MITRA Forum Question Details

​This may be redundant, I didn’t see too much on it here though.  My question is about waste management. I’m an oil painter, so paint including lead white, and mineral spirits are my concerns. I have not painted for about two years because I am a hypochondriac, and my current studio space is a basement apartment. I am trying to get over it, and have been trying to find some clarity. I live in Utah, and I actually contacted my state office of solid and hazardous waste, and explained what I was doing, the waste I was generating and an estimate at the quantity. They  indicated to me that even though I was engaged in activities for profit, my residential status and volume would allow disposal into the municipal waste stream. I also contacted my local transfer station, and they will accept up to 5 gallons of waste at a time for 8$, which is very reasonable. My problem is safe storage. In a day, I might generate 3 or 4 paper towels with a few milliliters worth of paint, and some mineral spirits stained areas. For final brush cleaning I will use two small bowls of water and wipe the waste out on a paper towel so as not to have it go down the drain.  I am storing these materials for a week or two in a justrite oily waste can until I take it to the transfer station, how safe is this given my living environment? Does solvent evaporate out of those cans? Am I trapping volatile compounds and releasing them every time I open it? The can says empty every night which makes no sense. I am not opposed to “solvent free” however large quantities of drying or vegetable oil on rags still present a combustion risk. And varnishing procedures are not accomplished without use of solvent. So I can’t entirely get away from solvent. I am also curious what artists were doing with waste throughout history. There were thousands of artists working in Paris in th 19th century. Where did all their painting rags go? Anyway I apologize for my neurosis I just want to keep working, but my anxiety makes me think that I’m storing waste that will explode into flames at any moment.