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The disposal of waste paint sludge from the paint finishing system in automotive assembly plants is a massive environmental problem in its own right. Automobile and truck assembly plants in the U.S. alone generate about 30,000,000 gallons (113,550 cubic meters) of wet sludge per year. Costs are now passing $500,000 per year per plant for sludge disposal in many regions of the United States, accompanied by permanent liability for the land-filled sludge under U.S. regulations. Charges for land disposal of paint waste sludges are expected to increase dramatically world wide as stricter environmental regulations are enforced and landfill capacity is exhausted. Public awareness of the potentially hazardous nature of paint waste is growing, which will only lead to stricter laws governing the disposal.