The Green Garage Program

The ARA’s Green Garage educational tool is designed specifically for automotive repair shop owners and managers who  care about the environment, and wish to be compliant with environmental regulations in their local communities.

Get Started:

Best practices for becoming a Green Garage are described in the following slide presentation. Ther are 37 slides, and you should be able to go through them in 10-15 minutes. We recommend taking notes wherever applicable.

Click the Forward and Back arrows
to navigate through the slides stop Slide has finished when you see this icon: Welcome to the ARA’s Green Garage
environmental best practices program. You have taken the first step toward creating
a better working environment for yourself,
your employees, and your community. done_outline stop Used coolant
 ...And more
 Many wastes produced by an automotive repair facility
are considered hazardous and must be disposed of properly. Used oil & oil filters
 stop Administrative stop Staff Training and Environmental Awareness Shop owners should engage employees on a regular basis in the following five areas: stop 1. New and Young Worker Orientation 2. Training in Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) 3. Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) (if applicable) 5. Spills and Spill Response 4. Waste Disposal Procedures For more information on
worker orientation, visit: link ohs.ara.bc.ca stop Spill Response Employees should receive adequate training in spill
clean-­up procedures and spill response Download a copy of the ARA spill response plan: Download stop Record Keeping and Office Area Record manifest numbers on invoices Keep invoices in a central file for a minimum of 2 years Keep on file a copy of the transporter’s current license
to transport hazardous waste stop Manifest and Transportation Thresholds
for Hazardous Wastes stop Hazardous Waste Type Transportation and Manifest Quantity (L or Kg) Waste oil 210 L Waste antifreeze 5 L Waste fuel 5 L Lead acid batteries 1,000 Kg Other hazardous wastes 5 The area where wastes are stored prior to transportation to recycling facilities. Waste Storage Best Practices stop Best Practices: Keep the containers of oil and antifreeze under cover with tight fitting lids to avoid precipitation into the containers (if water gets into the containers, oil will float and spill out of the container, and antifreeze will mix with water and overflow). stop Best Practices: Ensure any drains in the storage area are sealed to prevent spilled wastes from getting into drainage. stop Best Practices: Ensure a large funnel is available for employees to drain used oil and antifreeze into containers without spillage. stop Best Practices: Ensure the storage area has adequate cover, an impervious floor and adequate secondary containment (secondary containment means an impervious retainer or container that has been designed to hold 110% of the maximum volume of liquid hazardous materials within a primary container or 25% of the total volume of containers). stop Best Practices: Waste batteries should be stored in acid proof tubs. stop Used Oil
"Used oil" means automotive lubricating oil, cutting oil, gear oil, brake fluid,
hydraulic oil or any other refined petroleum-based oil or synthetic oil. The British Columbia Used Oil Management Program is the agency tasked with
the collection and disposal of used oil. Management Best Practices stop The BC Used Oil Management program will pay shops for their waste oil and oil filters. For more information go to interchangerecycling.com: link Click Here Summary of Used Oil Thresholds The legal thresholds for used oil are tabled below:
A shop storing more than 5,000 litres of waste oil will be required to obtain
a Consignor Identification Number from the Ministry of the Environment.
 stop Registration Storage Manifest Spill Reporting 5,000 L 5,000 L 210 L 100 L Best Practices: Use a transporter that is licensed under section 45 of the Hazardous Waste Regulation for transportation of used oil in quantities greater than 210 litres. The transporter must have a valid Hazardous Waste Transport License issued by the Ministry of Environment. stop Best Practices: Store used oil and filters in separately marked containers with adequate lids and secondary containment. stop Best Practices: Store containers of used oil in a covered area away from drainage. Steel drums are considered the best for storing used oil. stop Spills and Spill Reporting The spill reporting regulation requires that all persons managing hazardous waste to report
significant spills to the Provincial Emergency Program at: A spill is considered reportable if it exceeds the thresholds tabled below: Management Best Practices stop Hazardous Waste Spill Reporting Threshold Waste oil & related products 100 L Wasye antifreeze 5 L Waste fuel 100 L Waste refrigerants 10 Kg 1-­800-­663-­3456 Management Best Practices Antifreeze Antifreeze is considered hazardous waste. It is toxic and may contain other
hazardous materials such as lead or other corrosion products. Spills of antifreeze can easily cause the ground to become contaminated.
If antifreeze is reusable, then it is not considered hazardous waste. Legal thresholds for waste antifreeze as tabled: Registration Storage Manifest Spill 500 L 500 L 5 L 5 L stop Management Best Practices Waste Lead Acid Batteries, Lead and Lead Tire Weights Lead and Lead acid batteries are considered hazardous waste and must be managed appropriately. Legal thresholds for waste antifreeze as tabled: Registration Storage Manifest Spill 2,000 Kg 2,000 Kg 1,000 Kg 200 Kg stop All shops that offer for transport waste batteries in quantities greater than 1,000 Kg
(approximately 50 lead acid batteries) are required to use a transporter that is
licensed to transport lead acid batteries. Store used batteries in an acid proof container. Store cracked or damaged batteries in water-­‐tight secondary containment. Store lead tire weights and battery cable ends in a metal container.
Lead is a non-­ferrous metal, highly toxic to the environment and is regulated as a hazardous waste. Store all records for a minimum of two or more years. Attend to spills immediately with lime or bicarbonate soda. stop The Canadian Battery Association (CBA) has developed a
province-­wide lead-­acid battery recycling program. insert_link Click Here stop Management Best Practices Refrigerants Removal of refrigerants is highly regulated and requires careful management as they may
contain ozone depleting substances (ODS). R12 contains hazardous ODS. HFC134A is non-ODS but contains greenhouse gases and contributes to global warming.
R12 was phased out in 1995 the Montreal Protocol but may still be present in older vehicles.
R12 was replaced by HFC134A. stop Refrigerants Only a qualified person can evacuate R12 or HFC134a from vehicles. A shop must not dispose of an air conditioner unit unless the R12 or HFC134 has been evacuated. The shop must maintain records for inspection of each approved person. The shop must maintain in a service log: The amount of R12 or HFC134 evacuated, The date the R12 or HFC134 was evacuated, and, The name and registration number of the approved person who performed the evacuation stop Management Best Practices Management Best Practices Waste Oil Separators Any shop with oil/water separators are required to meet Section 17 of the Hazardous Waste Regulation:
any discharge of liquid effluent to the environment, to storm sewers or to a municipal or industrial effluent treatment
works which results from the operation of the storage facility must meet
the effluent criteria prescribed in Schedule 1.2. Ensure your oil/water separators are regularly cleaned of sludge. Every six months is recommended, and they should be tested annually. Don’t ever use your separator as part of your spill control or clean-­up. Sudden discharge of waste contaminants can cause dramatic deviations from regulatory thresholds. stop Management Best Practices Shop Rags, Towels and Coveralls Shop rags and towels may contain solvents, paints, inks or other chemicals that may be ignitable,
toxic or contain hazardous wastes. For these reasons you must treat them as hazardous and dispose appropriately. stop Management Best Practices Shop Rags, Towels and Coveralls Send your soiled towels and coveralls to an off-­‐site laundry facility that can accept them,
they may not be considered hazardous waste. Make sure used cloth and rags contaminated with hazardous substances are collected,
transported, and stored in sealed containers. stop If a commercial laundry facility picks up your towels and coveralls, they may provide you
with appropriate containers. Management Best Practices Waste Tires Waste tires are considered to be an environmental risk in the event that they ever catch on fire. They may also enhance the spread of mosquitos during summer months. It is recommended that no more than 125 waste tires be located at a shop at any one time. Waste tires are managed in British Columbia by the Tire Stewardship B.C. Tire Stewardship B.C. will pick up used tires at no cost if they have been removed from the rim. For more information visit: stop Click Here Management Best Practices Cardboard & Paper Cardboard is easy to recycle in most municipalities in B.C. Many curbside recycling programs
accept cardboard as a paper product, and once it is processed it can be used to make new
products such as gypsum wallboard liner, roofing felt, core board and new boxes. For more information on a recycling centre or pickup services near you, visit: insert_link Click Here stop Management Best Practices Plastics, Plastic Containers, Metal, and Glass
Plastics, Plastic Containers and Glass are all recyclable products. They may contain harmful
products and need to be kept out of landfill.
 To find a drop-­off location, visit the BCUOMA website, or call the RCBC Recycling Hotline. insert_link Click Here stop Management Best Practices Other Types of Batteries
Alkaline (non-rechargeable) batteries are included in province-wide recycling program provided by Call2Recycle.
Batteries can be returned to participating retail stores, as well as some municipal recycling depots
and transfer stations. insert_link Click Here stop To find the nearest recycling drop off point, visit the program website. Management Best Practices Outdoor Vehicle Maintenance Areas
As a rule, avoid using outdoor areas for working on vehicles. If you do use any outdoor areas in this way, treat them as an extension of your service bays.
Create specific designated areas and isolate them from runoff wherever possible. stop If possible, roof outdoor work areas. Surround outdoor work areas with berms to prevent runoff into storm drains. Do attend to spills, drips, and leaks immediately Always use a drip pan. Additional Resources for Managing Waste Water: Regulations are in place to safeguard the wastewater system and protect the environment. Automotive industry operators are required to comply with the Sewer Use Bylaw. The Sewer Use Bylaw restricts the discharge of specific pollutants (including oil and grease, grit and solvents) into the sanitary sewer system.

Metro Vancouver has created additional resources to help automotive repair operators comply with managing wastewater safely and responsibly. Download a copy of these guidelines: insert_link Click Here stop Thank you
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