At 12:16 PM 01/24/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>One of the disadvantages of the DIY thing is dealing conscientiously with
>the waste. Cleaning CV joints is one such headache...once you swab the
>filthy grease out as some suggest, what are you to do with all the
>contaminated rags? Burn them? No. Wash them? Mom would ring your neck.
>Rubbish can? To the landfill and into your grandkids' water supply. Hurray.
>

Another option is a purpose built system based upon kerosene with an
emulsifier addative. Put 4 gallons in a 5 gallon plastic/metal bucket.
Assemble a variety of brushes, dip baskets, etc. You could probably clean
out 20 or 30 CV's before the solvent would loose it's bite. Rinse with
water then dry. When emulsified with water there are no residues classified
as other than storm water.

Wasserboxer DIY's will need 2 - 5 gallon buckets for antifreeze. 4 gallon
drain plus 4 gallon rinse water.

Keep a common gallon milk jug for capture of spent brake fluid (poly ether
ester, not silicone), another for chlorinated sprays and another for
non-chlorinated sprays(brake/carb/parts cleaning stuff). Endeavor to buy
only non-chorinated stuff and eliminate the chlorinated jug.

Use 5 gallon buckets to capture any mix of used oil/gear lube/ATF, petro
only, no synthetics.

Every spring around here there is a weekend where all parties may bring all
types of nasty waste, paints, solvents, kitchen chemicals, etc. Anything
that might be usable by someone else is available. If you need that half
can of blue paint, it's yours. As a commercial user, I take my spent
solvents there and pay about $50 for the pickup, which also documents my
waste stream.

In large metro areas I would expect that provisions for waste disposal
during any business hour. But even on a remote island where daily waste
disposal services are non existant the effort required to be responsable is
reasonable.

Do call EPA in your area for info on any hazardous waste question. Just a
little forethought makes responsible disposal of these wastes a very small
burden.

Consider also, ATF is a fine solvent as is. When used in the cleaning
bucket, it can be disposed of in the waste oil stream, dissolved grease and
all.

T.P. Stephens aka Doktor Tim
San Juan Island, WA