Car repair shops

Car repair shops are companies that offer various services for motor vehicles such as the maintenance and repair of motor vehicles.

Explanation of the activity

Activities of car repair shops that may have an impact on the environment are:

working with substances hazardous to the soil, such as engine oil, brake oil, coolant, battery acid
repair work on the coachbuilder, sanding and coating
maintaining the air conditioning of a motor vehicle
storage of hazardous substances

These activities can cause soil, air pollution and risks to the immediate environment. In addition, the car repair shop is subject to rules on the handling of waste materials, the discharge of waste water, energy savings and the reduction of noise pollution.

Where to find the rules

The rules for car repair shops are laid down in the Regulation Establishments and Activities BES.

Notification

A car repair shop is usually a type 2 establishment. This means that 4 weeks before the start or change of your car repair shop, you must notify this to the Executive Council. In the event of a change, a notification is only necessary if a deviation arises from previously provided data. More information about notification can be found on the Notification page .

Which rules apply

Waste

Waste must be stored separately.
The waste concerned is the following:

cardboard and paper
plastic
aluminium
glas
hazardous wastes such as brake fluid and oily wastes

Waste is collected by or transported to a collector designated by the Executive Council.

Soil

Substances hazardous to the soil must not enter the soil. To prevent this, work must be carried out above a soil protection facility. These are floors or drip trays so that the liquids cannot get into the soil. Examples of substances hazardous to the soil that can be released are oil, coolant, brake fluid, electrolyte. When using a drip tray, the drip tray must be emptied into a special storage vessel that is located in the drip tray. Any leaks should be cleaned up immediately with absorbents, such as cloths.

Wastewater

The generation of wastewater must be prevented. Wastewater containing substances hazardous to the soil must not be discharged untreated to a wastewater system or wastewater treatment such as a septic tank. If waste water is generated because the floor is wet by rainwater, an oil separator must be installed before this wastewater can be discharged to a wastewater system or septic tank.

Hazardous substances

Hazardous substances must be kept in separate storage, except for the hazardous substances you need. Hazardous substances include solvent, lacquer and battery acid. Gas cylinders must be kept in separate storage.

Energy saving

In order to use energy efficiently, energy-efficient lighting must be installed, such as LED lighting. Leakages to the compressed air system must be prevented.

Scrap vehicles

At a car repair shop, a maximum of 4 scrap vehicles may be present. The storage of scrap vehicles must avoid soil contamination. This can be done by removing the liquids from the scrap vehicle. The maximum of 4 scrap vehicles does not apply to car dismantling companies, those who have an environmental permit for this, recovery companies or if the storage takes place in the context of investigations by the police or the judiciary.

Refrigeration installations

The release of coolant from an air conditioning system must be prevented. The cooling system must also be maintained. More information about this can be found on the page refrigeration installations.

Environmental permit

No environmental permit is required for the typical repair activities of motor vehicles. However, a car repair shop may need an environmental permit for another reason.

One of these reason could be:

the storage of more than 4 scrap vehicles. Processing or destruction of scrap vehicles
having competitions with motor vehicles on a terrain.