GUIDANCE NOTES FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT
PERSONNEL DIVISION
AUTUMN 1995
CONTENTS
Page
1
INTRODUCTION
1
2
DOES MY WASTE REQUIRE SPECIAL DISPOSAL OR TREATMENT?
1
3
RESPONSIBILITIES
1
4
MANAGING WASTE
2
5
DISPOSAL ROUTES
2
6
DECIDING ON A DISPOSAL ROUTE
3
7
RELEASES TO ATMOSPHERE
3
8
DISPOSAL TO WATER AND LAND
3
APPENDIX 1
LIST OF REGULATIONS
4
APPENDIX 2
SUGGESTED LABORATORY AND WORKSHOP
ARRANGEMENTS
7
APPENDIX 3
WASTE MANAGEMENT FLOW CHART
8
i
1
INTRODUCTION
The disposal of commercial and industrial waste generated during the course
of our activities is easily overlooked since once waste has been deposited in
the skip or down the drain it is perceived as someone else's problem. The
disposal routes for waste are in fact highly regulated in order to prevent
danger to members of the public or sanitation workers and damage to water
treatment systems, water courses, the atmosphere and land.
2
DOES MY WASTE REQUIRE SPECIAL DISPOSAL OR TREATMENT?
If your waste could subject persons or animals to a health risk, injury or death
or threaten air, land or water pollution then it will require special disposal
methods. If it is non-hazardous it is regulated less strictly but must still be
disposed of to a licensed site by a licensed contractor. The Customer
Services Division manages disposal of non-hazardous waste.
Some wastes are frequently termed special wastes due to their toxic,
corrosive, flammable or radioactive nature. Wastes in this category are
regulated by administrative requirements, which pre-notify the relevant
regulatory authority, detail the producer, the disposal contractor and the
disposal site or route that must both be licensed. Disposal of such wastes
requires technical and legal experience. Advice on disposal and a disposal
service for hazardous or special waste is provided by the Health and Safety
Unit. See Appendix 1 for a list of waste whose disposal is regulated.
Laboratory, workshop, retail and kitchen managers are unlikely to be
concerned with ultimate land disposal operations however they are involved
with aspects closer to the point of production and handling and usually with
the public sewer system.
3
RESPONSIBILITIES
A waste producer has the duty of care as specified in the Environmental
Protection Act 1990:
1) The producer must not dispose of or allow any other person to dispose of,
treat or store his/ her waste without a waste management licence, in a
manner contrary to the waste management licence or likely to cause
pollution or harm to health.
2) The producer must not allow escape of his/her waste.
3) The producer must transfer waste only to an authorised person.
4) The producer must provide a written description of waste before transfer.
5) Producers must do what is reasonable to ensure that they maintain this
duty.
1
The requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure so far
as is reasonably practicable the safety of employees, visitors and persons
affected by one's activities also apply.
4
MANAGING WASTE
To prevent damage, loss or contravention of legislation it is necessary to
manage waste properly. A suitable protocol is:
1) Identify and describe the nature and quantity of waste.
2) Where possible modify one's activity to eliminate, substitute, minimise or
recycle waste.
3) Decide on a disposal route.
4) Store the waste safely.
5) Transfer to the appropriate person or dispose of via the chosen route.
6) Periodically check that waste controls are effective and comply with current
legislation.
This procedure can easily be incorporated into the risk assessment of one's
activities using the University's risk assessment pro-forma.
5
DISPOSAL ROUTES
Disposal routes available are:
1) To landfill via non hazardous waste skips or bins.
2) To special landfill sites via a contractor.
3) Recycling or recovery.
4) To water courses with HMIP or NRA consent.
5) To sewers with the sewer undertaker's consent.
6) To air with the consent of HMIP or HSE or Local Authority where
necessary.
2
6
DECIDING ON A DISPOSAL ROUTE
HMIP authorises and controls all routes for disposal from industries, which
have the greatest potential to cause damage. Most so-called prescribed
processes and activities are within the realm of large industrial operators.
However all radioactive disposal routes must be authorised by HMIP, please
contact your Radiation Protection Supervisor for further details.
7
RELEASES TO ATMOSPHERE
Releases to atmosphere must not be a statutory nuisance or prejudicial to
health.
8
DISPOSAL TO WATER AND LAND
Collection of small amounts of waste may be expensive and time consuming;
this often leads to disposal down the sink or by burning in the open air.
Low toxicity substances may in some circumstances be greatly diluted and
disposed of down the sink. However, disposal must not be polluting or harmful
to health. See Appendix 1 for guidance on regulated substances.
3
APPENDIX 1
LIST OF SUBSTANCES CONTROLLED FOR THE PURPOSES OF DISPOSAL TO
LAND AND WATER
Please note that this list is not exhaustive and that disposal of a hazardous
substance is not permitted due to its absence from the list. Disposal of the following
substances to inland waters, the sea, sewers or the land is prohibited unless consent
has been granted by the HMIP, NRA, Local Authority, HSE or sewer undertaker. In
addition transfer to a contractor is prohibited without the authorisation of the Waste
Regulation Authority:
Environmental Protection (Prescribed processes and substances etc.)
(Amendment) Regulations 1994. Prohibits the release of the following to water
without HMIP authorisation:
Red list:
Mercury and its compounds
Cadmium and its compounds
All isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane
All isomers of DDT Pentachlorophenol and its compounds
Hexachlorobenzene
Hexachlorobutadiene
Aldrin
Dieldrin
Endrin
Polychlorinated biphenyls
Dichlorvos
1,2 Dichloromethane
All isomers of trichlorobenzene
Atrazine
Simazine
Tributyltin compounds
Triphenyltin compounds
Trinuralin
Fenitrothion
Azinphos-Methyl
Malathion
Endosuplhan
Water Industry Act 1991 prohibits the release of the following substances to
foul sewer:
Matter likely to injure the sewer or interfere with its free flow or prejudicially affect
treatment and disposal of its contents. Liquid waste which is at a temperature
greater than 43.3 C, or any other chemical waste, which either alone or in
combination with the contents of the sewer, is dangerous, a nuisance or injurious to
health.
Petroleum spirit
Calcium carbide
4
Trade Effluents (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations 1989 (as
amended in 1990) and 1992 specify categories of trade effluent which must
have HMIP authorisation and sewerage undertaker consent before discharge to
foul sewer:
Red list.
Effluent produced in the course of a process containing concentrations of asbestos or
chloroform above background.
30 Kg per year of trichloroethylene or perchloroethylene is special category effluent.
Control of Pollution (Exemption of Certain Discharges from Control) Order
1983:
Exempts from control certain very dilute discharges to water courses.
Control of Pollution (Special Waste) Regulations 1980 require that the carriage
and disposal of the following substances, if present in a form or quantity
dangerous to life must be authorised by the Waste Regulation Authority:
Acids and alkalis
Antimony and its compounds
Arsenic compounds
Asbestos
Barium compounds
Beryllium and compounds
Biocides and phytopharmaceutical substances
Boron compounds
Cadmium and compounds
Copper compounds
Heterocyclic compounds containing oxygen nitrogen or sulphur
Hexavalent chromium compounds
Hydrocarbons and their oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur compounds
Inorganic cyanides
Inorganic halogen containing compounds
Inorganic sulphur containing compounds
Laboratory chemicals
Lead compounds
Mercury compounds.
Organic halogen compounds, excluding inert polymeric materials
Nickel and compounds
Peroxides, chlorates, perchlorates and azides
Pharmaceutical and veterinary products
Phosphorus and compounds
Selenium and compounds
Silver compounds
Tarry materials from refining and tar from distilling
Tellurium and compounds
Thallium and compounds
Vanadium compounds
Zinc compounds
5
A waste is defined as special and must be authorised for carriage and disposal if it
presents the risk of death or serious tissue damage if it were to be ingested in a
single dose of no more than 5cm3 by a 20 Kg child, or of tissue damage by inhalation
or skin or eye contact following an exposure period of 15 minutes or less. Wastes
are also classed as special if they have a flash point of 21 C or less.
Controlled Waste Regulations 1992
Clinical waste must be prevented from harming health. Usually this means transfer
for incineration.
In addition North West Water may wish to control the release of the following
substances to foul sewer:
Flammable materials
Free or emulsified grease or oil including all hydrocarbon fractions with a boiling
range equal to or greater than kerosene
Emulsified materials likely to separate upon dilution
Surface active or emulsifying agents
Tar or tar oils
Phenolic compounds
Carbohydrates
Organosulphur compounds
Organohalogen compounds
Organophosphorus compounds
Organosilicon compounds
Acids
Alkalis
Metals: iron, aluminium, antimony, arsenic, beryllium, chromium, copper, lead,
manganese, nickel, selenium, silver, tin, vanadium, zinc, cadmium, mercury
Sulphates
Cyanides or substances producing hydrogen cyanide on acidification
Sulphides or compounds producing hydrogen sulphide on acidification
Halogens or compounds producing free halogens on acidification
Sulphur dioxide or compounds producing sulphur dioxide on acidification
Elemental phosphorus
Boron or its compounds
Flocculating or coagulating materials such as polyelectrolytes
Heavy suspended solids capable of rapid settlement
Biological materials likely to affect biological treatment processes e.g. live yeast
Other substances known to be explosive, corrosive, toxic to treatment processes or
to aquatic or terrestrial life forms
Nitrates
6
APPENDIX 2
SUGGESTED LABORATORY AND WORKSHOP ARRANGEMENTS
Explosives:
Avoid storage if possible. If it is essential use a steel cabinet with good ventilation
and explosion relief to a safe area. Store away from water.
Gases:
Store in a segregated well ventilated area, return to the supplier if possible.
Oxidisers:
Store in air tight containers to avoid contact with water. Keep away from organics
and reducing agents.
Organic peroxides:
Store as oxidisers.
Spontaneously combustibles:
Store in hermetically sealed container filled with inert liquid or gas.
Dangerous when wet:
Store in a water tight container under vacuum or inert liquid or gas.
Toxic, poisonous or carcinogenic:
Store in a secure cabinet marked 'poison' or 'carcinogen'.
Infectious or clinical waste:
Store in a clinical waste bag, seal well and place in a sealed, coloured and labelled
container before disposal to incineration. Non-infectious clinical waste can be
autoclaved and be disposed of as non-hazardous waste.
Glass and sharps:
Place into an approved container before disposal. Clinical sharps should be placed
in a separate container before disposal to incineration.
Filter papers and wiping cloths etc:
Class as solid hazardous waste and place in a bin for disposal by a licensed
contractor.
Oils:
Collect and store for recovery/disposal by a licensed contractor.
Batteries:
Collect and store for recovery/disposal by a licensed contractor.
7
APPENDIX 3
WASTE MANAGEMENT FLOW CHART
8