Salvage yards in Ohio have environment regulatory laws that are a standard for any such facility in the state. The guidelines stated by the Ohio EPA need a careful look by anyone looking to run a business of salvage vehicles in Ohio. The laws are made in such a fashion so that the environment, which has already been degraded by human interferences, is affected as little as possible and all necessary waste matter and chemical dumps are taken care of in the most efficient manner.
Various permits and clearances need to be obtained from the regulatory board governing Ohio’s salvage yards before an individual can actually start off with the business facility. Permits like air pollution control, oil pollution control and other environment friendly steps are a must for all owners of salvage yards in Ohio. Regulating such factors makes sure that the following wastes are disposed of in the most effective manner: the burning of used tires, used oil, engine lubricants, brake fluids, Freon (which is used in auto refrigeration systems) and other wastes.
The salvage yards of Ohio have regulations that suggest cost effective and efficient ways of managing air, liquid and metal pollution. Some ways of reusing auto wastes suggested by Ohio’s Salvage Yard regulatory body is to fuel the Space Heaters used to control the temperature in cold months by using used oil from the engines of salvaged vehicles. The combustion gas from the space heaters are mostly vented outside. This causes air pollution unless the space heater’s burning rate is less than 500,000 BTUs (British Thermal Units). If that is the case, the little air pollution qualifies under “de minimis exemption” under OAC Rule 3745-15-05.
For the prevention of oil spillage in the vicinity, salvage yards in Ohio are subject to an SPCC regulation of maintaining an over ground waste oil storage of 1320 gallons or an underground waste oil container of 42,000 gallons. The guidelines for salvage yards in Ohio also state that the owner of the salvage yard facility needs to have a written SPCC guideline explicitly stating all measures taken by the facility to prevent and contain oil or petroleum products in case of a leakage. This plan needs to be updated every five years.
Apart from oil, anti freezers disposed off from trucks or vehicles in salvage yards in Ohio are also treated as waste. They need to be disposed of in special containers and not in the regular sewerage system, or in the sanitary sewer. If the anti freezers are not disposed of properly, they can cause a serious threat to the environment.
Ohio’s EPA also states that any waste is termed hazardous if it falls under the listing of Ohio Administrative Code (OAC), rules 3745-51-31 through 3745-51-33. The waste needs to be sent off to a state-run facility for treatment or disposal. These are some of the regulatory measures for salvage yards in Ohio facilities mentioned in the Ohio EPA. A company or facility can be fined $10,000 per day for not following these regulations and creating potential hazard for the environment.