Managing Vehicle Wash Water
Vehicle washing can produce contaminated wash water containing road dirt, grease, oils, brake dust, traffic film residue and cleaning products. At sites without suitable drainage, this wash water needs to be managed rather than allowed to enter surface water drains or surrounding ground.
Mobile Fleetwash can provide wastewater containment as part of our on-site vehicle cleaning service. Our purpose-built mobile units can capture wash water during cleaning, reclaim it into onboard tanks and transport it away from site for approved disposal.
This allows vehicles to be cleaned at depots, yards and operating sites where drainage is limited or unsuitable.
Not every depot or operating site has drainage suitable for vehicle washing. Commercial wash water can contain road dirt, brake dust, oil, grease, traffic film residue and cleaning products, so it needs to be managed carefully. Drainage considerations include:
Where suitable drainage is unavailable, wastewater containment can be incorporated into the cleaning service.
The Solution
With more than 160 mobile cleaning units operating across the UK, Mobile Fleetwash can provide scheduled vehicle washing at a wide range of depots and operating sites.
Where wastewater containment is required, our equipment allows wash water to be captured, reclaimed and managed as part of the cleaning process.
Our mobile units are fitted with onboard tanks that collect wastewater produced during vehicle washing, helping prevent wash water from entering unsuitable drainage or surrounding ground.
Many of our units are equipped with filtration systems that treat reclaimed water so it can be reused during subsequent washing cycles where appropriate, reducing the amount of fresh water required.
Specialist pumps reclaim collected wash water into onboard waste tanks, where it is stored before being transported off site for approved disposal.
Mobile Fleetwash is licensed by the Environment Agency for the transport and handling of waste associated with our vehicle cleaning operations. Supporting waste documentation can also be provided where required.
Responsible Wastewater Management
Mobile Fleetwash UK Ltd is licensed by the Environment Agency for the transport and handling of waste associated with our vehicle cleaning services.
Where suitable drainage is unavailable, our wastewater containment equipment allows wash water to be collected on site and transported for approved disposal rather than discharged into unsuitable drainage or surrounding ground.
Before regular cleaning begins, we can discuss the proposed wash area, drainage arrangements and any site-specific requirements. For businesses operating across several depots, wastewater requirements can also be considered separately for each location.
Vehicle wash wastewater containment involves capturing the water produced during on-site vehicle cleaning rather than allowing it to enter unsuitable drainage or surrounding ground.
Mobile Fleetwash can reclaim captured wash water into onboard tanks using specialist pumps. The water can then be managed separately and transported away from site for approved disposal.
Water running off working vehicles can contain more than dirt. Environment Agency guidance identifies pollutants including hydrocarbon residues, brake dust, traffic film residue and oil. Cleaning products, including traffic film removers and those labelled biodegradable, also need to be considered when managing vehicle wash water.
Contaminated vehicle wash water should not be allowed to enter surface water drainage. Environment Agency guidance advises that vehicle cleaning effluent, run-off and cleaning chemicals should be kept out of drains connected to the surface water system.
If the drainage at your depot is unclear, it is worth confirming where the drains lead before regular washing begins.
Potentially, but permission may be required. In England, Environment Agency guidance says trade effluent from vehicle washing must not be discharged into drains without permission from the relevant sewage undertaker.
The correct arrangement therefore depends on the drainage available at the individual site and any consent that is in place.
Not necessarily. Environment Agency guidance says vehicle cleaning effluent, run-off and cleaning chemicals should not enter oil separators. Detergents used during washing can affect how these systems operate.
An interceptor should therefore not be treated as confirmation on its own that a particular wash area is suitable.
Yes. Where the available drainage is unsuitable, Mobile Fleetwash can use wastewater containment equipment to capture wash water during cleaning rather than relying on the site’s drainage system.
Collected water is reclaimed into onboard tanks and can be transported away from the site for approved disposal.
Where containment is being used, specialist pumps reclaim the collected wash water into tanks carried by the mobile cleaning unit.
The wastewater can then be removed from the customer site for approved disposal. Many of our units also have filtration systems that allow some reclaimed water to be treated and reused during later washing cycles where appropriate.
Request a Quote
Tell us about your vehicles, site location and preferred cleaning schedule. Our team can discuss your requirements and arrange a service that works around your availability.
Unit 3-4 Upminster Trading Park Warley Street, Upminster, Essex RM14 3PJ
Rear of 31 South Parade, Ossett,
West Yorkshire WF5 0EF
