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 The commenters are correct. The ASTM Committee on Engine Coolants is in the
process of investigating the effects of various contaminants on engine coolants and intends to
establish specifications for reclaimed and reformulated coolants in the future.
3. Rationale for Designation
EPA believes, that engine coolant satisfies the statutory criteria for selecting items for
designation.
a. Use of materials in solid waste. As discussed above in section II.A, significant
quantities of spent engine coolants require disposal annually. Reclamation could substantially
reduce these quantities.
b. Technically proven uses. Reclamation of engine coolants is being done through
on-site and off-site reclamation. Some Navy and Postal Service facilities are reclaiming
engine coolants and have not encountered performance problems with the reclaimed product.
Additionally, EPA received no comments indicating performance problems with reclaimed
engine coolants. The ASTM D15 Committee on Engine Coolants has published standards for
engine coolants and is working. on a standard for reclaimed and reformulated engine coolants.
c. Impact of government procurement. Government agencies operate a large number
of vehicles. The Federal government alone, including the U.S. Postal Service, operates a
fleet of more than 500,000 vehicles of all types: passenger vehicles, light and heavy trucks,
buses, ambulances, off-road vehicles, etc.
Military installations, the Postal Service, and some Federal civilian agencies have
motor pools or vehicle maintenance facilities at which vehicles are serviced. If all of these
agencies were to establish an engine coolant reclamation program, the potential recovery of
used engine coolant would. be significant. While not all agencies have motor pools or vehicle
maintenance centers where engine coolant recycling could be established, EPA believes that
it is important to begin to establish engine coolant reclamation programs throughout the
Federal fleet in order to recover this material. EPA further believes that state and local
government fleets and private sector fleets may follow the Federal lead, thus substantially
increasing engine coolant reclamation and greatly reducing the amount of engine coolants
requiring disposal each year. Additionally, in those instances where reclamation is not
possible, if agencies were to purchase. reclaimed engine coolants directly, this could
significantly contribute to increasing overall engine coolant reclamation.
4. Designation
In 40 CFR 247.1 l(c), EPA is designating reclaimed engine coolant as an item that is
or can be made with recovered materials.
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