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Mission Complete: High-Volume AFFF Disposal at Lockheed Martin Aircraft Hangar in Fort Worth, TX
Learn how we safely managed more than 60,000 gallons of AFFF liquid from an aircraft hangar at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, TX aerospace facility.Byline: BTB Author
July 24, 2025 / Time to read: 5 minWhen aerospace and defense leader Lockheed Martin needed support with a large-scale aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) disposal project, we had the team, equipment and expertise to get the job done.
The Challenge
AFFF, a specialized firefighting foam used to combat fuel-based fires, contains
In the spring of 2024, Lockheed Martin contracted us to dismantle and remove approximately 60,000 gallons of AFFF liquid from an aircraft hangar fire suppression system at its Fort Worth, TX aerospace and defense manufacturing facility.
Beyond the high volume of AFFF liquid that needed to be removed, the security measures required at the site posed additional logistical challenges. As a Department of Defense (DoD) facility, site access was limited to essential personnel only. This required our team’s strong project management skills and seamless communication between onsite and offsite team members.
The Solution
To ensure compliance with DoD protocols, we stayed consistent with approved methods and processes from past AFFF disposal projects. We transported the AFFF liquid via vacuum truck to our Beatty, NV hazardous waste facility — an arid climate subtitle C landfill with zero discharge off site — which is on the approved treatment, storage and disposal facility (TSDF) list for both Lockheed Martin and the DoD.
Once the AFFF was safely removed from the building systems, the contaminated liquid was temporarily stored in frac tanks at the Fort Worth facility. After waste profile approval, we mobilized 130 BBL vacuum trucks to the site to transfer the material to our Beatty facility. Since the AFFF waste contained minimal solids, it was accepted and solidified before disposal. Additionally, we disposed of two roll-off boxes of cut up poly tank material that held the liquids contaminated with the AFFF.
This project ran from the end of November 2024 to early January 2025.
The Outcome
With successful completion of this project, Lockheed Martin awarded us a follow-up contract to haul an additional 80,000 gallons of Synthetic Fluorine Free Foam (SFFF) to our Itasca Landfill for disposal.
In addition, we were awarded a project involving ECOPOL — a non-hazardous form of AFFF, often referred to as “Green AFFF” — which we transported to and disposed of at our Itasca Landfill.
Safe and Compliant AFFF Disposal
Republic Services offers a single-source solution for the responsible management of AFFF- and other PFAS-impacted waste. With a wide network of specialized facilities designed to dispose of or treat these types of complex waste streams, you can count on us from coast to coast for turnkey
Our Industrial Services experts are equipped with the latest training and technology to safely and efficiently decommission large-scale AFFF deluge hangar fire suppression systems and manage handheld fire extinguishers.
- Evacuating AFFF concentrate from fire suppression system tanks
- Dismantling tanks, hose reels, piping and valve removal
- AFFF bladder removal
- Transportation and disposal of AFFF and rinse waters in drums, totes or bulk tankers
- Containerization, transportation and disposal of debris and piping
- 24/7 emergency response
Learn how our
