Why Many Spill Control Policies Are a Waste of Money
Let’s be clear, we don’t think spill control is a waste of money; it’s a legal requirement.
But using certain popular spill products inappropriately is a waste of money and undermines your spill control policy.
The most widely used products on the market can be broadly described as spill trays. Either rigid trays made of metal or plastic or their absorbent-based equivalents.
When it rains, these products fill with water which mixes with the oil or fuel collected inside. If left to overflow, the contaminants will be released into the environment.
So this contaminated water needs to be disposed of responsibly before it overflows. Ever seen that happen? Most environment managers we’ve met admit that, despite their best efforts, operatives usually tip the contents onto the ground.
Sound familiar? This isn’t spill prevention, it’s box ticking. It’s wasting company money on a process that is simply delaying the pollution event.
Maybe you have trained your operatives to dispose of this oily water in your hazardous waste bins. Even with two people, however, it’s just not practical to move a full tray without spilling the contents onto the ground and onto your work clothes.
Look at the spill trays in the photos here: do you think you could empty any of them without a spill? But let’s say you can get to a hazardous waste bin, what happens to this contaminated water? You have to pay a third party contractor to dispose of it. Every time it rains you could be generating hundreds of litres of waste water. You might as well write your waste disposal contractor a blank cheque.
Whichever way you approach it, this pollution or this waste of money is totally unnecessary.
We appreciate that this may have been the best option available a few years ago but spill control has evolved. Companies serious about pollution prevention now use Green Rhino’s innovative spill pad, EnviroPad®. It uses smart polymer technology to neutralise hydrocarbons. Our proprietary CG1 polymer absorbs and solidifies oil leaks and fuel spills. Trapped inside, the solidified pollutants won’t leak out and can’t be washed out by rainwater or jet washing.
EnviroPad® doesn’t need sidewalls which means no pools of oily rainwater, no risk of pollution and no waste water to dispose of.
You might be worried that ‘smart polymer technology’ sounds expensive. It isn’t; EnviroPad® costs less than the most popular absorbent-based products.
EnviroPad® is also available in five sizes which means that you don’t need to pay for units larger than you need. Over the lifetime of a project that could save you thousands.
Don’t leave it any longer. Request an onsite demonstration here.
