Hazardous Waste and its Classification
Simply defined, a hazardous waste is a waste with properties that make it dangerous or capable of having a harmful effect on human health or the environment. Hazardous waste is generated from many sources, ranging from industrial manufacturing process wastes to batteries and may come in many forms, including liquids, solids gases, and sludges.
More specifically, hazardous wastes are generated in industries like, Petro-Chemicals, Petro-Refineries, cosmetics, detergents, pharmaceuticals, household paints, cleaning products, phones, televisions, garden pesticides, computers, gasoline and even lightbulbs.
The classification of hazardous waste materials includes materials with one or more of the following characteristics*:
- Ignitable
- Corrosive
- Reactive
- Toxic
- Radioactive
- Biohazard
*The specific component characteristics are detailed in Royal Commission Environmental Regulations (2015) and US EPA Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR 261).
In order to determine whether a material is hazardous, the Waste Management contractor should be provided with the following:
- A completed Waste Profile Sheet which includes details of the process or processes involved in the generation of the material, the likely composition of the waste, the quantity and the frequency of generation.
- Material Safety Data Sheet for all chemicals comprising the waste.
- A Certified Representative Sample of the material to enable waste treatment characterization analysis to be undertaken.
On receipt of the above, the Waste Management Contractor will be able to advise you whether the material is hazardous or not and what methods of treatment and disposal can be employed to render it safe or non-hazardous. It is important to remember that a charge may be imposed for the analysis and waste characterization.
It should be remembered that it is the responsibility of the waste generator to know the details and nature of waste for disposal.