Understanding Hazardous Waste Disposal

The first thing you should know is the different types of waste that are classified as hazardous waste and where you might come across them. To help you identify these types of waste, you should identify how and where you spend most of your day and night.

The answer is likely simple: your home or workplace. You can then classify hazardous waste based on these areas.

Home

What cleaning products do you use? Do you service your motor vehicle at home? Do you have a swimming pool? What electronic devices do you use? Do you have a garden? Do you use any chemicals in the garden? Do you have an illness you manage at home that requires injections?

All these questions touch on some of the common sources of hazardous waste in your home. This waste includes cleaning products, gardening chemicals, batteries, pool cleaners, fluoro tubes, paint, automotive products, oils, asbestos, medical products like needles, etc.

Home hazardous waste disposal

There is a difference between regular waste disposal bins and hazardous waste disposal bins. Do not dispose of any hazardous waste in a standard waste disposal bin because you are putting the waste collector, third parties and landfill operators at risk.

Find out from your local council where to dispose of various types of hazardous waste. In some states, you may find that there are special bins that may be allocated for hazardous waste. You might even find out that you are supposed to transport that particular waste to a specific collection point near you.

An important point to note is that you should not attempt to handle asbestos; it is usually left to experts.

Workplace

The kind of hazardous waste that comes from a workplace depends on the industry. It can either be hazardous medical, factory or agricultural waste, which can be explosive, toxic to people and the environment, flammable or corrosive. Industrial or commercial hazardous waste is believed to be the most dangerous, and that is why you might find that there are policies imposed on industries about waste treatment and disposal. Failure to follow them might lead to the closure of the company, jail time or high penalties.

Workplace hazardous waste disposal

In most cases, industries partner with waste disposal organisations to better treat, collect and dispose of the waste produced. This is mainly because of the high hazardous level of some commercial waste. It needs to be handled by experts who know how to safely handle and transport it. Additionally, such waste needs to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner, be it through incineration, dumping in a water body or dumping in a landfill.

To learn more, contact a hazardous waste disposal company.


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