4 Types of Shop Paint Waste and How to Dispose Them




If you are in charge of a body shop or collision center, you must employ appropriate disposal techniques for the particular trash your company produces. Let’s examine four of these wastes and the requirements that the EPA sets for adhering to their disposal methods.

 

Determining whether a specific waste is harmful and being aware of the proper disposal techniques are also crucial.

 

Let’s examine a few typical wastes found in your body shop.

 

What are you doing with your paint booth filters, and who is changing them out?

 

Sort of Waste:

 

Not Dangerous

 

(With a few deviants)

 

Best Practices for Disposal:

 

Only if you have proof that they are not toxic may you dispose of them in the garbage.

 

The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) test must be finished in order to demonstrate and record that they are non-hazardous. They’re probably not dangerous unless your technicians clean or spray paint straight into the filters with their paint guns.

 

Unless your paint line products change, you only need to take the TCLP test once.  However, if you decide to switch to a new paint line, you will have to pass the TCLP exam.

 

If you would prefer not to have your paint booth filters TCLP tested, you can also have them removed by a waste vendor.

 

Pucks or Still Bottoms from the Solvent Recycler

Have you got a recycler for solvents?  If this is the case, the bag that emerges from the recycler is known as a still bottom.

 

Sort of Waste:

 

Dangerous

 

The TCLP test for this trash should not be paid for.

 

This garbage is classified as hazardous under EPA regulations (F Listed), regardless of the test results.

 

Best Practices for Disposal:

 

This 55-gallon drum should be filled with a bag of recycled paint, either solid or semi-solid, and marked “Hazardous Waste.” You will need to have a hazardous waste vendor remove your still bottoms.

 

Paint Waste Based on Water

 

Is the paint you’re pouring water-based?  If so, you must understand how to appropriately manage this waste stream.

 

Non-hazardous waste, with some exceptions

 

There are other actions you’ll need to record, even if your paint seller has stated it’s non-hazardous and can be put in the garbage.

 

Best Practices for Disposal:

 

Choice 1:

 

All solvent paint waste should be placed in a 55-gallon drum marked “hazardous waste” and removed accordingly.  This covers all trash produced by solvents.

 

Throw these in the garbage and avoid letting the paint solidify in the plastic liners.  This is an EPA violation and is regarded as throwing hazardous waste paint in the trash. Rather than letting the paint solidify, painters should empty all of the paint from their paint cup into the waste drum.

 

Choice #2:

 

Combine the white, powdered substance that your paint vendor sent you. This substance functions as a coagulant and hardens waste paint when it is mixed with water-based paint.

 

To ascertain whether this waste is non-hazardous and suitable for disposal in the trash, do the TCLP test on it. A change in the chemical or paint product being used is the only reason to repeat the one-time TCLP test. The only requirement not to be met is having all SDS for every paint contained in the container easily available and suitably compiled in case an EPA inspection comes up.

 

Paint Waste Based on Solvents

 

The majority of body shops and collision centers produce wastes with a solvent base. This is a result of the solvent basis of all clear coatings. You are still spraying a solvent-based clear coat and producing solvent-based paint waste even though you are using water-based paint.

 

Sort of Waste:

 

Universal or Dangerous

 

Best Practices for Disposal:

 

Choice 1:

 

All solvent paint waste should be placed in a 55-gallon drum marked “hazardous waste” and removed accordingly.  This covers all trash produced by solvents.

 

Throw these in the garbage and avoid letting the paint solidify in the plastic liners.  This is an EPA violation and is regarded as throwing hazardous waste paint in the trash. Rather than letting the paint solidify, painters should empty all of the paint from their paint cup into the waste drum.

 

Choice #2:

 

Place the spent solvent in a solvent recycler to follow the previously mentioned still bottoms disposal procedures.

 

Choice #3:

 

Gather the trash and arrange for it to be removed as universal garbage.

 

This option is only available if the waste is handled as universal waste by your waste vendor.  If not, you won’t be able to manage it and provide a label to it.

 

One advantage of handling this as universal garbage instead of hazardous waste is that you may be able to reduce your position as a hazardous waste generator, which could result in less stringent regulations and perhaps financial savings.

 

State-specific regulations apply to this universal waste management solution. Please confirm that this is a feasible choice by consulting your state’s EPA regulations. Or ask your SimpSocial consultant; they will provide you with the information.

 

Every collision center or body shop produces garbage that needs to be removed in some way.

 

based on the experiences of our consultants in the event that you do not have garbage of any kind removed, you are most likely not in complete compliance with EPA requirements.

 

Your environmental compliance issues can be resolved with our support with plan creation, permits, and compliance inspections.