Do You Need A Permit?
What Regulations Apply to You?
Lithographic and Screen Printing Industry
If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you either need to have a permit or there are state environmental regulatory requirements that apply to your business. Some federal requirements are also listed below. To request assistance or ask for more information, you can call the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) phone number listed in the heading of each section, or if you would like a confidential consultation, you can call personnel in the DEQ's Office of Outreach & Environmental Assistance at (307) 777-7937. If you would like to make sure you are complying with all other state agencies' requirements, you can contact the state's Business Permit Coordinator in the Department of Commerce, Division of Economic & Community Development at 307-777-6433.
| Yes* No | ||
| Land Quality Division (307) 777-7756
Good news! You are not a mining or exploration operation so you do not need a permit. |
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| Industrial Siting Division (307) 777-7369
Good news! As long as you are not spending $130 million on a new facility, you do not need a permit. |
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| Solid & Hazardous Waste Division (307) 777-7752 | ||
| ____ | ____ | Are you removing an underground or aboveground storage tank? These tanks must be managed as a solid waste, and they must be properly handled by the appropriate permitted facililty (decommissioning facility for the tanks). |
| ____ | ____ | Paints, solvents, inks, cleanup rags, used fixer, etc. may be considered hazardous wastes. Is the monthly amount of generated hazardous waste less than 220 pounds (approx. ½ of a 55 gallon drum)? If so, you are a Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator which allows you to dispose of the hazardous waste at a permitted disposal facility if prior approval is obtained from the facility owner/operator. |
| ____ | ____ | Paints, solvents, inks, cleanup rags, used fixer, etc. may be considered hazardous wastes. Is the monthly amount of generated hazardous waste greater than 220 pounds? If so, your facility is more stringently regulated and you need to contact the Solid and Hazardous Waste Division for further information. |
| ____ | ____ | Are you failing to manifest your hazardous waste to shipment to a disposal facility? All hazardous waste must be manifested. The paperwork must be properly filled out with the applicable signatures of the generator, transporter and disposer. You must keep the manifest on-site for a minimum of three years. |
| Water Quality Division (307) 777-7781 | ||
| ____ | ____ | You have a spill (any petroleum based or hazardous substance) that can contact soil or water. Contact the department's 24 hour spill hotline at 307-777-7781 as soon as it is discovered. Inks and solvents you use in your shop may be hazardous substances. |
| ____ | ____ | Do you engage in printing other than photocopying? If so, you may need a storm water permit. |
| ____ | ____ | Do you have an underground storage tank 110 gallons or larger which holds a petroleum product (solvent) or a CERCLA hazardous substance? If you do, you need to register the tanks, pay tank fees, do a one-time minimum site assessment, and comply with the associated regulations. |
| ____ | ____ | Do you have an existing floor drain connected to a septic tank and leach field or dry well. If you do, call to plan the best course of action to monitor or eliminate this type of system. This type of system is not allowed in new construction. |
| ____ | ____ | Do you have a septic system and leach field for your facility's restrooms? If you do, you need a permit from WQD or the county depending on which agency has jurisdiction. |
| Note: If wastes from floor cleaning, etc. drain to a floor sump connected to a municipal water and sewer system, you do not need a permit from WQD, but you should call your water/sewer provider about compliance with the waste water treatment operator's industrial pre-treatment and cross connection prevention programs. | ||
| Air Quality Division (AQD) (307) 777-7391 | ||
| ____ | ____ | Do you own or operate a rotogravure or wide-wed flexographic printing press? If you do, contact AQD regarding applicable federal regulations and possible permitting requirements. |
| ____ | ____ | Do you have hazardous or volatile emissions from operations of presses, screens, solvent cleaning, etc. in your print shop? See example calculations below. If so, you need to contact the AQD for possible permitting requirements. |
Note:
Calculate your volatile organic and hazardous emissions as follows:Example:
| Paint A | Solvent B | Ink C | Total Emissions | |
| Annual Usage (lbs) | 500 | 2000 | 100 | |
| Volatile (% from MSDS) | 40 | 95 | 5 | |
| Hazardous (% from MSDS) | 30 | 2 | 1 | |
| Volatile Emissions (lbs) (usage X volatile %) |
200 | 1900 | 5 | 2105* |
| Hazardous Emissions (lbs) (usage X hazardous %) |
150 | 40 | 1 | 191** |
* Contact AQD for possible permitting requirements, if you have volatile emissions.
** An AQD operating permit is required if: hazardous emissions from a single hazardous air pollutant (HAP) are 10 tons (20,000 pounds)/year or more OR the combined hazardous emissions from more than one HAP total 25 tons/year or more. For hazardous emissions below 10 tons/year, contact AQD for possible permitting requirements.
Available Guidance Documents Through the Office of
Outreach (307) 777-7937:
What Do I Do With This Gunk In A Barrel?
Guidence on how to handle wastes of unknown origin.
MSDS Fact Sheet Guidence on how to read a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).
Hazardous Waste Basic Training for Generators An overview of requirements for
hazardous waste generators.
* Pollution Prevention Can Save Money!
Are you unhappy with the number of regulations that apply to you? If you would like to reduce the number of environmental requirements that apply to your business, consider asking about pollution prevention (P2) possibilities. P2 solutions can save you money and reduce your regulatory burden!
Some P2 Tips for Printers:
Use and reuse as much as possible. If it's used, it isn't a waste. Ex.: Recycle leftover specialty ink colors into black ink if possible. Only mix/buy the amount you will use.
Investigate aqueous-based plate developing systems and/or electronic prepress technology.
Consider on-site recovery of silver from used fixer.
Ask your vendor about low VOC ink and emulsion removers.
Check the MSDS for your haze remover. Try to find one under 12.5 pH. Over 12.5 pH makes the waste hazardous.
Install a filter on your solvent sink to increase the life of your solvent. Look into recycling your solvent on site. Consider switching to a non-hazardous solvent substitute.
Call the Pollution Prevention Program Coordinator at (307)777-6105 for more suggestions on how to reduce waste and save money.