Every day across the country, facilities of all types and sizes create a wide array of products, and in turn create waste that is potentially harmful to individuals and the environment if handled or disposed improperly. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as state and local environmental agencies, tightly regulates hazardous waste and the facilities that generate it. One particular kind of hazardous waste is found almost everywhere, from industrial and manufacturing sites to office buildings: what the EPA calls “universal waste.” And while it is still hazardous, the bodily and environmental risks universal waste pose are low, as long as several simple precautions are taken. This course shows you how to properly manage universal waste in order to comply with the law and protect the environment.
Before you learn how to handle and dispose of universal waste, you must first understand how universal waste is defined. There are four types of universal wastes: spent or scrap batteries, lamps with mercury or lead, pesticides, and mercury-containing devices. State and local agencies may add to this list as well. Regulations governing universal waste are similar to those governing other hazardous wastes, but they grant concessions to the generator in order to facilitate recycling. This course explains how to safely manage and recycle universal wastes.
Simply because universal waste may seem more benign than other forms of hazardous waste, it should not be taken lightly. You still must know how to prepare for emergency situations, which is demonstrated in this training video. Universal waste, by definition, is found nearly everywhere. This is why knowing how to interact with, and remediate, it is critical. Utilize this information presented here and become safer, and more compliant, when managing universal waste.