Thursday, September 2, 2021

What are hazardous wastes?

 Industrial waste from tanning and textile production, oil refining, photographic or metallurgical industry or other chemical processes may fall into this category. They may also include solvents, spent oils, waste from medical and veterinary research.

 However, this class of waste also includes those of civil origin, such as spent batteries and expired medicines.

 How dangerous waste is defined?

 Waste is defined as "any substance or object which the holder disposes of or has the intention or obligation to discard" .

 Among these, hazardous waste requires special attention for collection, transport and disposal . Based on the type of substances present in them, they receive a specific classification .

 Hazardous waste: hazard classes

 This type of waste is classified according to the different hazard classes .

 There are, in fact, explosive, oxidizing, easily or extremely flammable, toxic, carcinogenic, corrosive, infected , mutagenic, eco-toxic or source of dangerous substances.

 The classes are made according to the type of danger represented by this type of waste:

 

1.       HP 1 Explosive : following a chemical reaction it can develop gases that have a dangerous temperature, pressure or speed for things and people.

2.       HP 2 Oxidizer : if they come into contact with oxygen they can cause combustion of other materials.

3.       HP 3 Flammable: they can be liquid, solid, gaseous, reactive in contact with water, self-reactive and self-heating.

4.       HP 4 Irritant: may cause eye and skin irritation.

5.       HP 5 Harmful: can be toxic to some target organs if exposed or inhaled.

6.       HP 6 Toxic: can be toxic if drunk, inhaled or injected.

7.       HP 7 Carcinogen: can cause cancer.

8.       HP 8 Corrosive: can corrode the skin.

9.       HP 9 Infectious: viable microorganisms or toxins that cause disease in humans may be present.

10.   HP 10 Teratogenic: it can damage fertility and human reproduction.

11.   HP 11 Mutagenic: can lead to a cell's genetic mutation.

12.   HP 12 Release of acute toxic gas: can release toxic gases if it comes into contact with water or acid.

13.   HP 13 Sensitizer: contains sensitizing substances for the skin or respiratory organs.

14.   HP 14 Economic: risky for the environment.

15.   HP 15  Waste that does not directly possess one of these danger characteristics  but can manifest them

 Hazardous waste at infectious risk

 Infectious or infectious waste is generally of a sanitary nature. These are those materials coming from infectious isolation environments where there is the risk of aerial biological transmission.

 They may also include waste contaminated with biological fluids secreted or excreted by patients in infectious isolation. They also include burial , cremation , exhumation and extumulation waste .

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 Hazardous waste in agriculture

 Agricultural waste can also present a degree of danger. These are mainly used oils from engines, brakes and hydraulic transmissions, exhausted batteries, vehicles and machines to be scrapped, plant protection products that are no longer usable, drugs for zoo technical use that are no longer usable or expired.

 Other wastes produced by farms, such as used vegetable oils, used tires or plastics , are not included among the potentially dangerous ones.

 How to dispose of hazardous e-waste recycling

 How to manage hazardous waste

 To reduce the high environmental impact, it is necessary to treat them in a special way. Depending on the conditions in which they are located and the type, they can undergo different types of disposal . For example, some solvents and acids and bases can still be recovered or regenerated, other hazardous materials can be subjected to a chemical-physical-biological treatment, or be sent to incineration, while money waste can also be sent to landfills.

 How to store hazardous waste

 By storage we mean all the disposal activities that foresee both the recovery and the preliminary deposit of the waste. This temporary deposit, which is often located on the production site, must in any case involve a correct separation of the waste and not generate any type of pollution of the soil, subsoil or water.

 Throughout the entire chain of treatment of these special wastes, from storage, to transport to disposal, it must always be provided that they bear special labeling , which must also mark the storage area and the containers in which they are stored.

 How hazardous waste is disposed of

 Their removal from the storage area takes place with means authorized for the transport of special and dangerous waste, to then be temporarily stored to carry out analyzes on a sample that will indicate at which plant they must be transferred.

 Every year or every 3 months, based on the quantity, they are transported to special recovery or disposal plants according to the nature and danger of the waste.

 Thus ends the life cycle of a special hazardous or non-hazardous waste.

 There are private companies that deal with waste management, but large municipal companies also offer this service.

 Where to dispose of hazardous waste

 Generally it is necessary to inquire about the presence of specific collection centers or contact specialized disposal companies.

 Some municipal companies offer a paid home disposal service for private individuals who want to get rid of a series of special hazardous and non-hazardous waste, also providing ad hoc containers, compliant with legal requirements, and suitable and authorized means. Various types of hazardous waste include:

 1.       Waste paints

2.       Ink scraps

3.       Exhausted solutions for fixing and bleaching

4.       Aqueous washing solutions

5.       Non chlorinated emulsions

6.       Spent mineral oils

7.       Oil and diesel filters

8.       Exhausted solvents antifreeze and for grease

9.       Solutions for distillation of solvents

10.   Rags, sanitary towels, clothing

11.   Batteries

12.   Brake pads

13.   Activated carbon filters

14.   Sandblasting powders

15.   Car glasses

16.   Scrap vehicles

17.   Adhesives and sealants

18.   Pickling acids

19.   Various solvents

20.   Dry filters

21.   Paint metal containers

22.   Clean plastic containers

23.   Plastic parts and bumpers

24.   Catalytic mufflers

25.   Antifreeze liquids

26.   Brake fluids

27.   Spray cans

28.   Rock wool

29.   Medicines

30.   Toner

31.   Alkaline batteries

32.   Fuel oils and diesel fuels

33.   Fuels and mixtures

 WEEE: are they hazardous waste?

 Waste from electrical and electronic equipment ( WEEE ) falls into this category. Usually they come from household appliances, such as computers and electric tools that are no longer usable or old. Therefore, they require separate collection of washing machines, refrigerators, cell phones, etc.

 Toners are hazardous waste

 The toner printing can be classified as hazardous waste or less based on the substances present in it.

 Printer cartridges: they are hazardous waste

 The cartridges for printers follow the same directions of the toner around the waste classification. Copiers and fax machines also fall into this category.

 Exhausted batteries: they are hazardous waste

 Exhausted batteries and batteries represent waste to be disposed of correctly given their potential danger.

 Neon are: hazardous waste

 The neon , such as fluorescent tubes or low energy lamps, may contain hazardous substances such as mercury . For correct disposal it is therefore necessary to treat them appropriately and handle them with care.

 Expired drugs: they are hazardous waste

 Expired drugs are considered non-hazardous medical waste , which is why they are regulated by the rules on special non-hazardous waste. Only cytotoxic and gyrostatic medicines (i.e. capable of destroying cells with which they come into contact, such as chemotherapy for example) are considered dangerous, so they follow the ad hoc legislation on hazardous waste.

 Therefore, the separate collection of expired drugs used in the home can be done by bringing the drugs to the appropriate centers, or to pharmacies and medical clinics equipped with the appropriate bins.

 Exhausted oils: they are hazardous waste

 All exhausted oils from industrial processing are classified as dangerous . Even exhausted frying oils produced in the domestic environment require that they not be dispersed in the environment due to their dangerousness.

 Ferrous scrap: they are Hazardous Waste Management Authorization

 Some types of metal scrap , ferrous and non-ferrous, under certain conditions cease to be considered dangerous.

 Aggregates: they are hazardous waste

 The inert waste, from the demolition of buildings and products to construction sites, are classified as hazardous waste.

 Refrigerators: they are hazardous waste

 The refrigerators in the category of Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). They are considered dangerous by current legislation due to their significant impact on the environment and for the refrigerant gases they contain.

 

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