Under current Federal regulations the metal finishing industry must control the wastewater and hazardous wastes they generate. This can be accomplished through the use of cost-effective waste management techniques. These range from simple water conservation techniques to more advanced material recovery systems. All of these methods are based on readily available technologies, which are simple and inexpensive to install, operate, and maintain. A systematic application of these methods can result in a significant reduction in the cost of wastewater treatment and hazardous waste disposal. Yet, these techniques are not widely used within the metal finishing industry. This paper presents some of the results of two studies into the application of these techniques to metal finishing facilities within Maryland.