Pollutants from the commercial auto industry can wash off from sites into stormwater drains and discharge directly into nearby waterways. This can be extremely damaging to the environment.
Common pollutants include:
- oil
- grease
- detergents.
Under the general environmental duty, everyone must minimise their risks of harm to human health and the environment from pollution and waste so far as reasonably practicable. For the auto industry, this includes minimising risks of waste entering the stormwater system.
You need a trade waste agreement with your water corporation before you can dispose of industrial waste into the sewerage system.
Manage risk of stormwater pollution
Follow a risk management process to identify hazards, assess risk, and implement and monitor controls.
Reducing the risk of pollution and spills helps you to meet your duties and obligations and:
- keeps your workplace safe
- reduces people's exposure to potentially hazardous substances
- prevents wasted materials and clean-up costs
- meets community expectations.
Control stormwater pollution
The controls you put in place depend on your business activities.
Examples of controls to minimise the risk of stormwater pollution include:
- marking stormwater entry points on your site to make sure they're not used for waste disposal
- fitting sediment traps to stormwater pits around your site
- educating staff about preventing stormwater pollution
- making a plan to minimise risks and mitigate any spills
- having portable bunds and spill kits to respond to wastewater run-off or oil spills
- properly storing and handling liquids and solid chemicals, such as car batteries, in a roofed and bunded area
- separating your waste for recycling
- providing waste bins with lids to stop litter blowing around.
You can also install:
- first-flush diverters to capture the first flow of rainwater (typically the most polluted) and divert it for treatment or to the sewerage system
- oil and water separators – for example, triple interceptors –to separate oils, grease and other hydrocarbon contaminants from stormwater before discharge
- gross pollutant traps to capture and remove large debris, litter, and other solid pollutants from the stormwater run-off
- hydrodynamic separators that can remove hydrocarbons and any type of oil that might be in the water stream
- stormwater harvesting systems to collect and store stormwater for reuse on site.
Cleaning car yards and floors
You can use a water and oil separator – for example, a triple interceptor trap – to separate oils from wastewater. Then empty the wastewater into the sewer system. Dispose of the oil separately.
Detailing and washing vehicles and equipment
You can use a roofed and bunded wash bay that's connected to the sewerage system with a water or oil separator.
When you wash cars in a wash bay, make sure the detergents you use are biodegradable.
If you do not have a wash bay on site, take vehicles and equipment to a commercial wash bay.
If you cannot take vehicles and equipment off site, use a mobile wash mat to collect wastewater. Make sure you manage the wastewater correctly.
Repairing vehicles
To minimise the risk of stormwater pollution from vehicle repairs, you can:
- repair vehicles under cover
- use spill trays under work areas to collect oil and other fluids
- maintain your machinery to help identify potential leaks
- control airborne sprays so they can't land where rain can wash them down the drain.
Wastes such as oil, used oil filters and waste solvents must be managed properly. Businesses and tradespeople need to understand their waste obligations and duties.
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