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Pit/reclaim tank mud

portski

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I know there have been many discussions about this and it's removal/disposal.

Seems to be that some states don't consider it hazzardous waste, some do, and still some differentiate between wet and dry material as to whether or not it is hazzardous.

Is it not the same material that is collected by street sweepers and catch basin cleaners that are operated by just about every municipality in the country? I'm fairly certain that this is not considered hazzardous as I have seen it dumped in landfills.
 

Eric H

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I have never been able to get a difinitive answer from anyone here is MA. I'm going to call the NECA right now to see if I can get us pointed in the right direction.
 

soapy

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The EPA considers pit mud the same as street sweepings. The overly regulated state of California also considers it non hazardous. Check with your states department of environmental quality to see what their take on it is. Letting the pit grit dry usually lets you do what ever you want with it.
 

MEP001

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portski said:
I'm fairly certain that this is not considered hazzardous as I have seen it dumped in landfills.
It is considered hazardous waste, and only certain approved landfills can accept it.

The EPA reg's say that the mud can be dried on a non-permeable surface with any liquid allowed to drain into the proper sewer systems. Once it's dried it can be taken to any landfill as waste dirt or can be used as filler dirt under a road.
 

Earl Weiss

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I think there may be more than one category. Regular landfill waste, Special waste which is what wet stuff falls under and Hazardous which contains certain enumerated components. A landfill may be set up for "Special" but not "Hazardous".

I believe most car wash stuff is "Special"
 

soapy

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Confused! One poster says only certain landfills can accept it and then he says that any landfill can take it. I think everyone knows that you let pit dry before taking it somewhere. I guess there is no need to check with state or local agencies either.
 

MEP001

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Only certain landfills can accept the MUD. The original poster asked about getting rid of MUD, which is what I replied to directly. Instead of assuming he knew to dry it before taking it to the landfill I explained about drying it first.

Got any more smart remarks?
 

Kevin James

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It is considered hazardous waste, and only certain approved landfills can accept it.

The EPA reg's say that the mud can be dried on a non-permeable surface with any liquid allowed to drain into the proper sewer systems. Once it's dried it can be taken to any landfill as waste dirt or can be used as filler dirt under a road.
I’m a bit confused with all this hearsay information. You state that its Hazardous waste and only approved landfills can accept it. How are you basing this information? What is the EPA regulation number that deals with car wash pit waste mud.
 

Jim L.

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Sometime back, I toyed with the idea of buying a Ring-O-Matic and cleaning my own pits. I checked with my local landfills and found out that none of them would take carwash pit sludge wet or dry. I did find a landfill 75 miles away that would take dry sludge for a rather high price. That killed that idea. Today I just call the vacuum truck company and let them deal with it.
 

Kevin Reilly

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I have never been able to get a difinitive answer from anyone here is MA. I'm going to call the NECA right now to see if I can get us pointed in the right direction.
I've had a pumper (Ring-o-Matic) for probably 20 or more years (and have worn one motor out). I bought it when California was saying everything was hazardous in the state including the air we breathe!:eek:

I bought a warehouse in Stockton that used to be a bakery. The trucks were loaded from the side from a concrete pit that the truck drove into so the bed of the truck would be level with the floor of the warehouse. The truck then could be loaded from the side with a hand-truck.

This is where we put all of our pit mud now. When it's dry the County guys will come by on occasion and grab some bucket loads of it with their loader and use it for fill in the area that they have been digging in.

My personal opinion on this when that was going on the people that owned the pumping trucks latched onto the hazardous waste routine "the sky was the limit" price wise. I had one guy call me and say he paid $5,000. bucks to get his pits pumped and it didn't fill the truck.

So my suggestion to those asking the question is to start getting quotes in your particular area. You'll probably get a lot of different quotes and gain some knowledge regarding pit mud.:confused:
 
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