All You Need to Know About Hazardous Waste Disposal

When it comes to hazardous waste, it’s important to hire the right team for the job. As a business, you must be responsible for the waste that you generate by ensuring that environmental, safety and legal requirements are met and there are many services that can help.

Here’s all you need to know about hazardous waste disposal

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What counts as hazardous waste?

Not all waste can be thrown away in regular bins or collected in a skip due to safety reasons. A material is considered 'hazardous' under environmental legislation when it contains substances or has properties that might make it harmful to human health or the environment. This kind of waste will not necessarily pose an immediate threat, but it does need to be handled carefully.

Types of hazardous waste include:

●     Asbestos

●     Chemicals, such as brake fluid or print toner

●     Batteries

●     Solvents

●     Pesticides

●     Oils (except edible ones), such as car oil

●     Equipment containing ozone-depleting substances

●     Hazardous waste containers

How is hazardous waste disposed of?

Hazardous waste must be handled safely and compliantly. Once you have established that your waste is hazardous, it’s a good idea to have a dedicated area to store it before it’s disposed of. For example, keeping waste in sealed containers will prevent accidents and reduce environmental and human harm.

Since there are risks associated with these materials, it’s always best to hire an experienced team who can take care of the disposal side of things. This usually involves taking the waste to an authorised site for it to be processed or recycled.

Why is it important to handle hazardous waste properly?

All types of waste management are equally as important but due to the nature of hazardous materials, you must be extra careful with how it is disposed of. Disposing of it in the right way is important because:

●     You must abide by safety laws and regulations.

●     Improper handling could put your staff members at risk.

●     Disposing of hazardous professionally will have a positive impact on the environment.

At Walsh Brothers Industrial Services, we offer a fully compliant hazardous waste disposal service, with all required licensing and documentation carried out. If you don’t know what to do with your hazardous waste, you can rely on us to handle it correctly using our 40 years of experience. Get in touch with us today for services across Scotland.