5 November 2008
Environmental Awareness
What’s in Your Shop?
 Environmental issues are important today. If you haven’t taken a look around your shop lately to see what needs to be cleaned up/changed to be more environmentally correct, now’s the time.
Everyone generates waste and you’re no exception. In that light, you need to determine the type of wastes you create and determine that you are indeed complying with all the rules for handling those wastes. First establish what kind of wastes you may have. The most common are:
|
• used oil/used oil filters
• used antifreeze
• used solvents, paints, coatings
• used batteries
• used tires
• used rags/other absorbent materials
• waste wash and rinse water
|
Find out if your wastes are hazardous. Characteristic hazardous waste has any of the following characteristics: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity.
Used oil/oil filters
It seems that used oil could be a hazardous waste if it’s mixed after its use with hazardous materials like gasoline or solvents. It is not considered a hazardous waste if it’s recycled on- or off-site. Today, used oil is often reused or recycled and is therefore dependent on it’s own management requirements. These can be found at www.ec.gc.ca where you can ‘search’ for ‘used oil.’
Used oil filters aren’t a hazardous waste if they’re properly drained: hot drain and crush; dismantle and hot-drain; pierce the filter anti-drain back valve or filter dome and hot drain for 12 hours, or use any hot draining method that’ll remove all the used oil in the filter. Then the filter can be safely recycled with other scrap metal. Take the oil you’ve removed from the filter and combine it with other used oil. Get more tips from the Filter Manufacturers Council, www.filtercouncil.org
Did you know that spilling or pouring one gallon/.220 litres of used oil on the ground can cause 1 million gallons/ 220,000 litres of water to become undrinkable?
Antifreeze, batteries, solvents
Antifreeze is usually based on ethylene glycol and, over time, becomes contaminated with fuel, oil metals, and dirt. It also breaks down to form acids therefore coolant mixtures are periodically drained and replaced. Used antifreeze is dangerous as ethylene glycol is poisonous to small children and animals. Again, antifreeze is not considered hazardous waste if it is recycled in a closed loop system on-site.
Lead-acid batteries should be disposed of properly as even small amounts of lead in the body can damage humans. Used batteries waiting to go to the recycling facility should be kept indoors in a noncorrosive container, stored upright or on a covered platform with a sealed surface where battery leaks can’t reach drains. You need to check often for leaks.
Used solvents are considered hazardous when the flashpoint is under 140°F/60°C. Some solvents could be hazardous because of the characteristic of toxicity. These solvents (i.e. from a parts washer) should be segregated from other wastes in leak-free, tightly closed labelled containers.
Shop rags, wash & rinse water
Shop rags/absorbents could be considered hazardous depending on how they’ve been used. If they’ve been used with hazardous waste solvents, they’re potentially a hazardous waste. In that case, don’t throw them in the dumpster. Soiled shop towels should be kept in a closed container and clearly marked. You should use an industrial rag laundry service.
Wash water and rinse water from parts and washing down of engines and dirty tools need to be properly treated as well. They could have become mixed with oil, antifreeze solutions, solvents, or other liquids. If you think the water could be hazardous, you should not empty into a storm sewer.
There are many more elements to look out for at your shop—transmission filters, brake/carb cleaners, transmission fluid, brake fluid plus fluorescent lamps, to name just a few more. And you likely noticed, we didn’t get into the used tire hazards! Remember, rules and regulations are different across the provinces. Be sure to check out the ones that apply to your shop. | 
