| ECOLOGY |
For example, under the effluent trading project, Co., set up an effluent trade with another firm. New Jersey regulations limit the concentration of copper in effluent to 5.0 mg per L. Co.'s effluent contains 5.0 to 5.1 mg per L of copper. Co. purchased a copper effluent credit of 1 to 2 mg per L from another firm that treats its effluent more stringently than necessary, as a sort of insurance policy for the days when Co. might violate the regulatory limits. Ten percent of the copper credit will never be used, he adds.
This trade benefits both the environment and industry, because Co. will not have to install the expensive end-of-pipe equipment required to remove more copper from its effluent, and the total amount of copper emitted by the two firms is less than the regulations allow.
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