Ask the Expert Question-and-Answer Archive

by Ron Joseph

December, 2008

Are Metal Paint Booth Fixtures Hazardous Waste?

Q. We are tearing out all the fixtures in our paint booth. We use chrome-based paints. If we recycle the paint-covered metal fixtures, are they not considered hazardous waste? (I'm pretty comfortable with all the other materials in the booth - it's just the metal I'm not sure about).

A. Frankly, you should dispose of the contaminated metal as hazardous waste. Depending on the size of the spray booth this can be an expensive undertaking; therefore, you might consider thoroughly cleaning the metal by scraping the the overspray into a container. You might even consider using paint stripper to remove the old paint. Then, when the meal is clean you can dispose of it as garbage and dispose the paint waste as hazardous waste. If you utilize low cost labor to clean the metal, it might be a cost effective project.

I would be interested to hear what you decide to so.

Regards,

Ron Joseph