ch7: Hazardous waste

Question 1

What is hazardous waste?

Answer 1

• A hazardous waste has the potential to cause an unacceptable risk to:
  
  • Public health
  • The environment

Question 2

The hazard associated with a waste depends on:

Answer 2

• Composition
• Physical form
• Chemical properties
• Physical properties
• Biological properties

Question 3

Examples of hazardous waste. Definitions: basel convention

Answer 3

• Waste need to exhibit one or more to be characterized as hazardous:
  
  • Flammable
  • Oxidizing
  • Poisonous
  • Infectious
  • Corrosive
  • Ecotoxic

Question 4

Examples of hazardous waste. Definition: UNEP

Answer 4

• Wastes other than radioactive wastes which, by reason of their
  
  • chemical activity or
  • toxic,
  • explosive,
  • corrosive or other characteristics cause danger or are likely to cause danger to health or the environment

Question 5

Examples of hazardous waste definitions: USA

Answer 5

• UNDER US EPA REGULATIONS:
  
  • 1 The waste is listed in EPA regulations
  • 2 The waste is tested and meets one of the four characteristics established by EPA:
    
    • Ignitable
    • Corrosive
    • Reactive
    • Toxic
  • 3 The waste is declared hazardous by the generator

Question 6

Examples of hazardous waste. definitions: European Waste Catalogue

Answer 6

• A core list of 850 types of waste
• Of these, around 420 are classified as hazardous wastes
• These are divided into 19 main categories

Question 7

Why define wastes?

Answer 7

• To decide whether or not that waste should be controlled – this is important for the generator as well as the regulator

Question 8

Why create a list?

Answer 8

• Clear and simple
• No need for testing

Question 9

Different methods of classification:

Answer 9

• Lists
  
  • eg Basel Convention Annex I, Basel List A, EU European Waste Catalogue, US EPA list
• Origin
  
  • eg processes, Basel Convention Annex II
• Hazardous characteristics
  
  • eg toxicity, reactivity, Basel Convention Annex III
• chemical and physical properties eg inorganic, organic, oily, sludges
• need to match classification to objectives
• no method will suit all cases

Question 10

Methods of waste classification: by origin

Answer 10

• Waste streams eg Basel Convention
• Miscellaneous or ubiquitous wastes eg
  
  • contaminated soils
  • dusts
  • redundant pesticides from agriculture
  • hospital wastes

Question 11

Example of waste classification by origin: Basel

Answer 11

• The Basel Convention’s List of Hazardous Waste Categories (Y1-Y18) identifies wastes from specific processes
• eg Y1 Clinical wastes
  
  • Y6 Wastes from the production and use of organic solvents
  • Y18 Residues from industrial waste disposal operations

Question 12

Methods of waste classification: by hazardous characteristics (main charactaristics)

Answer 12

• Toxic
• Corrosive
• Ignitable
• Reactive

Question 13

UN Committee on the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road or Rail (ADR) lists waste characteristics. These have been adopted by Basel Convention - Annex III gives 13 characteristics, based on ADR rules, including:

Answer 13

• Explosive
• Flammable
• Toxic and eco-toxic

Represented as codes H1 – H13

Question 14

Hazardous characteristics: Toxicity

Answer 14

• Toxic wastes are harmful or fatal when ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin
• Examples:
  
  • Spent cyanide solutions
  • Waste pesticides

Question 15

Hazardous characteristics: Corrosivity

Answer 15

• Acids or alkalis that are capable of dissolving human flesh and corroding metal such as storage tanks and drums
• Examples:
  
  • acids from metals cleaning processes eg ferric chloride from printed circuit board manufacture
  • liquor from steel manufacture

Question 16

Hazardous characteristics: Ignitability

Answer 16

• Ignitable wastes:
  
  • can create fires under certain conditions
  • or are spontaneously combustible
• Examples:
  
  • Waste oils
  • Used solvents
  • Organic cleaning materials
  • Paint wastes

Question 17

Hazardous characteristics: Reactivity

Answer 17

• Reactive wastes are unstable under ‘normal conditions’
• They can cause:
  
  • explosions
  • toxic fumes
  • gases or vapours
• Examples:
  
  • Peroxide solutions
  • Hypochlorite solutions or solids

Question 18

Hazardous characteristics: Eco-toxicity

Answer 18

• Eco-toxic wastes are harmful or fatal to other species or to the ecological integrity of their habitats
• Examples:
  
  • Heavy metals
  • Detergents
  • Oils
  • Soluble salts

Question 19

Methods of waste classification: by chemical, biological and physical properties

Answer 19

• Inorganic wastes eg acids, alkalis, heavy metals, cyanides, wastewaters from electroplating
• Organic wastes eg pesticides, halogenated and non-halogenated solvents, PCBs
• Oily wastes eg lubricating oils, hydraulic fluids, contaminted fuel oils
• Sludges eg from metal working, painting, wastewater treatment

Question 20

“Satellite Accumulation Area” (SAA).

Answer 20

• Within a lab or shop where waste is generated, it may be collected at the point of generation if identified as a “Satellite Accumulation Area” (SAA).

Question 21

“Hazardous Waste Accumulation Area.”

Answer 21

• When a room, area, or building separate from the point of generation has been identified as the location to accumulate hazardous waste it must labeled as a