Hazardous wastes are waste materials that is considered dangerous to to humans, animals or the environment, or if it contains a substance which is dangerous. Where possible we are encouraged to recycle or reuse these items to reduce the amount of waste produced to reduce the impact on the environment.
What is a hazardous waste?
Examples of hazardous waste include:
Asbestos
Chemicals eg. Brake fluid or printer toner
Batteries – household and car batteries
Solvents
Pesticides
Car Oil
Fluorescent tubes
Electrical items eg tvs and fridge freezers
What can be recycled?
Electrical appliances are the fastest growing waste stream in the UK at the moment, as these items are frequently replaced in the home. Fridges, freezers, tvs, computer monitors and large domestic appliances such as washing machines can all be recycled at your local waste management centre.
Items such as fluorescent tubes and smaller electrical goods such as kettles are recyclable, but they need to broken down and separated at the waste management centre before being recycled. Even energy saving lightbulbs can also be recycled along with fluorescent tubes!
These items can be taken to your local refuse centre at any time and should be disposed of in the designated areas.
What cannot be recycled?
Household or garden chemicals should not be washed down the drain as these can run into water systems and contaminate them. Instead you can try contacting a specialist waste facility for advice on how to dispose of these hazardous materials safely.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral which is found in many older homes, and it is often disposed of illegally as it is one material which cannot be taken to every waste management facility. If you have asbestos that you need to get rid of, speak to your local council to find out which centres are licensed to dispose of the material legally.
Construction and demolition waste generated from DIY or excavation, for example bricks, rubble, plasterboard and soil is not recyclable waste but it can be taken to your local waste management centre to be disposed of. Tradesmen can register to take more rubble and waste, so if you are doing a lot of work in your home then you can contact a private contractor to remove this for you. Normally nothing more than a car load of household waste will be accepted from non-licensed members of the public.
Construction can be a messy business. Sometimes knowing what to do with all this mess can be confusing and the temptation to just chuck it all in a landfill can rise when the waste does.
UK construction makes up 35% of waste, filling up 36 million tonnes of landfill. Those numbers are only rising and it makes you wonder how long we’ve left of our landfills. This isn’t doing the earth any good, it affects the environment and spreads pollution and disease. We need better waste management amongst companies and individuals within the construction business. With the biggest proportion of waste coming from this industry it seems important to start controlling and managing the waste as soon as possible. Many other countries have already implicated methods that have cut down their landfill waste by 80-90%. Proving that waste management works.
Not only does waste management help the earth but it can also benefit the industry and the individual companies. Especially now with landfill taxes coming in, this is the time to become more concerned with waste. Some instant benefits from waste management are:
-Instant reuse. Recyclable materials at hand.
-Lower disposal costs
-No waste transportation costs
-The reputation of an eco-friendly company
But where do you start with waste management. As stated before, construction can create a lot of waste. What you should be aiming for is a zero waste to landfill policy. How do you manage the waste?
A lot of waste can come from over buying materials. While some may say this is just being prepared, it can mean having materials that are never used. By buying only what you need and accurately ordering, you’re already cutting down waste before you’re in the yard.
Make sure your storage areas are safe and weather proof. Damage to materials just ends with them in a landfill. The same goes for materials that are damaged in delivery, reject them. Let them be reused elsewhere.
Buying materials that are already recycled could be cost effective and earth effective. Consider the companies you’re buying from. Do they use recycled materials? How about recyclable packaging? If you can recycle everything it’s your step towards a zero waste construction.
Keep the site organised and tidy to ensure no accidental waste, throwing out materials causing re buying for example.
Recycling is a huge part of waste management and even big scale construction sites can do their bit to recycle. A way to do this is through waste segregation. This is separating out waste into a different sections. If the space is there this could include several different skips. For wood, plastics, mixed materials, inert waste and metals. If space is an issue that can’t be avoided and the cost of skips too much, there are other ways to separate waste through a tidy site and organisation. There are companies that specialise in waste management that a construction company can hire who will search through waste and find the recyclable materials. However doing it yourself could mean better results.
Plastics are something we can recycle, but often struggle with. 275,000 tonnes of plastic are used each year in the UK and most families throw away about 40kg’s of that without putting it in the recycling bin. With plastic taking 500 years to decompose, that’s a lot of plastic just lying about in landfills.
As far as waste goes, as humans we aren’t great at controlling or decreasing it. Because of this, we are hurting our own planet. Recycling is one positive way to combat this. Harmful chemicals and greenhouse gasses are released from the rubbish we pour and fill into landfill sites. By recycling we are putting less into those sites, reducing the amount of pollution that is damaging our natural environment.
Some plastic can’t be recycled, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t do something about it.
But for those plastics that can’t be recycled, what happens to them? Most of the time they’re just allowed to rot in landfills. With plastic taking 500 years to decompose, that’s a lot of plastic just lying about in landfills. Meaning we have thousands of years’ worth of pollution seeping into our water and soil.
Other unrecyclable plastics are carrier bags. We use them nearly every day on our way back from the supermarket and most of the time they collectively end up in an even bigger plastic bag under the sink. It’s estimated that over 100 million carrier bags are floating about in the ocean. Slowly polluting our sea and endangering marine life.
Plastic is difficult to recycle as it is easily contaminated, making it unrecyclable. Different plastics have different chemical compositions and mixing the types leads to contamination. Even things like paper and ink can cause damage to the plastic that would otherwise be re used. The process of separating the different plastics as well as the separation of plastics to non-plastics is right now to labour intensive to put into action.
All is not lost however, because when we do recycle plastic, we are helping. Slowly recycling is on the up, with a lot of EU nations recycling up to 50% of waste, a lot of that including plastic.
Some parts of the plastic we can put in our recycling bins can’t be included and some things we think can be recycled can’t be. This is important to know as we want to increase the amount of plastic being recycled.
The labels may have the recycling symbol on them but not every part of a plastic bottle can be recycled. Bottle caps that are a hard plastic or twist off cap can’t be recycled. They are made from polypropylene or plastic and should be taken off before tossed away. The labels that go around the bottles should also be placed in general waste as well as the caps. These can’t be recycled and could contaminate the plastics that can.
Take away containers cant be recycled. The food has already contaminated the plastic and should be put with general waste.
As stated before, carrier bags do not recycle but should be used less.
Plastics are a difficult waste or us to combat. But by recycling what we know we can, we are helping just that little bit more.
It’s the stuff that gets us going and sustains us every day, we frequently visit shops full of it and there’s a realm of television shows, blogs and internet website about it. But what happens to all that food?
It doesn’t always make it to our stomachs. In a 2013 survey of the commercial food sector, it was found that 12 million tonnes are discarded every year – much of which was avoidable. The commercial food industry has still not found a way to be more resourceful with its stock – which is good news for for those who make a living removing this waste.
The regulations and rules surrounding food waste are every bit as stringent and complicated as they are for food which is intended for our plates. What the food is, governs how it is disposed and where.
Firstly, anything that can no longer be eaten – by humans at least -is classed as ‘former food stuffs’; food that has come from animal by-products (ABP) – meat, fish and diary for example, regardless of whether they are raw or partially-cooked or completely cooked.
Raw meat fish and dairy cannot be taken to a landfill or used as animal feed. Slightly cook or cooked meat and fish, as well as ready-meals, pies and oils pose a slightly lower risk – they can be sent to a landfill but used as animal feed.
The lowest risk food is baking and confectionary products – not containing meat, fish or seafood – as well as oils and eggs. These can be sent to landfill sites or used as animal feed.
The highest risk category of ABP is raw meat, fish and seafood – this must be sent to an incineration plant. Manufacturers and caterers can send up to 20kg of partially-cooked fish, meat and shellfish to landfill every week, any other food waste can be sent to a biogas or composting facility. The lower risk category of food can either be incinerated or taken to an anaerobic digestion plant, or made into fertiliser, depending on their constituents.
Disposing of former food stuffs is heavily regulated and poses a number of issues. A thorough method for handling food waste is recommended, with improved waste management, which can lead to better practices and increased rewards for businesses.
Why is waste management important?Unlike hundreds of years ago, most of our waste increasingly belongs in the biodegradable category. This means simple waste management techniques such as burying and burning aren’t as effective any more. Here’s a few reasons why waste management is very important today…Waste management can be profitableRecycling and waste management can lead to bigger profits for companies – especially in the food industry. Simply by planning and portioning ingredients, as well as keeping an efficient supply chain, companies such as restaurants, supermarkets and food factories can boost profits by as much as 10%. This also applies to other industries such as construction – where tightening up stock control can save on waste and increase profits. Boost company reputation Efficient waste management and recycling can boost your reputation in your industry. Potential and existing customers will see you as a responsible and sustainable company that cares about the environment, the future and the population. It preserves the environmentUnfortunately we can’t simply burn all waste we come across. This is because it releases toxins, pollutes the air and can even contribute towards the destruction of the ozone layer. Some waste is hazardous and may cause harm to the environment. This includes plants, animals and habitats. Toxic materials can kill off living things and pollute bodies of water such as lakes and rivers. Reduces production costsAn incredible benefit of waste management is it can cut overall production costs in the long run. Recycling helps to conserve natural resources such as glass, plastic, paper and oil. Reusing these materials will place less strain on our natural resources and lower the cost of production. Increases safety in the workplace and communityWaste materials can be harmful to your workers, as well as the surrounding environment. It can save your employees and visitors from illness and accidents at work. This could include anything from putting your rubbish in the bin to sorting out waste into the correct recycling containers. Adheres to CO2 targetsCarbon Reduction Commitment targets can be set by local authorities, designed to reduce CO2 emissions. The 2008 Climate Change Act in the UK is one of the world’s first legal climate change initiatives. The idea is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% between the years 1990 and 2050. Effective waste management can cover this act, so your company will be up to date with all legal requirements regarding waste.
