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ECAR Fact Sheet
for District of Columbia
Vehicle Crusher
Regulations
Self-Audit Checklist
Best Management Practices
Contacts
Related ECAR Fact Sheets
Other Relevant Resources
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The
following fact sheet was prepared by the ECAR Center staff. Once
prepared, each ECAR Center fact sheet undergoes a review process
with the applicable state environmental agency(ies). You can check
on the status of the review process here.
Please read the disclaimer on the status page. While we have tried
to present a summary of the essential information on this topic,
you should be aware that other items, such as local regulations,
may apply to you.
What You Need to Know
The main environmental
concern in vehicle crushing operations is letting any fluids still
in the vehicle get away from you. If fluids are allowed to
drain into the soil, or to get into a drain where they are not supposed
to be, you could be in for trouble. And even if the fluids
are contained in the crushing area, you need to be sure stormwater
won’t wash them away.
If the fluids
are hazardous wastes, special handling and disposal rules will apply to
them.
Regulations
There are no
environmental regulations that specifically govern the design and
operation of vehicle crushing operations. However, if vehicle crushing
is not performed properly, vehicle fluids will drain to the soil,
which is prohibited. Also, allowing vehicle fluids to be carried
away by stormwater is prohibited. Therefore, auto-recycling facilities
should implement the best management practices listed below to help
prevent these types of environmental violations from occurring at
their vehicle crushing operations.
Fluids collected
during oil crushing operations should be managed as hazardous waste unless a hazardous waste determination
has been made that proves that the fluids are non-hazardous. A hazardous
waste determination involves collecting samples of the fluid and
having the samples analyzed at a laboratory.
Links to
the Regulations. Use
the following links to view the regulations pertaining to hazardous
waste determinations and management.
District
of Columbia’s Hazardous Waste Management Requirements: Copies of the DC Hazardous Waste
Management Regulations are available from the Department for a small
fee to cover the cost of copying. For more information, contact
the Hazardous Waste Division at 202-535-2290.
Federal EPA Standards Applicable
to Generators of Hazardous Waste
Self-Audit
Checklist
When an inspector
comes to your facility, there are certain things he or she checks
to see if you are in compliance with environmental regulations.
It makes good sense for you to perform a "self-audit"
and catch and correct problems before they result in penalties.
Also, there are some compliance incentives associated with self-audits
(see Audit Policy Page).
Use the following
list to audit your vehicle crusher management procedures.
- Do vehicle fluids escape to
the soil from vehicle crushing operations? Verify that the soil surrounding
vehicle crushing operations does not show signs of vehicle fluid
spills. If there are signs of fluid spills, such as stained
soil or dead vegetation, then remediation may be necessary.
- Are fluids generated from vehicle
crushing properly managed and disposed of? Verify that fluids were properly
managed and disposed/recycled as hazardous waste or that a hazardous
waste determination was made that indicates it is a non-hazardous
waste. If the waste is non-hazardous, verify that it is properly
managed.
Best
Management Practices (BMPs)
Most regulations
tell you what you have to do to be in compliance, but they don’t
explain how to do it. That’s where "best management practices"
come into play. BMPs are proven methods that help you to get into
compliance and stay there. The following BMPs are recommended for
vehicle crusher management procedures.
- Vehicles should be adequately drained prior to crushing
in order to minimize the volume of waste fluids to manage. Fluids
such as fuel, used oil, transmission fluid, antifreeze, etc. should
be stored in separate containers that are clearly labeled.
- Vehicle crushers should be situated on a bermed or self-contained
impervious surface, preferably under a roof and protected from
the weather. The floor surface should be sloped to contain fluids.
Position crushers toward the center of the surface or concrete
pad rather than along the edge.
- Mobile crushers should always be situated on an impervious
surface or heavy duty plastic sheeting. Containers designed to
be fitted to the crusher can help capture fluids.
- Maintain disposal receipts from mobile crusher operators
for all wastes generated and transported off-site for disposal.
Contacts
- For more information, contact the District of Columbia
Department of Health, Hazardous Waste Division at
(202) 535-2270.
- For reportable spills or leaks, call the DC Emergency
Management Agency’s 24-hour communications hotline at 202-727-6161,
or the non-emergency number at 202-673-3331. If a spill requires contact
to a federal agency, the person required to give the notice would,
at the same time, be required to give telephonic notice to the
DC Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Health, Hazardous
Waste Division.
- To report an environmental incident or complaint, contact
the Environmental
Health Administration.
Related
ECAR Fact Sheets
-
Hazardous Wastes
Other
Relevant Resources
None.
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