The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is one of six boards, departments and offices that make up the state’s Environmental Protection Agency, also known as Cal/EPA.

The DTSC’s mission is to restore, protect and enhance the environment, to ensure public health, environmental quality and economic vitality, by regulating hazardous waste, conducting and overseeing cleanups, and developing and promoting pollution prevention.

Within DTSC, its Office of Pollution Prevention and Technology Development (OPPTD) offers a program to promote the use of pollution prevention methods in the auto body and paint industry in California. The program focuses on typical activities in the auto body and paint shop, and introduces alternative methods that will reduce the amount of hazardous wastes generated, reduce operating costs, and increase shop operators' ability to comply with environmental regulations.

The pollution prevention strategies and best management practices assembled by the California DTSC can help shops comply with environmental regulations by reducing smog forming air emissions, reducing and properly managing hazardous waste, and eliminating contaminated storm water releases.  Implementing these practices can help save labor, materials and hazardous waste disposal costs, and reduce the potential for environmental violations and fines. Best Management Practices (BMPs) are available in:

• Minimizing Paint Waste
• Paint Gun Cleaning
• Solvent Recycling
• Waterborne Coatings
• Sanding Waste Management
• Hazardous Waste Guidance
• Wastewater Management
• Health and Safety Inforamtion (OSHA)

The program also has a self-audit checklist, which covers compliance checkpoints for hazardous materials and waste formulated by shop activities. The check list helps shops make sense of the copious rules and regulations affecting their businesses and be able to take the necessary steps to achieve or maintain compliance and P2 opportunities.

For additional information on the California DTSC’s auto body and paint shop pollution prevention practices and a list of available publications, contact:

http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/PollutionPrevention/index.cfm