Hazardous waste comes in many different forms – from everyday items like batteries, aerosols, oils, and chemicals, to more notorious examples like radioactive materials. With the UK producing millions of tonnes of hazardous waste each year, proper disposal and management becomes increasingly important to protect people and the environment.
To combat improper hazardous waste management, legislation exists to govern the handling and disposal of these types of materials. At ETM Recycling, we can help you understand what the regulations are and what you can do to comply – giving specific examples of hazardous waste types and identifying waste streams to match.
Find out more about how we can help you manage your waste by contacting our team today!
What is Hazardous Waste?
Hazardous waste is a blanket term that refers to any waste which could be harmful to people, animals, ecosystems, or the environment at large. It covers a wide range of materials, from common to industry-specific, including:
- Chemicals e.g. brake fluid, printer ink
- Asbestos
- Batteries
- Paints and solvents
- Pesticides
- Inedible oils e.g. car oil
- Equipment and appliances containing F-gases or other substances harmful to the ozone
- Aerosols
- Radioactive waste
- Some electronics e.g. televisions, computers, mobile phones
Find out more about various waste types with our article on plastic waste >
Before proper regulations were put in place – the most notable being the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005 – hazardous materials were allowed to be disposed of in regular landfills. This causes toxic substances to seep into the ground, poisoning the soil and groundwater that many of our animals and plants need to survive.
The hazardous materials don’t stop there, spreading through our rivers and waterways until it eventually comes into contact with humans, leading to further harm. As a result, strict legislation is in place which ensures all waste is managed correctly before disposal, incentivising recycling. Over time, this legislation has continued to evolve as more information about certain materials, such as creosote, is uncovered.
Hazardous Wood Waste Regulations 2023
Changes to the way we handle wood waste came into play in 2023. These govern what types of wood waste are able to be recycled, and what types of treatments need to be considered when doing so. Some woods, especially from construction, are impregnated with chemicals to give them various properties such as flame resistance or mould-proofing. These chemicals can cause harm, especially if the wood ended up being recycled into items humans could touch, or being burnt and having the energy reclaimed.
There are a few different considerations to make for your wood waste, such as when it is from and what its purpose was. Since regulations have changed over time, these factors can help determine if an otherwise innocent piece of wood could contain chemicals which are known to cause harm.
Find out more in our full article on wood waste regulations >
Hazardous Healthcare Waste
Healthcare waste has its own special considerations, such as how long you can store certain types of waste for before they need to be processed further. While designed to help people, the various chemical cocktails that could form from improper handling of medical waste could present great risk to people and the environment, so it’s important to pay close attention to the legislation and manage your waste appropriately.
Find out more about UK healthcare waste regulations >
Hazardous Waste Plasterboard
The LRWP 6 regulations, updated in September 2020, offer a few different conditions for the handling and disposal of plasterboard. These include:
- Only storing up to 20 tonnes of waste plasterboard at a time
- Only storing waste plasterboard for up to 1 month
- Only storing waste plasterboard in a secure, weatherproofed space
- Only storing waste plasterboard that is going to be recovered
Ensuring your activities don’t harm people or the environment
These regulations sit alongside other guidance for construction and demolition waste to give people and businesses the best chance at properly handling their waste.
If you need help managing or disposing your hazardous waste, get in touch to learn more!
How to Correctly Manage Hazardous Waste
Unfortunately, hazardous waste requires a bit more attention than just throwing it in the bin or sending it to landfill. It also often can’t be recycled alongside common household or business waste, mostly due to the special considerations for both storage and recycling. So how do you handle it?
In order to dispose of hazardous waste, you need to use the right channels with the relevant qualifications. That’s why it’s important to involve hazardous waste management experts if you aren’t qualified yourself. There are a few important steps to achieve proper hazardous waste management:
1. Waste Storage
Before any disposal or recycling can take place, the waste needs to be properly handled. You have a legal responsibility to correctly store any hazardous waste that’s awaiting collection.
In general, the maximum amount of hazardous waste that you can store (for up to 12 months) without a permit is either 23,000 litres of secure liquid, or 80 cubic metres of other waste in a secure container. Some types of waste such as medical have different requirements to consider.
If you need to store larger quantities than this, for longer periods, you’ll need to apply for an environmental waste permit.
There are also a few steps that need to be adhered to when storing hazardous waste, even if for a short period, you must:
- Store it in a compatible, leak-proof and sealed container.
- Separate out different types of waste – this includes separating both hazardous from non-hazardous, and different types of hazardous waste from each other.
- Label packaging correctly to ensure there is no cross-contamination.
- Have a designated waste area that is regularly inspected to make sure that there are no issues.
- Prominently display written instructions for storing and disposing of each waste type.
- Maintain an inventory of waste in order to help emergency services in the case of an emergency.
In addition to this, you should train your staff in correct procedures for handling and disposing of hazardous waste. This serves to protect both your employees and your business from any accidental contamination or harm.
2. Waste Treatment
Depending on the type of waste, various treatments will be used in order to either neutralise or destroy the material. This varies from high-heat incineration to chemical methods that expose hazardous waste to carefully curated substances that react and detoxify. This is a crucial process that is designed to allow waste to be either disposed or recycled.
Whether or not to have waste treated or disposed of outright depends on a few factors, such as the type of contaminant, the danger it presents, and the effectiveness of the treatments available.
3. Waste Disposal
Once processed, hazardous waste is transferred to a specialist landfill. Certain landfills aren’t equipped to handle hazardous goods, even if they’ve been treated. As a result, it’s good practise to contact the landfill well in advance to check.
4. Waste Recycling
The best solution is to recycle the waste into something that can be used again. This keeps rubbish out of landfill and drastically reduces the environmental impact that waste has. As technology improves, more and more waste can be recycled, even waste which used to be hazardous. Keep an eye on the regulations surrounding your specific waste, and work with a waste management partner to ensure any waste you do produce is handled correctly and with care.
Manage Your Hazardous Waste with ETM Recycling
At ETM Recycling, our priority is on diverting as much of Bristol’s waste as possible from landfill, all while providing a cost-effective and client-focused service.
We understand that hazardous waste management can be a difficult topic to wrap your head around. That’s why we’re on hand to help in any way that we can. Our team is always on hand to advise on the best way to manage all of your waste disposal needs, working on bespoke, tailored solutions to match your unique situation. Get in touch today!
Learn how recycling can improve your business’ carbon footprint >
