Industrial processes like metal production and chemical manufacturing produce materials that can be flammable, corrosive, or toxic. However, household products like paint, cleaning chemicals, and excess bleach can also become hazardous if not disposed of properly.
Managing hazardous waste requires understanding federal, state, and local regulations and a commitment to environmental compliance. The three main methods of handling hazardous waste are treatment, disposal, and recycling. Contact Hazardous Waste Disposal Companies now!
A professional hazardous waste disposal service can safely use up or dispose of many hazardous wastes. This can save businesses money on disposal fees and help them comply with environmental laws and industrial regulations. It can also prevent safety hazards, such as explosions and fires, and reduce the risk of contamination to the surrounding environment and public health.
A wide variety of industrial processes, including petroleum refining, metal processing and electronics manufacturing can generate chemical waste. These processes create byproducts that can be flammable, corrosive or toxic. Other sources of hazardous waste include commercial activities, such as dry cleaners, auto repair shops and paint thinners. These byproducts must be properly stored and handled to avoid potential accidents, which may result in injuries or environmental damage.
Hazardous waste disposal options can include landfilling, incineration and deep-well injection. Land disposal is not preferred, as it can contaminate the soil and groundwater supplies with dangerous chemicals and pollutants. However, deep-well injection is an option that is becoming more popular as a safer and cheaper alternative to landfilling.
In addition to specialized hazardous waste disposal services, local government agencies and big box stores often accept certain types of hazardous waste for recycling or disposal. If you have questions about where to take a particular type of hazardous waste, contact your city or county office or check the website of your state environmental protection agency.
The EPA promotes a cradle-to-grave approach to hazardous waste management that includes regulation and standards for how to identify, transport, treat and dispose of each waste stream. This is the best way to minimize environmental impact and ensure safety for everyone involved in the production, transport and disposal of hazardous waste.
The best option for reducing the amount of hazardous waste your company generates is to buy safer products and use them up before disposing of them. Inspect all product labels for proper storage and disposal instructions. Store chemicals in their original containers whenever possible, as these are designed to hold the specific substance without rusting or leaking. Keeping hazardous substances in their original containers can also reduce the risk of them exploding, igniting or mixing with other chemicals on their journey to a hazardous waste disposal facility.
Treatment Methods
Generally speaking, hazardous wastes need some sort of treatment before they can be legally disposed. This is because most types of regulated wastes contain hazardous chemicals, pathogens or other harmful substances. It is important for a waste handler to know the different types of treatment methods available. These treatment processes help to render the harmful substances noninfectious, less toxic and/or less hazardous so that they are safe for disposal.
The most common types of hazardous waste treatments are chemical, thermal and biological. Chemical treatments convert the waste to a nonhazardous material by altering its molecular structure. Examples include ion exchange, precipitation, oxidation and reduction. Thermal treatments involve burning the waste to remove toxic elements. Examples of this include fluidized bed incinerators, multiple-hearth furnaces and rotary kilns.
Biological treatments use living organisms to break down the waste and render it noninfectious. Typically, these organisms are bacteria or other microorganisms. This type of treatment can also be done using enzymes, which are bacterial or other organisms that have been modified to produce specific, desirable chemical reactions.
Physical or mechanical treatment focuses on concentrates, solidification and/or reducing the volume of the waste. For example, the waste can be mixed with lime, fly ash or other materials to make it more compact and resistant to leaching. The waste can also be encapsulated in concrete, asphalt or plastic to further protect it from leaching and other environmental impacts.
Alternatively, the waste can be buried in a geological repository. This method is often used for radioactive waste and ensures its safety for a long period of time. In some cases, the waste is placed in a lined landfill to ensure its safety in the event of an accident or fire.
Many states have regulations governing the disposal of hazardous wastes. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, for example, regulates the storage, handling, transport and disposal of industrial hazardous waste. It issues permits, conducts inspections and provides technical assistance. It also collects, stores and processes data related to hazardous waste management. Ultimately, this information is used to develop and implement sound environmental policy.
Chemical Disinfection
Many hazardous wastes are corrosive, explosive, toxic, or reactive. When not managed properly, these wastes can pose serious risks to human health and the environment. Using chemical disinfection techniques before disposal, it is possible to render dangerous waste non-hazardous for transport and storage.
Industrial processes like metal processing, oil refining, and chemical production produce wastes that are considered hazardous by the EPA. In addition, everyday activities like dry cleaners and auto repair shops can generate hazardous wastes. Even household products like paint thinners, excess bleach, and waste oil from vehicles can be hazardous if not handled properly.
Hazardous wastes can cause respiratory problems if they are released into the air. They can also contaminate water sources and lead to environmental damage. The toxins found in hazardous waste can leach into soil and water, harming plants and animals. They can even enter the food chain and be consumed by humans. The toxins in hazardous waste can cause reproductive and developmental problems in children and adults, and some may even be carcinogenic.
There are four key traits that the EPA uses to classify hazardous wastes. Flammability refers to the waste’s sensitivity to fire, such as flammable solvents and paints. Corrosivity describes the waste’s ability to corrode metals and other materials such as human skin or concrete. Reactivity refers to the waste’s instability under certain conditions, such as with heat or contact with other chemicals. The EPA uses specific tests to assess reactivity. Toxicity refers to the harmful substances that are contained in the waste, such as heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
All generators of hazardous waste are required to follow federal and state laws regarding the generation, storage, transportation, and disposal of their hazardous waste. The EPA promotes a cradle-to-grave approach to hazardous waste management, which requires tracking the waste from its initial generation through to final disposal.
Every business that generates hazardous waste must have a certified emergency response plan to respond to fires, explosions, and unplanned releases of hazardous materials into the air, ground, or water. This plan must include methods to control the release, protect the workers involved, and prevent damage to the surrounding environment.
Full Containment
Many labs generate regulated chemical wastes that can be toxic, reactive, ignitable, corrosive or infectious. These hazardous wastes can be disposed of only by properly handling, transporting and treating them to remove their hazardous properties. Improper treatment of hazardous waste can result in environmental damage including the pollution of surface and ground water supplies, contamination of soil, or the introduction of carcinogenic or mutagenic materials to the food chain.
Chemical wastes may be in the form of solids, liquids, sludges or contained gases. They are generated primarily from manufacturing, industrial research and processing activities and are generated in both small and large quantities.
Some of these wastes are toxic, poisoning people and animals even in very small or trace amounts. Others are ignitable and can explode when exposed to air. Still others are corrosive and can burn or damage surfaces, equipment and buildings. In addition to these hazards, some chemical wastes are infectious and can cause serious illness in people and animals that come into contact with them.
To prevent these hazards, MIT stores its chemical wastes in a variety of containment systems to protect the environment and workers. These systems can range from small double steel wall containers to large tanks. EHS will work with any PI or staff member who generates chemical waste in their lab, shop or maker space to design a safe and convenient chemical waste management system that meets the facility’s needs and budget.
Hazardous wastes must be stored in a safe and appropriate manner and all containers must be labeled. When a container is full, the PI must submit a waste collection request online and EHS will remove it from its SAA location and transport it for disposal.
During the shipment process, most hazardous waste streams require a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest to travel with them from the point of generation, through transportation and finally the final treatment, storage and disposal facility (TSDF). Each party that touches the waste must sign the UDWM and each container is dated, creating a record for the cradle-to-grave path of the waste.