Hazardous Waste
Most harbors and their users generate various hazardous wastes, such as solvents, antifreeze, paint chips, batteries, and zincs. Harbor managers are responsible for identifying which materials at their facilities fall under hazardous waste regulations and ensuring their proper disposal. It is also crucial to inform customers about the correct methods for disposing of hazardous wastes. These materials are highly toxic to both humans and marine life, so collaborating to simplify and facilitate proper disposal is essential for protecting the environment and public health.
Boater Resources
Operating and maintaining vessels of all sizes results in the creation of various hazardous wastes. Read our tip sheet on hazardous waste management for boaters to learn how you can reduce pollution when dealing with antifreeze, solvents, and other hazardous wastes.
Make sure to ask your harbormaster about options for waste disposal.
Managing Hazardous Waste
For managing hazardous wastes at your facility, you should take three important steps:
Identify your waste. Is the material deemed hazardous under state and federal regulations? Use SDS sheets and reference materials provided to help determine if your wastes are considered hazardous. This may also require testing for toxicity.
Figure out how much hazardous waste you’re storing on site each month. What is your facility’s generator status? See EPA’s Generator Summary Chart for links and more information on the requirements of each class of hazardous waste generator.
Implement best practices for dealing with these wastes. Some of these wastes you will likely collect on-site; others will be handled by other entities in your community and not collected at your facility.
Best Practices for Hazardous Waste
Harbor staff should know how to responsibly dispose of all common wastes generated by the facility and your customers. Often this will mean knowing about options beyond your facility. For example, many harbors around Alaska don’t accept used antifreeze at the harbor. For all waste streams NOT accepted on-site, make sure that customers and staff know where the can bring their wastes.
Download an example 'Where Do I Take It?' poster. Fill it out for your facility, researching answers that you might not know. Print and post in visible and convenient locations for your customers!
On-Site Storage
Make sure that all hazardous waste is stored in secure containers, on impervious surfaces and with containment able to retain at least 110% of the volume of the largest container.
All hazardous waste containers should be clearly labeled with the type of waste and when you started accumulating that waste in that container.
Make sure that it’s possible to add to these containers without spilling, and that the containers are closed unless waste is being added or removed.
Make sure your local response officials, especially the fire department, are familiar with the location and character of any hazardous materials stored at your facility.
Used Batteries
Battery acid is extremely corrosive and often contains high concentrations of heavy metals, including lead. Lead-acid batteries contain up to one and a half gallons of sulfuric acid, and their components can be a fire and explosion hazard. When improperly handled, lead acid batteries can discharge sulfuric acid and lead, posing a hazard to people and the environment. Thankfully, lead acid batteries are relatively easy to collect and properly manage.
Harbors that store less than 11,000 pounds of spent lead acid batteries would be classified as “small quantity handlers” under the Universal Waste Rule.
As a SQHUW, your facility must:
Mark all containers that store batteries with the words “Universal Waste – Batteries”, “Waste Batteries”, or “Used Batteries”
Store batteries for no more than one year before sending them off-site for recycling
Keep battery storage containers closed and off the ground to ensure that any leaking or damaged battery is contained
Before shipping, make sure they are ready to go in accordance with US DOT rules for transporting hazardous materials.
If you store more than 500 pounds of sulfuric acid on site, you have to report this to the EPA as required under EPCRA. NOTE That a single lead-acid battery contains 1-1.5 gallons or 5 pounds of sulfuric acid. That means if you have 100 or more batteries on-site, you must report them to the EPA.
Used Antifreeze
Antifreeze contains either ethylene glycol or propylene glycol. Propylene glycol is less toxic, however all antifreeze should be treated as potentially hazardous waste and should never be dumped on the ground, in the water, or in dumpsters. Waste antifreeze can contain high levels of heavy metals including lead and chromium. Ethylene glycol is extremely toxic to humans and animals, even in small amounts. Although it is less toxic, propylene glycol requires a large amount of oxygen to decompose and when dumped into waterbodies it can deplete oxygen levels, harming fish and other aquatic life.
Used Paints, Varnishes, and Solvents
At your facility, used paints, varnishes, and solvents may be generated by your shop and maintenance department. However many boaters use these products at the harbor, and are also generating these wastes. Solvent-based parts washers operate by continuously recirculating solvent from the drum to the wash tray. The solvent is usually replaced with fresh solvent when it becomes too dirty to provide adequate cleaning. These used solvents are generally managed as a hazardous waste. Boat paints often contain toxic materials such as metals, solvents, and dyes.
Encourage boaters to exchange extra paints, thinners, and varnishes. We haven’t seen this anywhere in Alaska yet, however the idea is a good one. Make a space on a harbor bulletin board or at the harbor office where boaters can exchange extra paints, thinners, and varnishes rather than throw them away.
Tips for Boaters & Staff
Store all paint in a centralized, covered area. Return all unused paint to that area and immediately cover containers and manage any empty containers appropriately.
Mix only the amount you need! Work in small batches, mixing only enough paint you need for the job at hand. Minimizing leftovers will help prevent spills and save you money.
To dispose of paint cans they must be completely empty. If they have residues of oil-based paints, they must be treated as hazardous waste unless they have been emptied by draining all material that can be removed by normal methods (pumping or pouring for use or into a hazardous waste collection center) AND no more than one inch or 3% by weight of residue remains in the container.
“Emptied” containers of hazardous paints (oil-based) and those that have dried residue of non-hazardous paints (e.g. latex or water-based) may be recycled with scrap metal or disposed of in the regular trash.
Disposing of solvent sludge.If your recovering sludge from a nonhazardous solvent, let it dry in a well-ventilated area, wrap in newspaper, and it can be disposed of in the regular trash. All sludge from hazardous solvents must be disposed of as hazardous waste.
Disposing of used solvents. Reuse as long as possible. Dispose of as hazardous waste. There are distillation units available for recycling solvents. Consider using less-toxic alternatives/nonhazardous solvents to avoid disposal issues. Do Not add to used oil recycling to be burned.
