Ok, I was doing some canvasing looking around for some equipment (older CNC lathe and VMC), and I found at least 4 CNC shops that were pouring their coolant down the drain or into the toilet. That seems like it might be illegal... Are there water-soluble, biodegradable, non-toxic coolants?
Never would'a guessed it, but yes, several.
It's not just water and coolant going down the drain once it's been through a machine. What other contaminants are in the solution? Heavy metals, solvents, way lube- I'm sure the list could be quite lengthy. King County in Washington says "NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" if you ask them about coolant down the drain. I can't speak for where you are, 'cause you didn't tell us. Probably couldn't anyway. I know it's cheaper to pay a waste disposal company than the EPA.
Later,
Charlie
Call the EPA, then after their work goes to China you can buy the machines cheap.
That's a great idea! :-) They were all chinese shops too. Hmmm... let me see. That shop has a nice Mazak turning center and a good VMC. 555-xxxx
It would be nice if they wouldn't be so bad with their disposal though. I'm also pretty sure I saw a couple of shops that diverted stuff straight into the road sewers (lots of dry chips in the shape of little rivulets).
Release it in a Boeing parking lot at night during a rainstorm...
Not being a real machinist this is an area where I am gaining real experience. I happen to design and install waste treatment systems now. In the past two years I've done leachate from landfills containing metalas and PCBs, machining coolant from a big new Chrysler engine plant, machining coolant in a Bosch injector plant, coolant in a tube mill, and we're doing a coolant job for Honda right now.
Yeah, it's illegal. I have a freind that owns a greenhouse and he spilled about 200 gallons of fuel oil from an underground tank. It went into the storm drains and into the local lake, in the fall when it was covered in leaves. He not only was forced to pay for the tank cleanup he had to pay for the lake cleanup too. This is NJ. The DEP told him "Don't even think about going bankrupt. The cleanup law doesn't recognize bankruptcy. We WILL take everything you own if you don't clean up this mess on your own!" He paid and he paid.
Turn them all in. It would be unfair to pick on just the ones you don't like. Or just send me a list of prospects, wht let the State make all the money?
Gary H. Lucas
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