What is Hazardous Waste?
Disposal Regulations
Examples of Hazardous Waste Waste Disposal By Allegheny
Our definitions of "hazardous" waste are not all inclusive. However, if the waste your company produces falls in any of the categories detailed below, and you are not managing it according to government "hazardous" waste guidelines, please contact Allegheny Environmental for a more detailed explanation. Some of the guidelines and definitions below may sound obvious, unclear, or even illogical...but...disagreement will not excuse a company for non-compliance.
A material can only be a hazardous waste if, it is first,...a waste. This can be a technical matter to define but generally a waste is any solid, liquid, or contained gaseous material that you no longer use, and either recycle, throw away, or store until you have enough to treat or dispose of. A waste may remain in storage, go out into the dumpster, be poured down a drain, may be sent for re-use or recycling at another location, or...may be set aside for hazardous waste disposal, by a company such as Allegheny Environmental Services which provides permitted transportation and treatment/disposal.
The "characteristic" hazardous wastes below all carry a "D" code listing.
1. Ignitable Waste. If the waste is a liquid with a flash point less than 140-degrees F. it is in this category. If it is not a liquid but is capable under standard conditions of temperature and pressure of causing fire. If it is a gas or oxidizer as defined by the Department of Transportation. These wastes will carry a waste code of D001.
Examples are: Many paint solvents and mineral spirits, paint waste, solvents, alcohol, degreasers, fine carbon particles, flammable gas cylinders.
2. Corrosive Waste. Among the criteria is a measured pH equal to or less than 2, or greater than or equal to 12.5 in liquid solution...or able to corrode SAE 1020 steel at a rate greater than 0.25 inches per year...or a solid that, if water is added, will cause the solution to show a pH in the above defined acid or alkaline ranges. These wastes will carry a waste code of D002
Examples may include: Acids, corrosive cleaners, many photochemicals, strippers, rust removers, batteries, drain cleaners, bases, alkaline liquids.
3. Reactive Waste. This category takes in a wide field of materials. Generally waste that will cause any of the following:
React violently with water
Contains cyanides or sulfides
Is unstable
Is capable of explosion
Forms explosive mixtures with water or generates toxic gases when mixed with water.
These wastes may carry a waste code of D003.
Examples are: sulfide containing wastes..
4. Toxic Materials. Includes thousands of materials including hundreds on government lists. Includes materials that do not pass so-called TCLP tests for toxicity. Poisons. These wastes will carry waste codes of D004 - D043.
Examples are: Lead containing materials, rodent poisons, mercury and heavy metals.
The above criteria is just the beginning...
5. "Listed" Wastes.
The government has published lists ("listed wastes") which are defined as hazardous just because they are the result of certain industrial operations or because they contain certain chemicals. These lists are know as F, K, P, U. and often go by the title for example as a F-listed waste. These lists take in hundreds, even thousands of materials. They are available in the Federal Code of Regulations or you may call Allegheny Environmental Services to find out if your waste is on one of these lists.
Examples:
F-Listed: Hazardous Waste from Non-Specific Sources. Benzene,
Carbon tetrachloride,
K-Listed: Hazardous Waste from Specific Sources. e.g. Ink sludges
containing heavy metals
P-Listed: Discarded Commercial Products & Residues On specification
and off-specification wastes which are commercial products or manufacturing chemical
intermediate which are acutely hazardous wastes based on toxicity and reactivity. Aldicarb
and many pesticides,
U-Listed: Discarded Commercial Products & Residues On-specification
and off-specification wastes which are commercial chemical products or manufacturing
chemical intermediates based on toxicity. Creosote, Lindane, and many pesticides.
And...material contaminated with any of the above material...may then become a "hazardous waste" A common example is soil where gasoline has spilled. Government regulations are so configured so that "dilution is not the solution."
Generator Responsibility. The government holds the generator of the waste responsible for its proper disposal and treatment. Since lack of knowledge is no excuse, it is always best to check to see if what you have to dispose of is defined as "hazardous." The company that "gets away" with disposing of a "hazardous" waste in the dumpster or down the sewer stands liable for BIG fines and even criminal enforcement action. Allegheny Environmental has a brief bulletin listing a variety of enforcement actions in a wide range of businesses for various waste violations. The bulletin is free for the asking. See "Points to Ponder."
If a waste is hazardous it must be treated and managed as such. That covers storage and labeling, transportation, treatment and disposal. And, there is paperwork. Most companies rely on an expert firm in hazardous waste to deal with their waste management and this is one of the services Allegheny Environmental provides at low cost. Some of the items that must be given attention when you have a "hazardous waste."
Proper storage, hazardous labels, record-keeping, employee safety and right-to-know.
Legal transportation off-site including manifesting, labeling, DOT and other government approved and permitted transporters must be used, and record keeping.
Treatment, incineration, and disposal only at EPA permitted facilities.
Testing if necessary to confirm a waste is non-hazardous. The burden of proof is on the company that generates the waste.
Wastes From Metal Work
Degreasers and strippers
Oils and Coolants
Sludges and slag
Metal and coating dust
Plating waste --- all types
Coatings
Laboratory Wastes and Chemicals
Out-of-date and expired chemicals
Poisons, corrosives and reactives
Old samples and unknowns
Mercury, thermometers, and mercury compounds
Contaminated glassware and containers
Low-level radioactives
Gas cylinders; all kinds of gases
Peroxides and all oxidizers
Ether and other peroxide forming compounds
Organics and Inorganics
Explosives
Spill residues
Scintillation vials
Dyes and colors
Pyphoric materials
Contaminated filters
Biological specimens in formaldin solutions
Confidential research products and byproducts
Over 60,000 chemicals and reagents
Printing and Photo Waste
Inks, paints, and dyes
Blanket wash and solvents
Filters and screens
All photochemicals
Plating and engraving waste
Transportation & Motor Waste
Oils and greases
Pit sludge and wastes
Oil-water mixes and coolants
Used absorbent
Spill residues
Contaminated gasoline
Assorted "Housecleaning" Wastes
Cleaners
Paints, thinners, and paint removers
Spray bottles and aerosols
Old light ballasts and light bulbs of all types
Lye, acids, and corrosives
Duplicating fluid
Bleach
Floor treatments, water treatment chemicals, and boiler treatment chemicals
Office machine toners
Soaps, detergents, and alkalines
Surplus and out-of-date product
Wastes in All Sizes, From Any Source
In drums, pails, bottles, and buckets
In cubic yard boxes
In rolloffs and trucks
In tanks and holding ponds
Waste without containers
"Unknown" waste
Dredging waste
Adhesives, glues, and binders
Paint and paint sludge
Organic solvents
"Freon" and CFCs (for recycle/recovery)
Chlorinated solvents
Tars
Contaminated wood
Agrichemicals
Industrial by-product waste
Grinding waste and abrasives
Fireworks
Fire extinguisher waste
Filter Press cake and waste from waste processing units
Construction waste
Store Close-Out and Unsold merchandise waste
Batteries of all types
PCB and Transformer/Capacitor waste
MACE and tear gas
Asbestos
Chemical Plant and Distributor Surplus and Spoils waste
Dry cleaning waste
Flammable solids and and liquids
Pesticides, Herbicides, Fungicides, Insecticides
Ash and Incineration waste
Heavy metal waste from any source
Contaminated soils and remediation waste
Sludge from waste treatment systems
Anything that needs "secure" disposal or destruction.
Waste for recycle/re-use
...and just about anything unsuitable
for "The Dumpster," Sewer, or Septic System
All waste treated or incinerated according to its characteristics.
Allegheny provides disposal of all hazardous waste indicated above (everything except medical waste) in two service areas.
In addition to bulk waste which the customer has contained in drums, cubic yard boxes, tanks, or pallets, Allegheny provides a turnkey Lab Pack Service to package smaller chemical containers (bottles, pails, vials, in volumes 5-gallons and under). With this service, Allegheny chemists come to your site, package all chemicals according to hazard class making identification of unknown items in the process. All regulatory paperwork is prepared including container DOT transportation labels and markings.
Our Primary Service Area consists of Upstate New York and Central and Western Pennsylvania. In this area turnkey, fully permitted and insured pickup and disposal of hazardous and special wastes is available on a regular route schedule. This is usually monthly.
Our Secondary Service Area consists of Eastern Pennsylvania and Northern Ohio. The same pickup and disposal service is available on a quarterly route schedule.
Our Special Service Area is anywhere in the Eastern United States where waste for disposal consists of large quantities (truck load and more). Custom schedules are arranged for pickup.
All packaging, transportation, and treatment/incineration is by fully permitted and insured processes. Everything is in compliance with federal and state regulations. Our field employees all have the 40-hour OSHA-prescribed Hazardous Materials Training.
Inquire about our low cost service and spotless regulatory and safety record.
Allegheny Environmental
Services, Inc.
The Right Chemistry...For Environmental Protection
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Headquarters at: 12191 Sample Road, Randolph, NY 14772.
Tel: 716-358-9111
Sales & Chemical Field Service: 716-439-4852