Top tips for a more sustainable auto repair shop

Sustainability is on everyone’s minds these days. Every industry and every business is making an effort to adopt more eco-friendly ways of working. In most industries, there are laws and regulations already in place to ensure that businesses are operating with eco-friendly procedures.

As the owner of an auto repair shop, it’s your responsibility to establish more sustainable ways of working.

It may not be an easy feat but it will be a great selling point for your customers; most of whom will want to know how your business is working to be green. Here are some of the top tips for going green in your auto repair shop.

Recycle what you can

There are many materials used in an auto repair shop that can be recycled. As well as the usual paper, plastic, cardboard, and glass, your shop could be recycling more. For instance, did you know you can recycle used car batteries?

You can also arrange sustainable waste oil collection from your shop so that no oil goes to waste. It’s also worth finding out if your local recycling centre takes tyres.

Acrylic flooring

No matter how hard you work to keep oil and fluids from spilling, there will inevitably be some spillage on your floor. When this happens, the oil sinks into the ground and is absorbed. This isn’t great for the environment so it’s important that you do something about it.

It can help to have an acrylic flooring installed that prevents the spillages from being absorbed. When your floor is sealed, the oil spills will stay on the floor and can be cleaned up and wrung into a container to be recycled.

LED lighting

Good lighting is essential in an auto repair shop but it can be costly and use a lot of energy. When lights are vital for the work you do, consider switching to LED bulbs. LEDs will save you a significant amount on your energy bills and help the environment at the same time.

If there are parts of the shop that don’t require lighting all of the time, you may want to switch to motion sensor lights or timers. This will save you and your team having to think about switching off lights as you work.

Educate customers

Part of striving to be industry experts is understanding customers and what they want from their vehicles. Customers want their vehicles to be as eco-friendly as possible and they may come to you for advice. It could be anything from wheel alignments to tyre pressure and other general maintenance.

Keeping a car well maintained will mean it performs as well as possible on the road. Cars that struggle to perform well will often end up damaging the environment more than necessary. You may also be able to recommend makes and models that are more environmentally friendly for your average customer.

Eco-friendly chemicals

Chemicals will always play a big part in any auto shop trade. Not only will you need to use oil but you’ll also need cleaning solutions, and much more. You can purchase recycled or bio-based oil for your shop to ensure your customers are getting the best.

You can also find eco-friendly cleaning options that work just as well as traditional cleaning solutions. You can buy these in bulk to save on packaging and delivery trips. They are designed for cutting through oil and grease bases which is ideal for cleaning in auto shops.

Insulation

It’s typical for auto repair shops to become cold during the winter. Working conditions can be warm so it’s unlikely you’ll need to heat your shop to keep workers from feeling the cold.

However, when temperatures dip below freezing, you may need to heat your shop to ensure equipment works properly and it’s not at risk of water damage from thawing ice.

Making sure that your roof is properly insulated will make a huge difference. Heat rises so you don’t want all the heat escaping through the roof. If your roof and walls are insulated, you may need very little heat during the winter so you won’t need to use energy pumping heat in.

Choose an eco-friendly car

Your customers will be looking at what you’re driving. As the owner of an auto repair shop, you can lead by example. Choose an eco-friendly car, like an electric or hybrid vehicle.

In addition to it being the best option for the environment, it’s also the best way to learn about how cars are being adapted for the future of driving.