What is Hazardous Waste?

"Hazardous" or "Special" waste is any waste on a hazardous waste list that came out of the Council Directive 91/689/EEC on Hazardous Waste and must contain one or more of 14 hazardous properties (some of which can only be present at a threshold amount of a 'dangerous substance'). This list was reviewed at European level and combined with the European Waste Catalogue (EWC) on 1 January 2002. This full list of hazardous wastes is implemented under PPC and Landfill Regulations and was brought under the control of the Special Waste Regulations on 1 July 2004.

The Special Waste Regulations 1996 (as amended) aim to control the more difficult and dangerous wastes (such as solvents, oils, chemical wastes and acids) so they are properly managed from their production to final disposal or recovery. The Regulations give rules on the paperwork that must accompany special waste as it is moved (known as consignment notes): SEPA must be notified at least 3 days ahead of its movement and, again when it has reached its final destination. The purpose of these notes for SEPA is to keep track of special waste movements and intervene if necessary if it is being mismanaged. All parties must retain copies of the paperwork for at least 3 years.

Some special waste may previously not have been classified as special and includes everyday items such as waste electrical and electronic equipment (fridges, computers and fluorescent lighting). Some waste from farms (unwanted pesticides, asbestos etc.) and mines and quarries also became special for the first time. Therefore more organisations and establishments will find themselves as producers of special waste than had been the case before 1 July 2004. Some waste management facilities such as civic amenity sites may also be handling wastes that were not classified as special before 1 July 2004 but now are. Their waste management licences should have been modified if they previously excluded any of these wastes.

Producers of special waste will be required to keep a register of details of their special waste which SEPA may inspect. These should consist of the copies of the consignment notes and should, in all cases identify the waste from its EWC code.

What should I do if I think my waste is Hazardous?

• Discuss with you local SEPA office
• Check your waste contractor or disposal sites can take your waste.
• Ensure your waste consignment has the correct documentation and includes the six digit Waste European Waste Catalogue code (EWC)
• Reduce the amount of hazardous waste you produce and minimise other types of waste

Hazardous Waste Minimisation
Minimising hazard waste at source will help businesses to avoid the increasing costs of hazardous waste treatment and disposal, whilst at the same time protect the environment.   A lot of waste minimisation techniques and procedures for minimising non-hazardous wastes are already covered in Envirowise sector-specific information, under guides and case study information (www.envirowise.gov.uk).


Generic Tips for Minimising Hazardous Waste
Improving a business’s housekeeping practices is often the easiest and least expensive way to reduce hazardous waste. Good housekeeping includes an inventory control and efficient operating procedures.  Companies should reassess their operations and waste handling practices periodically. A successful reduction programme requires diligence so as to avoid the temptation of slipping back into old more wasteful ways of doing things and to identify additional waste reduction possibilities.

As long as wastes are being produced, there is the potential for waste reduction. Less-polluting materials, equipment, and procedures are constantly being developed, so that wastes that are difficult or costly to control today may be easily eliminated tomorrow.  Stay alert for such developments.   Here are some other suggestions:


Procurement

• Estimate and use only the amount of materials necessary for a job
• Substitute feedstock materials with those having less-hazardous materials
• Purchase paints with higher solids content, or water-based paints with no solvent, whenever possible
• Keep good inventory records to prevent materials from spoiling or becoming outdated
• Keep accurate records of material usage so that you can measure reductions in use. Mark the purchase date on each container and adopt a “first in, first out” policy so that older materials are used up before new ones are opened; assign someone to distribute and keep track of the materials
• Always ask for the material safety data sheets when looking for or purchasing a product to look at its hazardous content
• Inspect materials upon delivery, and immediately return unacceptable materials to the supplier
• If making a special order, purchase only the amount of material needed to do a job
• When buying new equipment, look for equipment that will minimise both the amount of toxic materials used and the amount of waste produced.
  
  
  

Onsite Housekeeping

• Avoid the use of aerosols
• Use refillable, smaller, labelled containers for dispensing bulk materials
• Keep premises clean and orderly to eliminate leaks and spills
• Install drip plates, pans or trays to catch drippings and return them to a tank
• Apply flow restriction devices like pH-controlled and pressure-controlled shutoff values
• Use high-volume, low-pressure spray guns for painting operations
• Segregate hazardous and non-hazardous wastes for recycling
  
  
  

Solvent Management

• Substitute less hazardous substitutes for solvent cleaners. Consider water-based cleaners or water-soluble cutting fluids, or install a pressure wash system if feasible
• Where possible, try to find one multi-purpose solvent that can serve a variety of uses, rather than having a different solvent for each operation
• If the solvents cannot be made reusable, try to find a way to recycle them. One possibility for accomplishing this is to purchase solvents from a company that will pick up and recycle the spent solvent
• Extend the life of solvent baths. Some ways to do this are by pre-cleaning parts with rags before placing them in the bath (then having the rags cleaned for reuse) or by using old solvent as a pre-soak to remove most of the dirt or grease before introducing the parts into the fresh bath
• Minimise the amount of cleaning solvent lost during drainage of cleaned parts Remove parts from the bath slowly to prevent spillage; install drip trays or racks near the bath for draining cleaned parts; return the drainage to the bath
• For large volumes of solvent waste, consider leasing or purchasing on-site distillation units
  
  
  

Oils

• Use drip pans to catch lube oils for reuse. Handle oils carefully to avoid spillage.

SEPA are involved in a European hazardous waste minimisation project designed to assist in preventing and reducing hazardous wastes produced by small and medium sized businesses, helping them to save money in the process. The project is based in the UK and led by the Environment Agency, working in partnership with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the Irish Environmental Protection Agency, the Welsh Assembly Government, Envirowise, the Groundwork Foundation, Safety-Kleen and the Waste Recycling Group.

HAZRED aims to demonstrate the benefits of developing sector-based hazardous waste reduction plans in conjunction with key industry sectors:

• general construction/building
• treatment and/or coating of metals
• maintenance and repair of motor vehicles
• photographic processing
• manufacture of speciality organic chemicals
• manufacture of machinery and equipment

Hazred will recruit 20 small businesses from each sector above, who will demonstrate a commitment to reducing their hazardous waste and to monitoring their waste output.  Participating businesses will each be given on-site guidance from a specialist advisor on better hazardous waste management to assist in preventing and reducing hazardous waste and cutting costs.  They will also receive at least one follow-up visit.


Over the next two years, Hazred will communicate the hazardous waste reduction methodology to other EU member states and will develop an online database of best practice for all companies to access.  For more information on HAZRED visit www.hazred.org.uk


Sources of Information

Hazardous waste management - essential information for business  - available from Envirowise: www.envirowise.gov.uk

www.envirowise.gov.uk/hazwaste - Envirowise’s website for information on hazardouswaste. Practical support is available for SMEs through FastTrack hazardous waste reviews

www.sepa.org.uk/guidance/waste/amendment_faq.htm
This ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ paper is provided as a quick overview of the changes that will result from ‘The Special Waste Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2004’

www.hazardouswaste.org.uk - Hazardous Waste Forum is a new dedicated portal for basic information on hazardous waste and signposting to all the information, guidance and support you will need regarding the regulations.