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WATCHING INASTELINES
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Automotive waste is a given in any service garage or bodyshop but, says Bryan Jarvis, be sure to collect, store and dispose of it correctly.
Large amounts of waste emanate from any modern business, especially your average commercial vehicle workshop. But controlling it has become as serious a consideration as heating, lighting or speeding up work throughputs.
Gone are the days of slippery mounds of used oil filters. half-empty paint cans and the inevitably oily rap being heaped around the back of the truck park. thank goodness. In fact.most modern facilities have been properly planned and built with sufficient space to safely site vehicle wash downs, oil and equipment stores and waste collection points.
Indeed, there are a number of companies that will design complete new workshop premises and manage the entire project on a turnkey basis: packages include bodyshops,special test areas and washing facilities, all fitted-out with suitable equipment. But 'a range of 'green' issues can c long delays well before any such prc reach fruition.
According to Graham Palmer Sc every aspect has to be covered and includes complying with the Envirc Protection Act, Special Waste Regul 1996, COSSH (Control of Substar Hazardous to Health) regulated compressed air, dust and exhau extraction and so on.
But waste is the vital eleme, package and every designer i has to consider how such mai should be managed.
Old oils, brake fluid and s are the most hazardous lig dispose of but used filters. I ies, tyres, exhaust systems a packaging must also be eau effectively, says Graham Pal "Drippy old oil or fuel filten normally be tossed in a large bin can supply crushers to save the oil and let you store four times the nur filters in a recovery skip," he adds.
One of the biggest headaches is in the waste oils collection and storage within any repair and maintenance A irtec WOO, which recently brok from parent group Steal also desi builds new workshop installations. workshop operators with a range o al engine oil changing equipment, i the Femco vacuum or gravity syste rather neat Esoc machine.
It couples ahead of an engine's oi] at the special sump plug, then simpl! the old oil and recharges the block v sort of dialysis treatment.
But whichever method of oil retri used, when it comes to storage there very strong guidelines to adhere to.
For example, the Control of Polh Storage) (England) Regulations 20 came into effect last March, place a duty on a workshop manager or ov install properly bunded tanks, to fit around oil storage containers, and leaks and spillages.
This secondary containment appl new oil tank installations on any ind business site; existing ones have until September 2005 to comply.
The rules don't apply if your containers are stored in suitable buildings or underground. if they hold only waste oil or if their capacity is less than 200 litres.
Another factor to consider is the distance between your storage facility and a water supply. It must be at least l Om from any watercourse, and 50m from a well or bore hole.
Waste oil regulation is covered by numerous sets of rules. Mineral oils, which are considered the worst pollutant, come under Waste Management Licensing while synthetic or mixed engine oils are covered by Oil Storage Regulations.
To help unravel them,the Environment Agency's PPGl9 Pollution Prevention Guidelines contain a list of references and you can glean further information from one of its websites;www.netregs.gov.uk.
But whether waste oil is pumped or poured into storage tanks, the tanks must have an over-fill prevention device to guard against spillages. "it has to be the key part of any waste oil facility." says Ledbury Welding & Engineering's sales director Kevin Powell. "And fit the overfill alarm inside, to stop the tradesman from sending more oil down the pipeline.
"Workshop staff should always take that into account." he adds,"because if waste oil gets into any watercourse, the penalties are very severe."
Ledbury's range of storage tanks all meet pollution control requirements and their pipeline connections are located within the bunded area to contain any spills from the suction equipment.
Powell warns garages that drainage drums and storage tanks should all be double skinned. He advises them not to accept any made of cheap, thin metal."Stick to the regular `dalek'like containers and use pneumatics to transfer waste into the storage tank," he adds.
HAZARDOUS Much of the waste churned out by multi-site workshops can be clas sified as hazardous. hut under Duty of Care and the Environment Protection Act the owners are responsible for proper disposal. That means ensuring that any contractor used to remove and dispose of it is also operating properly and legally.
Recycling plastic parts such as bumpers, valances, partitions and some electrical components is best left to the properly licensed specialists which all operate regular collection services, such as Autoplas of Warrington.
These damaged panels and components are converted back into plastic granules and recycled.
But handling hazardous waste is very highly specialised so getting any of the large national groups to shift it seems like good advice.
Their forte is removing and recycling most of any garage's waste streams; used oilsaters,batteries, absorbent granules, cleaning rags.solvents: indeed everything covered by the Special Waste regulations.
One such company. Knowsley-based OSS Group, offers bespoke waste management packages tailored to suit local needs and requirements.
As well as taking contaminated fuels and waste solvents, it will recycle brake fluids for reuse, and reprocess engine and transmission oils for use as heating oil in workshops or storage depots.
"We are currently looking to split old filters into separate recyclable parts [metal, paper, oil]," says its director of garage services Robert Oakley,"and examining recycling options for anti-freeze and glycol too."
Importantly, OSS also handles the necessary documentation that relates to volatile organic compounds (VOC) such as the solvents used in many bodyshops.
User sites have to complete Environment Agency returns, saying exactly how much is being used or returned, but OSS will take care of it as just another part of its service. Another national waste specialist. Safetykleen.
recycles over 90% of the waste it collects. Among its core offerings are parts-washing and spraygun-cleaning machines to workshops for rent. Such arrangements may also include disposal (and recycling) of solvent waste,and this in turn enables Safetykleen to offer a choice of cleaning solvents to suit every cleaning application. It also offers aerosol-free.air-driven brake and clutch cleaners, which use aqueous cleaning solutions to remove all dirt. dust and soil from components. It eliminates airborne brake dust from the workshop environment too. An air blower speeds the drying process and the fluid, which is recyclable, contains a powerful rust inhibitor to enhance the finish. The company operates a fleet of specialist waste fluid collectors and these will swap empty colour-coded drums for full ones, and then re-process the waste for normal reuse, or to fuel garage heaters. But just like OSS and other large waste, lection specialists, Safetykleen offers inval assistance by providing the necessary wasi transfer paperwork to help customers me, responsibilities with regard to Duty of Ca] With such an array of control legislati, place and an Environment Agency empowered to enforce it, business owne managers should take a pragmatic appr, It is everyone's duty to ensure that the dispose of their own waste correctly, anc includes using only licensed contractors keeping records of the waste transferre( After all, the ultimate responsibility fi proper waste disposal rests with the per producing the waste. Does that mean ye