The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has funded a pilot project to assist small and medium-size manufacturers who want to minimize their generation of waste but who lack the expertise to do so. In an effort to assist these manufacturers Waste Minimization Assessment Centers (WMACs) were established at selected universities and procedures were adapted from the EPA Waste Minimization Opportunity Assessment Manual (EPA/625/7-88/003, July 1988). That document has been superseded by the Facility Pollution Prevention Guide (EPA/600/R-92/088, May 1992). The WMAC team at the University of Tennessee performed an assessment at a plant that manufactures various types of metal fasteners for automobiles, furniture, and appliances. Products are manufactured from steel, brass, copper, and aluminum wire and rod stock in two production lines-large part production and small part production. In large part production, header machines press wire stock into specific product shapes which are washed, machined, and in some cases heat-treated and polished. Small parts are manufactured from wire and rod stock in a series of machining operations, then washed, heat treated and polished, before shipment to an outside firm for surface finishing. The team's report, detailing findings and recommendations indicated that a large amount of plant oil waste is shipped off-site for fuels blending and a significant quantity of oily sludge waste is shipped offsite for disposal as non-hazardous waste. Large cost savings can be achieved by the plant through the use of alternative methods of removing metal chips from parts, thereby reducing intermediate washings.