| Description and Operation Waste disposal in the repair paint shop More than ever before, since the introduction of EU directives, rigorous attention is paid to the avoidance of waste materials and to recycling in repair paint shops. In this respect, repair paint shops must take into account and comply with the following requirements: - Separate waste according to its recycling and disposal methods.
- Produce evidence for the correct transport and disposal of waste.
NOTE:The organization of disposal in the plant must comply with the requirements of the Waste Avoidance and Management Act: The avoidance and recycling of waste must always take priority. However, despite all measures which may be taken, waste cannot be completely avoided. NOTE:Waste which is not allowed in household rubbish, and which can no longer be utilized, must be disposed of as special waste. Paint residues containing solvent, application residues, sanding dust, waste containing peroxides, solvents, soiled cleaning cloths and paint slurry all count as special waste. Each of these must be collected in a separate, sealed and suitably labeled metal container and properly disposed of using a specialist company. Careful separation allows some waste to be usefully re-used. - Empty metal containers can be sent for scrap instead of being disposed of as waste.
- Contaminated cleaning thinners can be separated by distillation.
- Packing material and masking paper can be added to the recycled paper collection.
Residues which cannot be used must be correctly disposed of. All remaining waste must be treated as commercial waste and disposed of according to the local regulations. The new VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) solvent regulation Keeping the air clean protects the environment and the population from the heath-damaging effects of air pollutants. In certain atmospheric conditions, volatile organic compounds contribute to summer smog. NOTE:For comprehensive information, please refer to the European VOC Directive, 1999/13/EU. Furthermore, the effective national regulations must be complied with. The European VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) Directive has controlled the limits for such compounds since August 2001. It applies to production coating companies and those which undertake repair painting of private and commercial vehicles. Not least because of the VOC legislation, modern, low solvent and solvent-free lacquers and paints are finding greatly increased distribution across industry and the trade. Up to the year 2007, emissions from painting work will drop by at least 40%. At the same time, the paint manufacturers guarantee for example that they will produce a ready-to-spray product consisting of base paint + hardener + thinners, with a permitted VOC level. A company in business today can conform with the stipulated requirements by introducing water-based paints and using the other necessary products from the relevant paint manufacturers. For more detailed information, please refer to the EU VOC Directive. | 
