Waste Fuel Management
This guidance document is prepared by MnDOT personnel and is intended only for use on MnDOT projects, including partnership projects, and MnDOT Maintenance Operations.
MNDOT has prepared this guidance document to provide its internal procedures and requirements for work performed on MnDOT rights of way, including MnDOT-owned facilities.
Contact your district safety administrator; anyone handling, moving or inspecting the waste should wear the proper PPE consisting of chemical-resistant gloves, safety goggles, chemical splash apron, and safety footwear.
This document should not be construed as a full description of all regulations pertaining to the subject matter. Contact the Regulated Materials Unit in the MnDOT Office of Environmental Stewardship for additional information or legal requirements.
Background
Waste Fuel can be generated from accidental blending of gasoline and diesel fuels (for example accidently putting gasoline into a diesel vehicle tank), water contaminated fuels, storage tank bottoms, or fuels going bad over time. Contact RMU for assistance in determining if additional regulations are applicable.
General Guidance
The following information must be followed to properly manage waste fuel in accordance with applicable regulations:
- The waste fuel must be generated from MnDOT maintenance activities.
- Waste fuel must not be accepted from home, public, or private parties.
- Waste fuel must be disposed of as fully regulated hazardous waste or managed for recycling (see section “Requirements for recyclable fuel wastes” below).
- Burning waste fuel for the purpose of disposal or mixing with used oil is not allowed.
Recyclable waste fuel
Gasoline or diesel fuels that are, contaminated with water or other materials, or have chemically degraded during storage, or blends of gasoline and diesel fuels cannot be used until reclaimed by a fuel refining facility.
Waste Fuel does not include:
- Wastes resulting from products that were not originally intended to be used as fuels, including those normally used as solvents.
- Manage diesel fuel used for cleaning tools as hazardous waste unless the waste is evaluated and analyses demonstrate the waste is non-hazardous. Contact OES for assistance in evaluating waste fuel.
- Used oils; including motor oil, lubricating, and hydraulic oils. Used oil management.
Requirements for recyclable fuel wastes
All the following criteria must be met in order to recycle waste fuel. If any of these criteria cannot be met, the waste must be managed as a fully regulated hazardous waste for disposal.
- Quantity and time restrictions for accumulation of of waste fuel for recycling:
- You may accumulate up to 110 gallons of recyclable fuel on your site for up to a year from the date it is generated. b. Store the recyclable fuel in closed, US DOT approved, leakproof containers, which are labeled with:
- The date you first accumulated waste fuel in the container
- Clear description “Recyclable Fuel” or “Waste Fuel for Recycling”.
- Store the containers indoors in an area that will contain spills up to the entire volume of the containers.
- Fuel recycling site must be registered with the MPCA and on MnDOT’s approved list. Approved contractors can be found under MnDOT List of Approved Contractors or contact OES for proper recycling sites.
- Transportation - MnDOT personnel can transport waste fuel with MnDOT vehicles.
- The waste fuel must be in the reclamation process within 24 hours of arrival at the recycling facility. Therefore, contact the recycling company prior to transporting to the facility to ensure that reclamation processing will begin within 24 hours following receipt of MnDOT waste fuel.
- Do not report or count this recyclable fuel toward your hazardous waste generator size. It is exempt from reporting because it is being recycled.
- You may accumulate up to 110 gallons of recyclable fuel on your site for up to a year from the date it is generated. b. Store the recyclable fuel in closed, US DOT approved, leakproof containers, which are labeled with:
- Ship recyclable fuel waste for recycling the day it is generated.
- You may ship any amount of recyclable fuel waste from your site without a hazardous waste manifest if shipment to the fuel recycling facility occurs within 24 hours of generating the waste.
- Follow steps b. through g. above.