Solid Waste Management in the Automotive
Industry
HENRY T. HUDSON, Engineer
Office of Solid Waste Management Programs
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, Ohio
INTRODUCTION
In June of 1968, the Federal solid waste management programs of the Environmental Protection Agency contracted with Ralph Stone and Co., Inc., Engineers, for
a study of solid waste management in the automotive industry. The study objectives
were: 1) To determine the character and quantity of solid waste and scrap materials
generated by automotive plants (Scrap was defined for this study as salable wastes
resulting from manufacturing processes); 2) To identify the sources of solid waste and
scrap generation; 3) To determine handling, collection, storage, and disposal methods
and costs; and 4) To determine the effects of plant waste and scrap on the environment and the community.
The project was completed in September 1970 and the final report will be
published. This paper briefly describes the project and presents some of the results.
The automotive industry may be defined by Standard Industrial Classification
(SIC) Codes 3711, 3712, 3713, and 3714. SIC 3711 includes establishments
primarily engaged in manufacturing or assembling complete motor vehicles, although
they may also manufacture parts. The plants that manufacture parts as well as do
assembly are known as integrated plants. Most of the assembly plants are
large-volume, mass production plants of the major automobile and truck manufacturer members of the Automobile Manufacturers Association.
SIC's 3712 and 3713 include establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing passenger car bodies and truck and bus bodies, respectively, but not complete
vehicles. There are two types of body plants within these two SIC codes:
high-volume mass production plants and low-volume custom production plants. In
both cases, the primary manufacturing processes are sheet metal and structural
fabrication.
SIC 3714 includes establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing motor
vehicle parts and accessories, but not complete vehicles. These plants differ markedly
in products, production rates, and processes. They use a wide variety of machining,
casting, forging, drilling, grinding, cutting and trimming operations.
These  four automotive industry SIC Codes do not include establishments
manufacturing tires and tubes, storage batteries, sheet metal stampings, motorcycles,
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