Painting Contractor Programs - Regulatory and Cost Recovery
The purpose of this page is to define for painting contractors the most efficient method of managing waste from jobs and at the same time insuring that environmental management costs do not adversely affect bids.
REGULATORY CHALLENGES
Many industries now charge fees separate from the cost of goods and services specifically to cover regulatory expenses. Painting contractors are among those businesses that are not only regulated but are usually on the list of businesses to be inspected by local enforcement agencies.
Painting contractors are required to show waste shipment records dating back for three years upon demand by the EPA or other agency inspector. This is the law. Most painting contractors accumulate waste of some type that is regulated. Inspectors know this.
Most painting contractors use flammable or hazardous materials that will become a waste. This means that every painting contractor should have a permanent EPA Identification number. You will be expected to have this number when inspected along with shipping documents.
The bottom line here is that you must pay someone to properly recycle paint waste and there must be records. If you have no records, you may be compelled to pay an arbitrary fine based upon the quantity of paint that the inspector believes you may have disposed of improperly.
The following items are regulated except for latex paint outside of California.
- Latex Paint
- Flammable paints and paint products i.e., varnishes, solvents
- Water used to clean paint from brushes, sprayers, etc.
- Combustible coatings, epoxies
You may not be compelled to account for cleaning water. Usually you are required to establish an impound (small swimming pool) to capture the water. On large jobs the storm water people will want you to compete a SWMBP document indicating what you will do with the water.
COST RECOVERY CONCEPT
Have you ever paid a disposal fee for used oil or tires when you have had your vehicle serviced? These charges are designed to cover the cost to meet environmental regulations and have nothing to do with the actual repair or cost of products.
Painters should consider the same concept. Determine what it costs to dispose of waste material from a job and list that cost as a separate line item. By doing this, you are informing your customer that you are doing the right thing with the waste. Another reason is to differentiate yourself from competitors that violate the law and toss the waste into a trash bin.
By separating the cost, your time and materials bid can stand alone against a competitor. If the competitor did not list the environmental disposal fee separately you can point this out to a potential customer. You may be awarded a job and at the same time increase your profit margin.
Call us for more information about our programs 888-449-3733 ex 107 or email paint_recycling@curbsideinc.com