3.3 Household Hazardous Wastes

Household hazardous wastes, such as batteries, pesticides, solvents etc., contain chemicals that are potentially toxic. If these wastes are not removed from the waste stream they can adversely affect the environmental performance of the waste-management techniques employed to manage MSW.

It is highly unlikely that the quantity of hazardous wastes present in the MSW stream in Orkney and Shetland are sufficient to justify separate kerbside collection from households. In this case, a 'bring' system is likely to be more appropriate. In order to limit the impact of household hazardous wastes, the Orkney and Shetland WSAG will investigate alternative household hazardous waste collection systems.

A national partnership project is being delivered to investigate the options available to local authorities in Scotland for collecting household hazardous waste separately from the domestic waste stream. Once an initial study has taken place to review the current situation on household hazardous waste recovery in the UK and Europe, and what future legislation will mean for local authorities, pilot collection trials will be implemented to accurately determine the logistical and economic realities of separate household hazardous waste collections. The project will also investigate current public awareness of the issues to develop effective education campaigns.

Action 20
Investigate alternative methods for the collection of household hazardous wastes in Orkney and Shetland.