Environmental Concerns

LFCG PROVES IT CAN STAY IN THE BLACK WHILE BEING GREEN

WALTHAM, MA -- Walk around Little Foreign Car Garage and the first thing you notice is that the shop is incredibly clean. Look a little further and you'll find out that the shop is more than just clean. Owner Skipper Hull has invested in state-of-the-art equipment -- from an EPA approved waste oil burner to a parts cleaner that uses recyclable mineral spirits -- to maintain the highest environmental standards. Many garage owners feel it costs too much to be environmentally friendly, but Little Foreign Car Garage has found that these investments pay off handsomely: they actually lower the overhead, and attract and retain customers who care about keeping the environment clean.

How environmentally friendly is Little Foreign Car Garage? In 1996 Hull purchased an EPA-approved Tempco Clean Burn Waste Oil Heater that burns all the waste oil collected by the garage. This means that Little Foreign Car Garage is not dumping pollutants into the environment -- even in EPA approved dumping sites. This is a win-win situation for Hull, who no longer needs to pay to have the waste oil and solvents removed and has found the fuel bills for Little Foreign Car Garage are dramatically lower. According to Hull, "The waste oil burner is so effective that our fuel bills are the same in winter as they are in the summer."

Little Foreign Car Garage has also invested in two state-of-the-art machines to clean engines and parts. The first, an aqueous parts cleaner, uses biodegradable soap and water. The second, a System One parts cleaner, uses recyclable mineral spirits. Instead of throwing out the dirty mineral spirits -- another pollutant -- the machine removes dirt and grime from the spirits and distills the spirits at the end of each day. The remaining sludge is then burned in the waste oil heater.

Little Foreign Car Garage also recycles old tires, which are mixed with asphalt and used for road beds. And, of course, the shop floor is washed each and every day, which is why it looks so clean. Any spills are wiped up with shop rags that are recycled every week and laundered by a service, and the floor is washed with biodegradable soap.

When Little Foreign Car Garage opened its doors in 1967 most garage owners and mechanics paid little attention to how they were affecting the environment. But even in 1967 -- in the days before strict environmental regulations -- Hull cared about keeping a clean and environmentally friendly shop. Today Little Foreign Car Garage prides itself on providing superior service to its customers while maintaining the highest environmental standards.