UPDATED:4/2/97

BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR

PAINT MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS

Best management practices can be thought of as using "good housekeeping"

practices. Listed below are several procedures to operate your facility

and minimize the risk of contamination to the environment.

1. Solvents, spent solvents (i.e. acetone, MEK, etc.), paint thinner

and certain kinds of paints are hazardous waste and must be

properly disposed of by a permitted hazardous waste transporter,

recycled by a permitted recycler, or distilled and recycled using

a solvent recovery unit at your facility.

a. If the waste solvent is recycled by the facility generating

the waste, the solvent stillbottoms must be collected and

handled as hazardous waste (as described above), unless

proven otherwise.

b. If the waste solvent is recycled by a permitted solvent

recycler, receipts must be obtained from the recycler and

maintained at your facility.

c. The containers must be compatible with the hazardous waste

stored in them and must meet DOT standards. Each container

is to be marked with the date that the storage began and

marked with the words "Hazardous Waste".

In all situations where the waste is deemed to be hazardous, a

permitted hazardous waste transporter must be used to transport the

waste to a federally approved hazardous waste treatment or disposal

facility. Hazardous waste manifests must be kept at your facility,

available for review. The facility generating the hazardous waste is

required to obtain an Environmental Protection Agency identification

number by contacting:

Notification Coordinator

Bureau of Waste Planning and Regulation

Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection

Twin Towers Office Building Room 471

2600 Blair Stone Road

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400

(904) 488-4805

2. Storage

a. For facilities storing large amounts of chemicals and/or fuels:

1. All chemical and fuel storage must have secondary

containment. This containment area should be able to hold 110% of the volume of the largest single tank to be stored in this area.

2. Chemical storage areas must be on an impervious surface

with secondary containment or a bermed and covered area away from drainage structures (e.g. floor drains or storm drains).

3. In large chemical storage areas, there must be aisle space between

storage products. This will enable easy inspection of the

container for leaks and/or corrosion.

4. All solvent containers must be empty before disposal. Empty small

cans must be punctured before disposal to the local sanitary

landfill. Drums must be taken by a drum recycler.

5. Solvents, paint thinners, industrial fluids and/or their

associated rinsewaters shall not be discharged into septic tanks,

storm drains, soakage pits or into ground surface. These fluids

must be collected and disposed of properly. All industrial fluids

discharged into sanitary sewers must meet sanitary sewer

standards.

6. Alternatively, mixing vat rinsewaters may be collected and reused

as make up water for successive batch mixes.

7. Rags used during cleaning processes which become contaminated with

hazardous materials such as solvents, ink, etc. are considered

hazardous wastes and may be handled by an approved rag service or

an approved hazardous waste transporter. Used rags must not be

disposed of in the trash/dumpster unless a hazardous waste profile

indicates otherwise and approval is granted by this department.

8. All hazardous waste must be disposed of via a permitted hazardous

waste transporter and taken to a federally approved hazardous

waste disposal facility. Receipts of all waste disposals and

hazardous waste manifests must be retained for no less than three

(3) years, at the generator's facility and be available for

review.

9. Special attention should be paid to storm drain locations (also

known as storm sewers). Storm drains are designed to help

alleviate rainwater build up. These drains are not connected to

the sanitary sewer system, but rather assist in allowing the

rainwater to drain into the ground and groundwater. Therefore,

industrial discharges should not be allowed to drain into these

storm drains. Areas near storm drains must be kept free of oil,

grease and other contaminates so that rainwater does not wash

these materials into the storm drains.

All paint manufacturers and distributors are required to have an Annual

Pollution Control Operating Permit.

Questions will be answered by the Industrial Facilities Section Staff at

372-6600.