Signshop Byproduct Disposal

IN THE PROCESSES of receiving materials, fabricating signage, getting signage to its destination and installing/removing signs, a fair amount of waste is produced. This can include wood and plastic skids, aluminum and plastic cutoffs, short-cut lumber, electronic waste, paint and other related chemicals.

All of these can cause a shop not only to be cluttered, but certain circumstances involving hazardous materials could get you in trouble with your local and state environmental department if they are not handled properly. In this column I am going to touch upon some of the methods and tips I have employed in our shop to not only keep things safe and tidy, but also to ensure we are as environmentally conscious as possible.

Lumber

One of the most universal issues in any manufacturing environment is the never-ending reality of scrap lumber storage and disposal. Most shops receive raw material, supplies and other signage on wooden skids, and once these products are used up or installed, what is left is cumbersome scrap. As these pallets are stacked in a corner or in your back lot, they become consumers of space as well as safety hazards.

Simply throwing skids in the dumpster can take up much of a confined space and increase the number of pickups required, meaning a rise in cost. You could have workers dismantle skids to save space in the dumpster but then you are paying skilled laborers for unskilled work, and still increasing your trash pickup frequency.

I have also heard of shops employing shredders or incinerators to get rid of excess skids, and although this may work for some there are some caveats — the first being that you would need to check with your local ordinances to see if an external shredder or incinerator is allowed in your area due to noise and emission factors. The second factor is the operation costs for these pieces of equipment including initial procurement, training, staffing and maintenance. Finally, you would have to employ safety programs tailored to these dangerous machines and in the end, you will still have ash or wood chips as a byproduct.

The solution to skid disposal I have found to be the most practical is working with a local skid recycling company. Some areas have companies that deal with unwanted skid pickup and transport, and depending on the pallet quality and size, they may even pay you for your used skids. I have dealt with Kamps Innovative Pallet Services at multiple jobs and have always found them to be helpful.

Plastics

Plastic products have become a large portion of the sign materials used in modern signage. It is well known that metals can be sent to the scrap yard, and some income can be recovered from the waste, but there are also companies that will do this with scrap plastic as well.

Bins for plastics

Another sustainable and cost-saving practice is to ensure your cutting of raw materials is laid out as efficiently as possible to reduce waste, but of course there will always be some. Our shop has dealt with UPI (Universal Pallets) for the majority of our plastic cutoffs, and I have been pleased with their service. They provide their own containers for us to use and do not require us to sort different plastics, meaning our shop employees have just one bin for our various plastic waste.

Electronics

If you are removing old electric signage and installing new, you are going to have electronic waste to manage as well. Power supplies, LEDs, batteries and wire are all recyclable and much better handled when placed with a reputable disposal company.

Used fluorescent bulb lamps and neon are in a category all their own. These light sources contain hazardous chemicals that must be handled, shipped and disposed of properly. It is vital you find a recycler that is certified to handle hazardous materials — one that uses DOT compliant transport and follows EPA regulations. This will ensure you are in compliance as a signshop, and are doing your part in keeping hazardous waste out of the environment.

Finishing Chemicals

The chemicals used in the process of painting the signage we produce are caustic, flammable and reactive. These translate into the waste products being dangerous, as well as harmful to humans and the environment if not handled properly. This is a disposal subject that can land a manufacturing facility in costly trouble if they are not ensuring the chemicals they discard go to the right places.

Barrels for paint-liquid waste

Many disposal companies like Safety-Kleen are a great partner in ensuring chemicals are stored, transported, documented and disposed of properly. In our case, Safety-Kleen supplies us with a cabinet with barrels to store our three categories of paint-liquid waste. When these receptacles get full, they pick them up and provide new barrels, as well as a manifest of what we sent out and to where, so our compliance department has documentation of proper handling of hazardous material.

Manufacturing any product is inevitably going to produce a byproduct — sometimes hazardous and sometimes not. As a sign industry we have a duty to ensure our craft does as little damage to the environment as possible while producing quality products. Proper disposal policies in place will not only ensure this, but will also keep your shop organized and safe for your workforce.