Does facility use sawdust or other absorbents for spills or leaks?

Absorbents are generally kitty litter type substances, known as "quick dry," "speedi dry," "oil dry," etc. Sawdust is sometimes used as an absorbent.

Yes--Facility uses one or more of the above substances.

No--Facility does not use any of the above substances.

Does facility determine whether used absorbents are considered hazardous waste before disposal?

Absorbents are considered a hazardous waste if:

• They are contaminated with a hazardous material such as solvent or gasoline, or
• They are characterized as hazardous by the facility owner.

As indicated in Table 1, although used oil is not considered a hazardous waste if it is recycled, it could be considered waste if it is disposed in a landfill. Thus, anything that absorbs used oil and is thrown in the trash could be considered a hazardous waste, even if it is not mixed with a hazardous waste.

Keeping this in mind, note that this question is only asking whether absorbents are included in the waste determination process for Question 1 of Waste Management.

Yes--Facility characterizes its absorbents, or uses absorbents only for oil that is to be recycled.

No--Facility does not characterize absorbents and uses absorbents for oil or other materials not destined to be recycled.

How are absorbents used for oil spills disposed?

This question refers only to the disposal of absorbents used to absorb oil spills.

N/A--Absorbents are not used.

Burned for energy--Absorbents are burned for onsite heat.

Disposed as hazardous waste--Absorbents are separately drummed, labeled as "Hazardous Waste," and disposed by a hazardous waste hauler.

Characterized as nonhazardous and landfilled--Facility has determined that the absorbents are a nonhazardous solid waste and disposes of them with regular trash.