Paint Booth Filters Disposal
Hello Safety Knights! I am looking for some suggestions. We have a paint booth that utilizes water based paints. The filters (determined to be non-haz waste) in this booth need to be changed out at a minimum every other day.
Our standard procedure for this is that the filters are left to dry overnight before they are removed from the booth, they are rolled up, and then placed in a designated "Paint Filter Only" Dumpster, and then the dumpster is removed from the facility for pickup.
This process was developed due to a dumpster fire that was investigated and seen to be caused by a) spontaneous combustion of the filters due to not being fully dried or b) other material being placed in the dumpster that caused the filters to combust. The process has been working well until recently when another dumpster fire occurred.
There are questions as to how we can determine if the filters are completely dry for disposal OR if there is a better way to dispose of said filters. Any suggestions or discussion are greatly appreciated!
Comments (5)
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Hi Derek. I'm new to this group and saw your post. I had a similar issue at a manufacturing plant I used to work at.
My suggestion would be to revisit how the filters were classified as non RCRA waste/non hazardous waste. Again, just a suggestion to help prevent any environmental enforcement issues.
I would recommend investing in a flame proof locker to store these spent filters in. Even when dry, there still poses a possible combustion risk due to dusts, certain metals etc. still present in the filters. Looking at the dumpster in the picture, this may not be sufficient storage for something that has caught fire twice.
Let me know what you think.
I have a similar process here, but hey, water base paints should not auto ignite? my guess is that something got mixed at your facility.
If I'm reading this right, OSHA suggests storing them in a water-filled metal container
1910.107(b)(5)(ii)
All discarded filter pads and filter rolls shall be immediately removed to a safe, well-detached location or placed in a water-filled metal container and disposed of at the close of the day's operation unless maintained completely in water.
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.107
Have you checked their SDS?