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GUIDES TO POLLUTION PREVENTION: THE MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT REPAIR INDUSTRY
Citation:
U.S. EPA. GUIDES TO POLLUTION PREVENTION: THE MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT REPAIR INDUSTRY . EPA/625/R-92/008 (NTIS PB93 121317), 1992.
Impact/Purpose:
information
Description:
Commercial mechanical equipment repair services are covered under SIC 76 and include activities such as repair of boilers, commercial appliances, lawn mowers, refrigerator and air conditioners, electric motors, generators and transformers, among others. This quide describes the typical wastes generated during repairs, such as spent solvents, oils and rags, sand blasting materials, sump sludge, refrigerant, and scrap metals. Waste reduction options, including source reduction and recycling, are then identified. Suggestions for improved housekeeping, substitution of chlorinated solvent-based paints and degreasers with aqueous products, and recycling of solvents, refrigerants and scrap metal are some of the alternatives for waste reduction identified in the guide. To help repair shops determine opportunities for waste reduction at their own shops, the guide provides a set of worksheets which take the user step-by-step through an analysis of the on-site waste generating operations and the possibilities for minimizing each waste. The guide is also intended to be instructive to consultants who serve the industry and government agencies who regulate it.