Properly Managing Hazardous Waste is Crucial for Environmental Protection

Proper packaging, storage and disposal of hazardous waste is something that requires knowledge of the matter, technology and procedures, as different ecological issues may occur in case of improper actions. If you are a novice at this topic, make sure you go through these lines carefully, so as to learn the right course of action should the need arise. Also, consider all this as a mere beginning of your knowledge of the topic and be prepared and willing to continually improve it.

Before you Begin

The first issue you need to be completely on safe ground with is to be absolutely certain which substances are considered hazardous and need to be treated as such. The complete list is constantly being updated and all related data added. Therefore, if you ever feel ambiguous about a certain substance, all you need to do is check the list and take it from there.

Permits

You cannot start anything related to hazardous waste without all the paperwork valid and prepared. This includes all stages of hazardous waste management, from selection to packaging, transport, storage and disposal. In order to do any of these actions, you need to have a permit issued by government officials. Make sure you check all the requirements applicable for your country before you do so.

Procedures

If one thing is true about dangerous substance management, it is all about following strict procedures, as it was mentioned above. The rule number one is not to mix any of the substances. They need to be stored separately in specially designed containers for any state of aggregation. Next, transportation needs to be done in specialized vehicles and under special provision throughout the entire transportation, including loading and unloading. Unless you own one, this phase is usual outsourced to transport companies specialized in transfer of hazardous waste. To minimize the risks in general, it is highly advisable to use local service providers and the closest disposal facility available.

Disposal Facilities

Hazardous waste needs to be disposed at specialized facilities and there only. As said above, the best and safest practice is to use local disposal facilities in order for its transport to be the shortest possible. These disposal facilities normally have a clear schedule of their activities, based on the annual quantities of hazardous waste they can accept. These limitations are both related to the type of hazardous waste and the quantity in general. Therefore, make sure you announce your transfer well in advance and by no means start the transfer before you check if the facilities can accept all the waste that needs to be transferred.

Alternative Fuels

Check if there are alternative fuel companies in your vicinity. Their services would be the easiest solution for transfer and disposal of your hazardous waste since alternative fuel management companies use hazardous waste (as cement kilns, for instance) to fuel their plants. If you use their services, they will collect, transfer and use your hazardous substances where fitted. All you will have to do is properly pack it and keep it stored until they collect it.

Reduce Quantities

If your line of work leaves hazardous waste as a by-product, do your best to limit the quantities. You can look at this activity as a pre-phase of hazardous waste management, something that will definitely facilitate your efforts, especially in the long run.

As you can see, nothing can be left to chance when hazardous waste management is concerned. Make sure you strictly follow all procedures and be constantly updated since it is the only way to be completely safe during all phases. Also, plan your activities in advance in order not to be left with large amounts of hazardous waste for too long due to disposal facilities acceptance quantities being occupied.

Author Bio:

If one thing is true about Lillian Connors, her mind is utterly curious. That’s why she simply can’t resist the urge to embark on all sorts of green/home improvement projects and spread the word about them. She’s currently in charge of the sustainability segment at SmoothDecorator.  You can check her out on Google+, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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