Original Date: 07/23/1996
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

Nascote contracted with Environmental Purification Industries (EPI) of Toledo, Ohio to send paint sludge through the EPI paint waste recycling process. Nascote’s paint lines included an overspray capture system which generated paint sludge, a material classified as hazardous waste by the EPA. Prior to 1993, paint sludge was collected and shipped in 55-gallon drums to a fuel blending facility and burned, a process that still resulted in pollutants being released into the atmosphere. As costs increased with this process, Nascote began investigating alternative disposal methods to improve the environment and reduce costs.

The EPI accepts paint waste under a highly-controlled procedure and processes it into a granular, inert powder which can be used as a filler or pigment for products used by the roofing, rubber, paint, plastics, and sealer/caulking industries. The new process reduces the chance of spills through bulk handling and shipping of the paint sludge. Strict recordkeeping and tracking procedures are followed by the EPI who issues a recycling certificate verifying the waste has been completely recycled. This certification process complies with the Resource, Conservation, and Recovery Act for conserving energy and raw materials by recycling waste.

Since 1993, over 5,000,000 pounds of paint sludge shipped to the EPI from Nascote’s paint overspray capture system has been recycled. In addition to eliminating 100% of the waste formerly discharged into the environment, Nascote’s system reflected an annual disposal cost savings of approximately $100 thousand.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.