Program, which is a program certifying that Academy’s photographic solution recovery processes achieve 5 parts per million (PPM) or less silver in the wastewater discharge.

Storm Water
U.S. EPA has issued Academy Corp. an NPDES Storm Water Multi-Sector General Permit #NMR05A312. In compliance with federal regulations, we have completed extensive facility modifications to ensure that all storm water leaving the property is diverted to a single controlled outfall and have implemented the Best Management Practices described in our SWPPP in order to minimize pollutant discharges to storm water receptors.

Waste Management
As a total recycling facility, Academy’s waste generator status is, and has been a Conditionally-Exempt Small Quantity Generator (CESQG < 100 kg of Hazardous Waste per month) under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). We are not a permitted TSD facility and as such cannot accept hazardous waste for recycling. But we do accept a wide variety of precious metal materials for reclamation. Almost all of the byproduct material generated in our process is recycled for precious and base metal recovery.

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know
Academy has demonstrated community leadership in environmental stewardship by virtue of its involvement as an original member of the New Mexico Silver Users Association. Academy is an active member of the Photographic Imaging and Manufacturing Association (PIMA) and contributed in writing a Code of Practice for the photoprocessing industry. Academy is committed to following local, state, and federal regulation guidelines in regards to Emergency Planning and the Community Right-to-Know Act.