The Organic Mechanic — 5 Steps to A Greener MRO
By Jennifer Caron, FAA Safety Briefing Copy Editor
When it comes to aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), “eco-friendly” and “organic” are typically not the first words that spring to mind. Yet with a commitment across the aviation industry to protect public health and the environment, going green is not only good for the earth, it’s also good for your employees’ job safety and health, it safeguards your shop against liability, and adds more “green” to your bottom line. There are small steps you can take now to prevent, eliminate, and manage waste in your day-to-day maintenance operations.
Step 1: Develop a Waste Management System
Servicing aircraft leads to predictable types of waste, such as fluids and spent chemicals. Some are hazardous to human health (solvents, heavy metals) and some are not. Yet both types pose a risk to you and the environment if they’re not handled properly. Know the risks and the difference between the two.
Waste-Opedia 101:
Per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), hazardous waste is any waste that is Toxic, Reactive, Ignitable, or Corrosive (TRIC). The most common hazardous shop waste comes from cleaning products, such as certain halogenated solvents, xylene, toluene, methyl ethyl ketone, or methanol. These products are also hazardous air pollutants, or HAPs, which pose an acute toxic reaction when inhaled by humans/animals. You’ll find a list at bit.ly/WASTEID. A quick way to know the risk of any hazardous material is to take a look at the diamond-shaped risk label on its Material Safety Data Sheet.
Next, inventory your shop waste, and:
⚠️ Collect It: Use approved, labeled, and dated containers; do not mix hazardous and non-hazardous waste.
⚠️ Store It: Indoors, closed lids, keep records, inspect regularly.
⚠️ Dispose of It: Use a licensed waste company or recycler.
Consult the EPA, and state and local agencies for permits and amounts you can either generate or store. For resources and environmental regulations in your state, visit bit.ly/EnvironByState.
Step 2: Substitute Environmentally-Friendly Alternatives
Swap out solvents, soaps, de-icing fluid, synthetic detergents, and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) for non-toxic, water-based cleaning alternatives, non-caustic rust removal substitutes, and terpene (plant-based) products.
Adopt environmentally-responsible methods for aircraft and ground vehicle care, especially cleaning, degreasing, painting, de-icing, corrosion control, and fueling. Dry strip instead of wet. Clean in a sloped area to manage run-off.
Step 3: Manage Universal Waste, Paint, and Used Oil
Place labeled bins around your shop to collect and recycle non-hazardous universal waste items such as alkaline batteries (lead-acid batteries are hazardous), de-pressurized aerosol cans, packaging materials, rubber, paper, and plastic.
Solvent-based paints are hazardous. Send your paint cans, rags, and antifreeze offsite for recycling.
Collect, recycle, or burn used oil to heat your shop. It’s not hazardous, and you can recycle those oily rags and filters.
Step 4: Waste Not, Want Not
For those who were thrifty before it was cool, here’s your chance to shine. Reduce, reuse, and recycle items like scrap metal, unused paint, unserviceable parts, tires, bulbs, and mercury switches and thermostats. Don’t buy more than you need. Save a tree and go digital. Invest in LED lighting to save on your power bills.
Step 5: Educate Your Customers and Train Employees
Research shows that consumers prefer and will pay more for eco-friendly products. Let them know your shop is green — you’ll be more competitive, and crisp green dollars will sprout on your balance sheet. Establish an employee training program (initial and annual) on health hazards, proper handling/labeling, emergency procedures, and management of spills and leaks.
Adopting sustainable practices and using alternative products is not difficult, and it doesn’t take a lot of resources to get started. One step at a time, and you can do your part to be environmentally conscious.
Jennifer Caron is FAA Safety Briefing’s copy editor and quality assurance lead. She is a certified technical writer-editor in the FAA’s Flight Standards Service.
