HAZARDOUS WASTE PART 2: INDUSTRIAL WASTE
In our previous blog post, we discussed household hazardous waste and the problems it can cause for families, sanitation workers and communities. We now focus our attention on industrial and retail hazardous waste, including what it is, how to manage it and ways to dispose of it.
According to Environmental Leader, hazardous waste compliance is no longer only an issue for the industrial or manufacturing industries – it has now become an area of concern for retailers, as well. It can be expensive to dispose of waste, but fines for not disposing of waste properly can cost even more. Additionally, if companies do not dispose of waste properly and the error is made known to the public, business reputation can be damaged and negative news coverage can cause many problems for the brand.
Here you will find a list of the various types of hazardous waste along with examples of each type:
- Corrosive: Vehicle batteries, plating wastes, sodium hydroxide and pool and fireplace cleaners
- Ignitable: Acetone, solvents, waste inks and some dry cleaning chemicals
- Persistent: Metal-cutting oil and methylene chloride
- Reactive: Chromic acid, peroxides, perchlorates and cyanide
- Toxic: Photo processing fixer wastes, discarded pesticides, oil and transmission fluid, trichloroethylene (TCE) and some paint sludges
When companies must dispose of industrial waste, it is important they consider recycling the waste based on EPA guidelines. Recycling hazardous waste conserves resources and is fiscally responsible for businesses. The EPA often grants regulatory relief for many types of recycling, which reduces regulatory and compliance costs for companies. And, most importantly, safe recycling of hazardous waste helps meet corporate environmental stewardship policies and goals.