Used Filters
Auto Body Shops
Pollution Prevention Guide
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Auto body shops produce several different types of used filters: engine oil,
fuel, transmission, antifreeze (from antifreeze recycling units); and paint
booth filters (discussed in Fact Sheet 6 - Paint Equipment
Cleanup).
In order to minimize waste and reduce the potential impact used filters could
have on the environment, consider:
- Recycling used filters
- Properly managing used filters as either non-hazardous or hazardous
waste
Recycling Used Filters
Recycling is the best management option for dealing with used oil, transmission,
fuel, and antifreeze filters. The metal recovered from the recycling process
can be reused, saving raw material and energy used for producing new products.
To see if used filters are recyclable in your area, contact your supplier, used
oil or antifreeze recycler, or local salvage/recycling facility.
Managing Used Filters
There are two types of used oil filters: terne-plated and non-terne-plated.
Terne-plated oil filters (from old and large equipment) contain
an alloy of lead and tin. Due to these metals, used terne-plated filters can
be considered a hazardous waste.
Waste non-terne-plated oil filters are usually considered
non-hazardous as long as they have been drained -- referred to as "gravity hot-drained."
Once drained, they can be recycled or disposed of as a solid waste (with your
local solid waste authority's approval). Gravity hot-drained filters should
be crushed, punctured, or dismantled, and left to drain until empty (at near
engine operating temperatures is recommended).
Spent transmission and fuel filters are not regulated as
hazardous wastes as long as they too have been gravity hot-drained, and can
be recycled or disposed of as a solid waste (with your local solid waste authority's
approval).
If you have an antifreeze recycling unit, you may have spent
filters to dispose of periodically. Spent antifreeze recycler unit filters can
pick up metals as it cleans the antifreeze, causing the filter to be characterized
as hazardous. If they are found to be hazardous, they must be managed as any
other hazardous waste. Dry, non-hazardous filters can be recycled or disposed
of as a solid waste (with your local solid waste authority's approval).
The following series of questions will help you develop ways of preventing
pollution in used filter management:
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Used Filters
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YES
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NO
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| 1) Do you hot-drain your used filters? To properly
recycle or dispose of spent non-hazardous filters, they must be hot-drained.
Never drain the filters outdoors. Puncture, crush, or dismantle the oil
filter to allow most of the trapped oil to escape and be collected for recycling. |
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| 2) Do you buy non-terne-plated oil filters? In most
cases, non-terne-plated filters will be non-hazardous and can be recycled
or discarded in a licensed municipal solid waste management facility (if
they accept them). |
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| 3) Do you recycle your used filters? To reduce the
amount of waste you have to dispose of, recycle your hot-drained filters.
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Fact sheet 11 of 18
Montana State University Extension Service
Pollution Prevention Program Taylor Hall Bozeman, Montana 59717
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