Paint Shop Rags Disposal (Environmental)

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to describe the handling and disposal of paint rags and paint solvent rags used in the on-campus Paint Shop. 

Background

St. Mary’s University operates a Paint Shop as part of the Facilities Skilled Crafts Maintenance division. The paint shop handles, stores, and disposes rags soiled with paint and /or solvents as Universal Waste per EPA requirements. 

Applicability

This policy applies to all employees who use paint products and are responsible for disposing of contaminated paint rags as part of their job duties. 

References

Managing Paint and Paint-Related Waste Under the Universal Waste Rule 

Procedure

Paint rags generated in the paint shop operations and ready for disposal should be placed into containers designated as “Used Paint Rags” and labeled with Universal Waste and a collection start date. Solvent rags should be placed into containers designated as “Used Paint Thinner Rags” and labeled with Universal Waste and a collection start date.

Responsibilities

Skilled Craft (Maintenance Services) Division Manager is responsible for:

• Ensuring all personnel have satisfied the training requirements described in this procedure before working in the paint shop.
• Providing copies of all training records to the Facilities Department Front Office.

Training

All personnel assigned to work in the paint shop shall by trained on this procedure as part of new hire orientation and annual divisional training.

Record Keeping

Training records will be maintained in the Facilities Services Office, per St. Mary’s Record Retention Policy.

Glossary

Universal Waste: A specific category of hazardous waste that is subject to streamlined management standards to facilitate proper recycling and disposal.