In industries that produce or manage waste, hazardous materials are likely to appear. Dealing with products like asbestos requires a different process from ordinary waste disposal, due to legal and safety regulations. Knowing how to effectively dispose of hazardous waste can all of a sudden seem daunting and impossible.Â
Safe hazardous trade waste removal doesn’t need to be as complex as it may seem, however. Read on to find out what you should know about hazardous waste, and how our team at A39 Skip Hire can help you.
Defining Hazardous Waste
Waste is considered hazardous if it poses a risk to the environment or humans, from carcinogenic materials to chemical burn risks. Asbestos, for example, is a material that was once used routinely as insulation for our homes. The material has since been banned in use, due to the impact it has upon human health, known to be poisonous. It’s clear to see that while some materials are hazardous on a minor level, others have much worse long-lasting impacts, making it vital that waste management is carried out correctly.
Due to the different properties and uses of hazardous waste, they need to be categorised before reaching a recycling centre. Generally, they can be sorted into different types and subcategories. This helps to ensure they will be recycled correctly, which will be covered in a later section of this article.Â
Types of Hazardous Waste
It’s important to know which type of hazardous waste you have to make sure it is stored properly, without creating bigger and potentially deadly risks. It is also a legal requirement to keep hazardous materials separate from one another, making it vital for waste separation to be enforced.
Examples of hazardous waste:
Electrical equipment with harmful components
Oils, such as car oil
Equipment with ozone-depleting substances
Chemicals
Asbestos
Batteries
Pesticides
Solvents
Hazardous waste containers
Traits of Hazardous Waste
What qualifies a form of waste to be hazardous is whether it has one or more dangerous traits, which in turn threatens the environment or human health.
Hazardous wastes come in a variety of forms, whether gaseous, liquid or solid. No matter its form, hazardous waste must be disposed of properly to reduce the risk of its effects on the local environment and communities. The next section will cover how hazardous waste needs to be stored, to keep our land contamination-free.
Storing Hazardous Waste
Hazardous waste should never be disposed of within ordinary waste, as this leads to confusion for those collecting it. It can also encourage contamination. Hazardous materials that haven’t been disposed of correctly can cause damage to handlers and the local environment, making it vital to dispose of these materials safely.Â
Read on to find out the rules around safe waste disposal.
Safe Waste Management
With ordinary waste, there are a few steps that you should follow to keep it safe. For hazardous waste, these steps should all be adhered to, with extra responsibilities added.
To store waste securely, you must:
Label any containers
Use waterproof covers to stop waste from blowing away and stop runoff contamination
Store waste safely and securely
Use suitable containers that prevent waste from escaping
With hazardous waste, you must also store different types separately to ensure:
You can complete the waste transfer note fully and correctly
The materials can be reused easily
The waste does not contaminate each other
Incorrect Waste Management
Companies that deal with hazardous materials have a legal responsibility to dispose of them correctly, which includes not mixing them. Illegally mixing waste can lead to fines, expensive cleaning procedures and problems within collection systems.
Disposing of Hazardous Waste
The responsible management of hazardous waste is an international concern. The specific concern surrounding hazardous waste management can be found as part of The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a 15-year plan to create a more sustainable and prosperous future for the world, adopted by all United Member States in 2015.Â
Sustainable Development Goal 12 was specifically designed to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, which includes reducing the generation of hazardous wastes. With an awareness of where hazardous waste is currently going a change to a more sustainable waste disposal system can be made, such as recycling.
When it comes to eventually destroying hazardous waste, using the right waste management service is vital. For a business to prove its waste is stored and disposed of correctly, the right paperwork to be held on record. A reliable and trustworthy company will be able to provide you with this. Being without paperwork makes you liable for legal action, which can negatively affect your business.Â
Handling hazardous waste is a job that requires precision and training. It requires specialist teams, as unqualified handlers can inadvertently put the environment and themselves at risk. Never try to dispose of hazardous materials yourself.
Read on to find out some methods of waste management for hazardous materials.
Recycling Waste
Some hazardous materials can still be recycled to make newer versions or given a new life entirely. Wasting them unnecessarily by being sent straight to landfills means they often get overlooked, resulting in higher rates of new materials being made without considering the wasted material. Hazardous materials that found their way into non-specialised landfills could also then seep into the ground, causing environmental damage and water contamination.
Instead, specialist companies can treat the waste to make it recoverable. They might employ chemical processes or even physically change the product. Some waste oils and solvents can even be recycled to use as fuel, granting them an entirely new use, which protects our planet from more waste.
Destruction
Hazardous waste that cannot be recycled often gets destroyed instead. This must be done carefully and by specialists, to prevent further exposure to hazardous gases or materials. For example, if a flammable material is set alight, it becomes much more dangerous than before.
Methods like incineration will break down the hazardous waste, decreasing its mass when used correctly. Again, this process should only be done by a professional, as it can cause more harm than good in some instances. The process will help to minimise the space that the waste requires.Â
Designated Landfill
If a hazardous material cannot be recycled or destroyed, it must go to a designated landfill site. Materials like asbestos cannot safely be destroyed, so must instead be disposed of at specialist sites. These landfill sites are specifically controlled and designed for hazardous material use, to keep the local environment as safe as possible from the materials.
Environmental Agency
Licences for waste carriers are important when it comes to disposing of waste correctly. As paperwork comes along with the proper disposal of hazardous waste, ensuring the right licences are held and in date is essential for any waste carrier you may choose.
The Environment Agency is a government organisation that deals with the regulation of waste in the UK, as well as maintaining the environment around us. The organisation deals with the paperwork of hazardous waste in the UK. For any waste carrier transporting, dealing or brokering waste, they must be registered with the Environment Agency.Â
Luckily, at A39 Skip Hire, we are fully accredited by the Environment Agency. You can see copies of this certificate and our other operational licences on our website.
What We Do
At A39 Skip Hire, we understand that safe waste disposal can be a struggle for many businesses. Our services are designed to take the inconvenience and worry out of waste management. Even hazardous waste disposal need not be stressful. We will make sure you receive the paperwork required to show you are safe and compliant with your disposal, while adequately disposing of waste materials, from aerosols to laboratory chemicals.
If it isn’t hazardous waste disposal that you’re after, we can also provide skip hire services and scrap metal recycling, alongside a variety of other services. We cover a range of areas in North Devon and North Cornwall, allowing us to support you no matter where you might be based. For ultimate ease of use, you can even book online for skip-hire services now.
Visit our website to learn more about our team or get in touch with us directly today for high-quality trade waste removal solutions.