A Pollution Prevention Guide for Fleet Management

Fleet Management

Companies involved in the transportation of goods produce many types of waste -- some hazardous, some not necessarily hazardous but still potentially damaging to the environment if not handled properly, and all requiring proper treatment and/or disposal at significant cost to the business. A list of the types of waste that such businesses must contend with might include:

Whatever the nature and characteristics of the waste may be, it all has one thing in common: All waste represents loss of resources and loss of money.

Your company can benefit in a number of ways from reducing the amount of waste it needs to dispose of. The benefits include:

• reduced operating costs
• reduced waste disposal costs
• reduced long-term liability
• preservation of environmental quality
• improved workplace safety and health
• projection of a positive public image

Waste Reduction Technique for Fleet Management Wastes

Solvents

Trucking companies typically use solvents in a variety of operations, including parts cleaning, degreasing, and painting. Many of these solvents may be classified as hazardous waste, and may therefore require expensive treatment and/or disposal. A number of pollution prevention strategies can be used to reduce both the toxicity and the quantity of spent solvents requiring disposal:

• Try to find one multipurpose solvent that can serve a variety of uses, rather than having a different solvent for each operation. This will minimize the number of waste streams and increase the recycling potential of the spent solvent.
• Replace solvent cleaners with less hazardous substitutes. Consider water-based cleaners or water-soluble cutting fluids, or install a pressure wash system if feasible. Ask your supplier about suitable substitutes.
• Extend the life of solvent baths. Some ways to do this are by pre-cleaning parts with rags before placing them in the bath (then having the rags cleaned for reuse) or by using old solvent as a pre-soak to remove most of the dirt or grease before introducing the parts into the fresh bath.
• Minimize the amount of cleaning solvent lost during drainage of cleaned parts. Remove parts from the bath slowly to prevent spillage; install drip trays or racks near the bath for draining cleaned parts; return the drainage to the bath.
• Use on-site recovery techniques to make solvents reusable. Consider leasing or purchasing solvent recovery equipment. Common methods of recovery are:
  • Decanting -- drawing off liquids from the settled sludge. Alternatively, the bottom sludge may be drained out.
  • Filtration -- passing solvent through a porous medium to remove the solids
  • Distillation -- separating liquids from each other by taking advantage of their different boiling points.
• If the solvents cannot be made reusable, try to find a way to recycle them. One possibility for accomplishing this is to purchase solvents from a company that will pick up and recycle the spent solvent.

Oils

Used oil is a valuable resource. Handled improperly, though, it can cause serious environmental problems and result in significant financial liability for the generator of the waste oil. Here are some tips to help you avoid such problems:

• Use drip pans to catch lube oils for reuse. Handle oils carefully to avoid spillage.
• Contract with a reputable recycler to collect your used oil. You may be able to obtain information about oil recycling from the National Oil Recyclers Assn., 2777 Broadway Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44115.

Other Wastes

• Substitute detergent-based solution for caustic cleaning solution.
• Clean parts mechanically, rather than chemically, whenever possible.
• Use paints with higher solids content, or water-based paints with no solvent, whenever possible.

Recycling Fleet Management Wastes

Many of the wastes generated by transportation companies can be recycled. It may take a little work to find reliable, reputable recyclers for some materials, but the effort will usually pay off in the long run by reducing the company's disposal costs and future liabilities. The Pollution Prevention and Compliance Assistance Program (739-3822) may be able to help find takers for some of these materials:

• Scrap metal -- take to a metal recycler. Look in the Yellow Pages under Scrap Metals, or contact the Pollution Prevention and Compliance Assistance Program for a copy of DNREC's Recyclers Directory.
• Freon -- make sure it is properly handled and recycled. Even small amounts of freon pose a serious environmental threat because of their tremendous potential for destruction of stratospheric ozone. The Clean Air Act requires the recycling of freon. Call DNREC's Air Resources Section at 739-4791 for help in meeting this requirement.
• Waste antifreeze -- arrange to have it picked up by a recycler.
• Scrap tires -- depending on the shop's location and the number of tires collected, it may be cost effective to contract with a tire retreader or recycler to take the tires, rather than send them to a landfill. The Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Branch of DNREC can supply names of companies that accept waste tires call 739-3689.
• Batteries -- for information about handling and recycling used batteries, contact the Battery Council International (800-658-1200).
• Sludge from drains and sumps – de-water the sludge and test for hazardous waste characteristics. If the material is found to be non-hazardous, some of its components may be reusable the petroleum components as industrial fuel, and the sand or grit as aggregate in the production of asphalt.

Getting Quick Results at Little or No Cost

Improving certain inventory control methods and operating procedures can begin to pay off almost immediately in terms of reducing waste and conserving resources. Make these practices a part of the normal routine.

• Keep storage and work areas well organized and as clean as possible, and keep all containers properly labeled.
• Inspect materials upon delivery, and immediately return unacceptable materials to the supplier.
• Keep accurate records of materials usage so that you can measure reductions in use. Mark the purchase date on each container and adopt a “first in, first out” policy so that older materials are used up before new ones are opened; assign someone to distribute and keep track of the materials.
• Locate and repair all leaks to prevent loss of materials. Practice preventive maintenance to avoid future losses.
• Keep all containers covered to prevent evaporation and spillage.
• Keep waste streams separate to increase their potential for reuse, recycling, or treatment. Don’t allow non-hazardous materials, to become contaminated with hazardous materials, as this will result in all of the waste needing to be treated as hazardous waste.
• Install flow meters, flow control devices, and shut-off nozzles to cut down on water usage.

Essential Elements of a Successful Program

You can increase your company’s chances of having a successful waste reduction program by following these recommendations:

• Make a commitment to pollution prevention. This commitment must start at the top, with the owner or manager of the company, and extend to every employee.
• Involve the employees in designing and implementing pollution prevention measures.
• Provide training in waste reduction techniques and practices. Don’t let this be a one-shot effort -- periodic “refresher courses” will help to increase employees’ awareness of the importance of waste reduction.
• Establish incentives to encourage workers to use waste reduction techniques and to suggest changes in design or operating procedures that would further reduce waste generation.
• Assess the business’s waste. Identify sources, types, and amounts of waste being produced. This will make it easier to pinpoint areas where waste reduction techniques can be applied and to measure the success of your efforts.
• Follow up. Reassess the vehicle maintenance shop’s operations and waste handling practices periodically. A successful waste reduction program requires diligence so as to avoid the temptation of slipping back into old, more wasteful ways of doing things and to identify additional waste reduction possibilities.
• Stay alert for new developments. As long as wastes are being produced, there is the potential for waste reduction. Less-polluting materials, equipment, and procedures are constantly being developed, so that wastes that are difficult or costly to control today may be easily eliminated tomorrow.

Sources of Additional Help

This Fact Sheet is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all of the techniques that could be used to reduce waste in the fleet management business. As each company is unique, with its own combination of wastes and its own individual way of doing business, so will each waste reduction program be different from all others. A number of resources are available to help you develop and implement a program that will meet your company’s needs:

• The Northeast Industrial Waste Exchange may be able to help you find companies that can use your wastes. You can call the Exchange directly at (315) 422-6572.
• The Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership is a private, non-profit corporation which is dedicated to improving the quality, productivity, and profitability of Delaware manufacturers, and to serving as a prime service resource for the state’s new and existing manufacturers. The DEMEP can be reached at (302) 283-3133.
• The Delaware Pollution Prevention and Compliance Assistance Program in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (302) 739-6400 provides technical assistance, information resources, as well as assistance with other services that are available to your business.

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control

This publication is one of a series of pollution prevention guides for various types of businesses. For more information on this, and other pollution prevention or waste minimization programs, contact the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control at 739-6400.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is an equal opportunity employer. No person or group shall be excluded from participation, denied any benefits, or subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, or handicap.

Last Updated: May 28, 2002

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