Q: I recently used mineral spirits for a painting project, but now I’m ready to get rid of them. Pouring solvent down the drain doesn’t seem like a good idea, but I don’t know how to dispose of mineral spirits. What’s the proper procedure for mineral spirits disposal?A: Just as you can’t dispose of paint…
waste disposal, the collection, processing, and recycling or deposition of the waste materials of human society. Waste is classified by source and composition. Broadly speaking, waste materials are either liquid or solid in form, and their components may be either hazardous or inert in their effects on health and the environment. The term waste is…
In 2022, US companies could be fined a civil penalty up to $81,540 per violation, per day for Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste violations.1 However, the monetary cost is small when you think of the costs associated with injuries or environmental incidents that can come from ineffectively handling hazardous waste. Here are…
Several options are available for hazardous-waste management. The most desirable is to reduce the quantity of waste at its source or to recycle the materials for some other productive use. Nevertheless, while reduction and recycling are desirable options, they are not regarded as the final remedy to the problem of hazardous-waste disposal. There will always…
In order for an item to be considered hazardous waste, it must be either poisonous, corrosive, explosive, or flammable. To protect the environment, including humans (and especially your dedicated sanitation workers), hazardous items should be disposed of in the safest way possible. Check with your local municipality to learn about disposal restrictions and options, including…
hazardous-waste management, the collection, treatment, and disposal of waste material that, when improperly handled, can cause substantial harm to human health and safety or to the environment. Hazardous wastes can take the form of solids, liquids, sludges, or contained gases, and they are generated primarily by chemical production, manufacturing, and other industrial activities. They may…
In 2013, failure to make a hazardous waste determination cost Wal-Mart $110 million in penalities. If you create hazardous waste and you’re unfamiliar with the different types, then it’s possible that your company, business or organization may be in serious trouble. Knowing the different categories can help keep your company as safe and environmentally-conscious as…
EPA considers some leftover household products that can catch fire, react, or explode under certain circumstances, or that are corrosive or toxic as household hazardous waste. Products, such as paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides can contain hazardous ingredients and require special care when you dispose of them. Safe Management of HHW To avoid the…
It’s hard to imagine that every minute a dump truck worth of plastic enters our oceans—adding up to 11 million metric tons of plastic each year. And it’s even harder to imagine that even though 85% of Americans are frustrated by this reality, we still don’t have national policies in place to tackle the plastic…
Hazardous Waste 101Check out this EGLE video to learn what is a hazardous waste under Michigan’s environmental regulations HHW HazardsCommon household products that are a HHW when discarded are shown below. To see if a material is a HHW, look for words such as ‘warning,’ ‘caution,’ ‘flammable,’ ‘toxic,’ ‘poison,’ ‘corrosive,’ ‘oxidizer,’ etc. on the labels.…
