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This information is intended to serve as a guide to responsible waste management for auto repair shops. It is meant for conditionally exempt small quantity generators of hazardous waste and does not supersede Delaware’s Regulations Governing Hazardous Waste (7 DE Admin. Code 1302).
Compliance and Permitting Section
302-739-9403
Do keep antifreeze in two separate, closed containers: one for antifreeze that cannot be reused marked “WASTE ANTIFREEZE ONLY,” and one for antifreeze that can be reused marked “USABLE ANTIFREEZE ONLY.”
Do have your antifreeze recycled.
Do be sure when recycling antifreeze on your the premises, that filters and sludges generated by the recycling process receive a hazardous waste determination.
Do be sure to manage any hazardous waste appropriately.
Don’t dispose of antifreeze by pouring it into a storm drain, septic system, dry well, and never pour antifreeze onto the ground.
Don’t pour antifreeze into a sewer drain, without first contacting your sewer authority or your wastewater treatment plant to obtain approval.
Don’t mix waste antifreeze with any other waste, for example used oil or solvents. Keep wastes separate.
Used lead acid batteries are a hazardous waste but can be managed under reduced hazardous waste requirements when reclaimed. (DRGHW Part 266, Subpart G)
Do avoid long-term storage of spent lead acid batteries by sending them to a battery reclaimer at least every six months.
Do store batteries upright in a secure, covered location and check them often for leaks.
Do place batteries with cracked casings into a sturdy container, and carefully clean up any leaked fluids.
Don’t store batteries outside.
Don’t place the batteries into a dumpster or the trash.
Don’t drain battery acid into a storm drain, septic system, dry well, or sewer, and never drain battery acid onto the ground.
Do manage brake fluid as a used oil.
Do recycle brake fluid and used oil
Do place brake fluid into containers labeled ”USED OIL.”
Do keep containers holding used brake fluid closed, except when adding or removing the waste.
Don’t mix brake fluid with any other waste other than used oil.
Don’t pour brake fluid into a storm drain, septic system, dry well, or sewer, and never pour brake fluid onto the ground.
Don’t spray brake cleaner near brake fluid, as the cleaner may cause the brake fluid to become a hazardous waste.
Do consider eliminating chlorinated carburetor cleaner and switching to a less hazardous, non-chlorinated cleaner.
Do keep containers of chlorinated carburetor cleaner closed when not in use to avoid evaporation.
Do recycle carburetor cleaner when it becomes spent (no longer usable).
Do label containers of spent (used) carburetor cleaner “HAZARDOUS WASTE” or “HAZARDOUS WASTE – CARB CLEANER.”
Don’t dispose of spent carburetor cleaner by pouring it into a storm drain, septic system, dry well, or sewer and never pour brake fluid onto the ground.
Don’t put sludge from your cold tank into a dumpster, into the trash, or onto the ground.
Do keep floors clean.
Do catch leaks before they hit the floor and place the collected spill and spill materials into an appropriate waste container.
Do clean small, non-chlorinated spills immediately with absorbent. Sweep and save the absorbent for reuse until its absorbing ability is gone. Once this occurs, the used absorbent can then be placed into your regular trash, provided the Delaware Solid Waste Authority has given its approval.
Do obtain permission from your local wastewater treatment plant before directing floor cleaning wastes into the sewer.
Do use absorbent pads and wring out into appropriate waste container when the pads become saturated.
Don’t use absorbents to clean up chlorinated solvents and then dispose of the absorbents into the trash dumpster without first making a hazardous waste determination.
Don’t let floor cleaning wastewater enter an outside or inside storm drain or dry well or enter a septic system.
Do recycle waste freon on the premises using EPA certified recycling or recovery equipment
Do keep records of the dates and amounts of freon collected and recycled onsite.
Don’t evaporate or vent freon. This is illegal.
Don’t forget to manage filters from freon recovery equipment as hazardous waste.
Do accumulate used fuel filters in a separate, marked, fireproof container.
Do determine through testing if your fuel filters are hazardous. If a hazardous waste, manage and dispose of them accordingly.
Don’t put used fuel filters in a dumpster or with your regular trash if they are a hazardous waste.
Don’t put non-hazardous used fuel filters in a dumpster or your regular trash until you have received approval from the Delaware Solid Waste Authority.
Do accumulate all sludge from hot tanks in closed containers marked with the words “HAZARDOUS WASTE.”
Do ensure proper disposal of the waste.
Do consider alternative cleaning methods such as detergent-based parts washers to avoid the generation of hazardous waste.
Don’t dispose of spent hot tank solution down any drain or onto the ground.
Don’t put hot tank sludge into a dumpster or onto the ground.
Do change booth filters only when necessary
Do make sure that booth filters are installed properly and cover all openings
Do understand that lead and other metal-based paints can make your filters hazardous. Before disposal, you must make a hazardous waste determination.
Do ensure spray booth filters are managed properly if a hazardous waste.
Don’t dispose of spray paint booth filters in a dumpster or with your regular trash until a hazardous waste determination is made.
Do use less hazardous cleaning solvents, ones without chlorinated compounds, to avoid generating shop towels that must be managed as hazardous waste
Do understand what solvents make shop towels hazardous waste, and manage these towels appropriately.
Do ensure non-hazardous shop towels containing oil and grease are laundered where wastewater is discharged to a sewer connected to a municipal treatment plant.
Don’t throw dirty towels into a dumpster or out with your regular trash unless you know they are a non-hazardous waste.
Don’t saturate towels with solvents. When possible, wring towels out, collect and reuse the solvent
Don’t allow shop towels contaminated with chlorinated solvents to air dry
Don’t dispose of solvents by pouring them into containers of used shop towels
Don’t dispose of solvents by pouring them into a storm drain, septic system, dry well, or sewer and never pour solvent onto the ground.
Do consider using less hazardous solvents or switching to a spray cabinet parts washer that doesn’t use solvent
Do consider purchasing a solvent distillation unit and recycling spent solvent onsite. (Sludges, filters and still bottoms generated from onsite solvent distillation (recycling) are typically hazardous waste and must be managed as such.)
Do ensure if you recycle onsite, you keep a log of dates, recycled amounts and batch make-up amounts.
Do make sure solvent is too dirty to use before it is exchanged for new solvent.
Do keep different types of solvents in separate, labeled, and closed containers.
Do install a filter on your solvent sink to greatly increase the life of the solvent (but remember to make a hazardous waste determination on the filters to be disposed and manage them appropriately).
Do ensure if you have other waste solvents, you keep them in separate, appropriately labeled containers.
Don’t dispose of spent solvents by pouring them into a storm drain, septic system, dry well, or sewer and never pour solvents onto the ground.
Don’t mix solvents with any other waste. Don’t use solvents near used oil, they may make the used oil a hazardous waste.
Don’t evaporate solvents as a means of disposal.
Do consider switching to a spray cabinet system.
Do determine through testing whether your spray cabinet wastes are hazardous waste.
Do skim off oil from spray cabinet wash water and place it into your used oil container.
Do close off any drains leading to storm drains, sewers, dry wells, or septic systems.
Do accumulate spray cabinet sludge in sturdy, closed containers and dispose of as a hazardous waste when required.
Don’t pour spray cabinet wash water into a storm drain, septic system, dry well, and never pour the wash waster onto the ground. This can lead to water contamination and liability problems for you.
Don’t put spray cabinet sludge into the dumpster or out with your regular trash unless you know it is a non-hazardous waste.
Don’t pour spray cabinet wash water onto the ground, manage it properly.
Don’t allow wash water to enter the sewer without permission from your local sewer utility.
Do use the entire contents in the spray can before starting another.
Do manage any malfunctioning spray can (for example, the tip breaks off or the spray nozzle becomes permanently clogged), as hazardous waste or consider returning it to your supplier.
Do consider phasing out spray cans in your shop.
Don’t throw spray cans into a dumpster or out with your regular trash as they are hazardous waste.
Do ensure all sludges undergo a hazardous waste determination when removed. Keep all records.
Do make sure that hazardous waste sludge is send it to a hazardous waste management facility.
Don’t put hazardous waste sludge into the dumpster with regular trash or onto the ground.
Don’t use a septic tank pumping service to remove this sludge. There is no legal, environmentally safe way for these services to dispose of the sludge if it is a hazardous waste.
Do gravity hot-drain the filters using a method to ensure all free-flowing fluid is removed. When drained in this manner, metal filters can be recycled as scrap metal.
Do keep undrained filters in a container marked “USED OIL” or “USED OIL – TRANSMISSION FILTERS ONLY.”
Do collect the oil drained from filters with other used oil.
Don’t put undrained or improperly drained filters into a dumpster or out with your regular trash. These filters are considered used oil.
Don’t put properly drained filters into a dumpster or out with the regular trash until the Delaware Solid Waste Authority has given its approval.
Do manage used crude-based fluids as you would used oil.
Don’t pour these fluids into a storm drain, septic system, dry well, sewer system, dumpster, or onto the ground.
Don’t accidentally contaminate your used oil container by mixing these fluids with even small amounts of brake cleaner, carb cleaner, or other wastes. This could turn the entire mixture into a hazardous waste.
Do keep used oil in a separate container marked “USED OIL .”
Do keep containers of used oil closed except when it is necessary to add or remove used oil.
Do place your used oil containers in a secure area.
Do make sure used oil is tested to be “on spec” if you burn used oil obtained from another business.
Do keep records of all used oil testing and shipments.
Don’t pour used oil into a storm drain, septic system, dry well, sewer, dumpster, or onto the ground.
Don’t accidentally contaminate used oil by mixing it with even small amounts of brake cleaner or carb cleaner. This could turn the entire mixture into a hazardous waste.
Don’t pour used oil on the ground, even for dust suppression.
Don’t mix used oil with incompatible wastes such as used antifreeze.
Don’t mix your used oil or “do-it-yourselfer” used oil with any other waste if you plan to burn it in your shop for heating.
Do gravity hot-drain used oil filters using a method to ensure all free flowing oil is removed.
Do recycle all properly drained used oil filters as scrap metal.
Do manage undrained used oil filters as used oil. Do keep undrained oil filters in a container marked “USED OIL” or “USED OIL-UNDRAINDED FILTERS ONLY”.
Do locate a metals recycler who accepts properly drained used oil filters or contact a Delaware permitted used oil transporter to manage your undrained used oil filters.
Don’t put undrained used oil filters into the dumpster.
Don’t put drained used oil filters into the dumpster as the metal can be recycled.
Do place all oil-based waste paint and solvent into a closed drum labeled “HAZARDOUS WASTE” OR “HAZARDOUS WASTE- PAINT SOLVENT.”
Do make sure solvent is too dirty to use before placing it into a hazardous waste container.
Do consider purchasing a spray gun cleaning unit. These units recirculate solvent, therefore, reducing the amount of solvent used and reducing the amount of hazardous waste solvent generated.
Do consider purchasing your own solvent distillation unit l and recycling dirty solvent onsite for re-use. (Still bottoms and sludges generated during distillation are hazardous waste.)
Do give excess oil-based paint to customers for use as touch-up paint rather than having to manage it as a hazardous waste.
Don’t pour waste paint or spent solvents into a storm drain, septic system, dry well, or sewer and never pour these waste onto the ground.
Don’t mix oil-based paint and paint solvents with other waste, including latex paint.
Don’t evaporate solvents and solvent based paint waste as a means of disposal.
Don’t throw sludges from distillation units into a dumpster or out with your regular trash.
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