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 The responsibility of producers includes their correct statement of the quantity and composition of their company’s hazardous waste, as well as their careful selection of carriers and treatment facilities. In addition, producers comply with any regulation governing the internal storage of hazardous waste and demonstrate their willingness to minimize the harmfulness and quantity of such waste; for example through the company’s strategic environmental planning. The more advanced the strategic component inside the company, the greater the potential to minimize the disposal costs of hazardous waste.
The practical handbook on hazardous waste management includes further details on the proper internal management of hazardous waste. The handbook may be downloaded here:
Good internal management should include the following aspects :
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 Documentation on waste, selection of the right code (from the hazardous waste catalog) and of the nature of risk of dangerous material
Follow up and documentation of internal procedure such as on acceptable mixtures, on necessary separation due to reactivity and on appropriate packaging;
Proper operating and careful monitoring of internal treatment facilities for industrial used waters and hazardous wastes ;
Internal monitoring of the flow of hazardous wastes through the register and other monitoring documents such as the manifest, the statement and the annual report;
Continuous progress of the organizational structures and internal responsibilities towards the environment, especially through appointing someone in charge of the environment question.
Documentation on the frequency and content of internal inspections and in-service training activities of staff and managers;
Insurance against environmental damage and financial resources for the remediation of damage and of other incidents of the past.
Practical action for proper internal management are the following :
Hazardous wastes must be labeled according to the regulation on dangerous materials (identifiable in most cases by the security sheets of used products ; if not, by analyzing the hazardous components) ;
Separation is useful to identify high risk hazardous waste and other wastes with lower disposal cost (for example in landfills). Separation also allows separating different types of hazardous wastes which can react and cause a more severe impact on the environment in case of accident (explosion, toxic gas emanation etc.). Incompatible products should not be associated at the same retention capacity. Separation is also useful for risk and cost minimization in the company.
To organize internal storage also involves providing for internal storage capacity on the basis of produced quantities and implementing technical means for first aid, worker safety, fire extinction and retention of water used for fire extinction, reporting risks and labeling containers, gathering waste according to the disposal plan and the respective treatment plan.
A storage plan of dangerous materials with exact location of the different categories of products as well as an updated register of stocks allows, in case of leakage or fire, to quickly understand the nature of stored products and quantities.
Whenever possible, it is important to store waste containers in a sheltered area (bins are heavier when water is mixed to waste; which may increase transportation and treatment costs established on the basis of weight).
It is important to place containers on retention, in order to avoid soil and underground water contamination, and in a fenced area in order to limit intrusion risk.
The following compatibility rules shall be observed:
Acids and bases shall also be separated during storage. As a general rule, avoid storing flammable and harmful/irritating products together because the latter are truly dangerous after reaction.
Toxic or highly toxic gases shall be segregated from other products and stored in a separate area or in a locked cabinet with authorized access to a limited number of people who are trained to the risks associated with these products. |
