DART - East Dallas

Year Submitted: 2003

Process: Reclamation

Industry: Service, Transportation

Wastes Reduced: Coolant

Substance: Antifreeze

Equipment: Coolant Purification System

Location: Dallas TX

No. of employees: 84

Contact: Joe Coker

Phone: (214)828-6791

Description:

Dallas Area Rapid Transits (DART) fleet of buses, service vehicles, and other vehicles utilize large amounts of ethylene glycol (antifreeze). In order to reduce the amount of coolant/antifreeze purchased and used, DART needed a solution to reuse this material.

P2 Application:

An in-house antifreeze recycling machine has been introduced to all DART facilities to check and reuse spent antifreeze. The spent material is deposited into a yellow drum, which is sent to another part of the facility for testing. After all levels are checked, fresh additives are added to replenish the antifreeze to a state of safe reuse.

Environmental Benefits:

DART has significantly reduced a serious waste stream common to this industry, antifreeze. This reduction is beneficial to the environment as well as this facility.

Details of Reductions

Additional Information :

The reduction of pure usage has allowed DART to excavate all of their underground tanks. These were 4,000 or 6,000-gallon capacity tanks. The tanks are being either totally eliminated or replaced with double lined above ground tanks or smaller capacity (1,000 gallon) underground tanks. In the elimination situations DART is focusing on using so little antifreeze that they can operate out of a few 55-gallon drums on site.

Source: TCEQ