What is Hazardous Waste?
When most of us think of hazardous waste, it’s likely to invoke images of dangerous chemicals, vats of oil or radioactive material, but in reality, many types of ‘hazardous’ waste can be quite mundane and a lot more of us produce it than we think.
Hazardous waste is defined as waste material that could cause harm to humans or the environment, which can include pesticides, oils, solvents, chemicals, and batteries.
Since July 2005, more types of waste materials have been classified as hazardous waste than ever before and many of these items might surprise you. The Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005 and the Lists of Wastes (England) Regulations 2005, covers a lot of materials that many people consider to be “normal waste”, and we recommend that all businesses have a hazardous waste management strategy.
Everyday Hazardous Waste Items
Probably without realising you are handling some form of hazardous waste on a regular, or even day to day basis.
In an office environment, common waste items such as printer toner and cartridges, computer cleaning wipes all contain chemicals that could pose a risk to health or the environment and should be disposed of in a careful manner, but old electrical equipment such as laptops, printers, and smoke alarms must all be with according to WEEE regulations and recommendations.
It’s also important to remember that the florescent tubing in overhead lighting is also classed as a type of dangerous waste as they contain low-pressure mercury-vapour gas-discharge, which can be harmful to the environment, animals, and humans, which is why they must be handled with care and not added to general waste.
Businesses involved in the health and beauty industries also deal with potentially hazardous waste regularly. This can be in the form of bleaches and hair colourants, peroxides, tanning products, gels, varnishes, and aerosols. It could be tempting to add these items to a general waste bin, but in reality, all of these items pose a risk to safety and should be disposed of carefully and in accordance with hazardous waste regulations.
Another more obvious, dangerous waste would be a product used in piercing, tattooing or medical procedures. These items should be treated as clinical waste and should be collected in a separate waste stream and secure containers to make sure everyone involved in the disposal is safe.
Hotels and leisure centres are known for producing a lot of waste such as food or glass recycling, but they also produce their fair share of hazardous waste. Outdated electrical or housekeeping equipment, such as fridges, TVs, toasters and other kitchen items need to be disposed of in accordance with WEEE recommendations.
Old fire extinguishers, cleaning chemicals and bleaches, batteries, fertilisers and other chemicals used for ground maintenance also present dangers when disposing.
A little more obvious, but much of the waste produced by Factories or manufacturers will be hazardous in one way or another. Paints, aerosols, batteries, paints, petrochemicals and maintenance waste such as oils, resins, adhesives and greases; as well as contaminated rags, wipes, PPE and absorbents, contaminated packaging (i.e.: empty chemical or cement bags), any toxic, radioactive or flammable materials will all need to be disposed of in accordance with environmental regulations as they pose a serious risk to human health, animal life or the environment.
A Small Business Hazardous Waste Strategy
Many day-to-day items and products such as cleaning chemicals, batteries, aerosols, and even toner cartridges fall into the hazardous waste category, and a small and reasonable amount of these waste items are accepted into general waste, after all, you would have a large bin for just one or two bottles of cleaning fluid or empty printer cartridges, but larger quantities must be disposed of correctly.
Once businesses have established if they are producing hazardous waste, they need to understand the type and amount of hazardous waste they are producing, they should devise a strategy to deal with it correctly, legally and cost-effectively.
Identifying Dangerous Waste
There are 16 categories of hazardous waste:
- HP1 – Explosive
- HP2 – Oxidising
- HP3 – Flammable
- HP4 – Irritant
- HP5 – STOT (Specific Target Organ Toxicity)
- HP6 – Acute Toxicity
- HP7 – Carcinogenic
- HP8 – Corrosive
- HP9 – Infectious
- HP10 – Toxic for Reproduction
- HP11 – Mutagenic
- HP12 – Release of an acute toxic gas
- HP13 – Sensitising
- HP14 – Ecotoxic
- HP15 – Waste capable of exhibiting a hazardous property listed above not directly displayed by the original waste
- HP16 – Assessment of persistent organic pollutants
For the most part, your business will not be producing many of these different types of waste, but it’s important to be able to recognise them.
Most chemicals will be marked if they have corrosive, flammable or toxic properties, and you must understand the labelling on your products and treat them correctly.
Hazardous Waste Storage
Hopefully, your business won’t be producing too much dangerous waste, if you do find yourself having to store large amounts of potentially dangerous waste, you should find the right solution to do this.
Choose containers that are chemically compatible with the material you are planning to store. Chemicals must not react with, weaken, or dissolve the container or lid.
For example; Acids or bases should not be stored in metal containers, and solvents should not be stored or transported in lightweight plastic bottles or containers.
All containers must be leak-proof, with screw-on tops to prevent spillages, and should only be opened when adding new waste.
Any extremely dangerous waste should be placed in secondary containers to further minimise the risk of spills or leakages.
For further information, visit the UK government website about the storage of hazardous waste.
Maintain Clear Records
Try to keep a clear record of all the hazardous waste you have on-site making sure it is classified. Should any spills or accidents occur these records can be useful for the clean-up, or in worst-case scenarios, this information could vital for the emergency services to refer to in order to handle the situation.
Why CheaperWaste Has Got Your Back!
Here at CheaperWaste we are the UK’s fastest-growing waste management company and we are growing fast for a reason. We offer the best service, at inexpensive prices, and are focused on small businesses. We understand your business’ needs and have a team catered to help you grow and succeed. Get a quote for free and see how much you can save today!
If you would like some assistance to understand your waste requirements, contact us today.
