Disposing of Spray Booth Filters
Are old filters from the spray booth hazardous waste, or regular trash? June 15, 2014
Question
How do you dispose of your spray booth filters? After looking into having filters tested (cost prohibitive) we decided to err on side of caution and have them taken along with our liquid waste by a hazardous materials company. I am reconsidering, only because there is no difference in throwing out a piece of furniture and, once dry, throwing out filters. Also, on the Distribution Waste Profile Sheet, the filters are listed as non-hazardous waste as per EPA. However, I just received an email from the rep from the hazmat company that we are not allowed to dispose of filters in municipal trash. We are also currently in process of switching to water based finishes so I think it would be even less of an issue for filters.
Forum Responses
(Dust Collection and Safety Equipment Forum)
From Contributor G:
HAPs free finishes should be able to go into your landfill without a hazmat issue.
From contributor F:
My understanding is once dry pretty much all finishes can be disposed of in the trash. This is S.O.P. around here anyway. I have old finish that can't be used and I will let it dry and toss it. The polluting part I believe is leaving the can open while drying. Of course it's probably wise to check with your local regs first.
From contributor L:
The finishes we use are HAPs compliant. I will call the DEP to get their input though.
From Contributor B:
About six months ago we asked the same question to our local Air Pollution Control District in CA., and were told that booth filters were ok to put in the dumpster. Previous to this we were also putting them into Haz-Mat at great cost. Call your local regulation board to make sure. We have had problems in the past with a field judgment that was overturned by the office.
