Paint Waste: Liquid vs. Still Bottoms

Barrels of paint waste = $$$$$$ for removal. In liquid form, paint waste is indeed considered to be hazardous waste and must be treated as such. Mathematically, the waste management figures can be downright scary over a five-year period.

Calculate the waste management cost ($ per month x 12 months x 5 yrs) then add the cost of replacement thinner. Many shops have already discovered solvent recyclers. By recovering approximately 90% of a shop's solvent, a solvent recycler can pay for itself very quickly.

Not all shops, however, have discovered that they are not limited to having still bottoms hauled away with a manifest”..Cooking out paint waste that has been cut with recycled thinner will produce a hard, dry “cookie” that resembles hardened urethane foam. In this form, TCLP (or a stack metals test if incinerator disposal is available) can be performed on a still bottom and provide evidence that such materials are appropriate for local disposal under Conditionally-exempt Small Quantity Generator (CESQG) regulations 261.5(g)(3).

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