What is Hazardous Waste?

In the simplest terms, hazardous waste is any type of waste which contains some form of hazardous property that could make it harmful to the environment or human health. Unfortunately hazardous waste is not that simple. There are a wide range of different properties that can make waste hazardous, and waste can be classed as hazardous whether the potential harm to the environment or human health would happen straight away or over a period of time.

The characteristics to look out for when determining whether or not a type of waste may be classed as hazardous include toxic, flammable, irritant, infectious, harmful, carcinogenic, oxidising agent, mutagenic and ecotoxic. Examples of hazardous wastes include asbestos, solvents, lead-acid batteries, pesticides, televisions, computer monitors, fridges and fluorescent tubes.

The regulations surrounding hazardous waste were changed on 16 July 2005 when the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005 were implemented. This replaced the previous Special Waste Regulations 1996. Special waste was the term previously used to describe hazardous waste.

There are two main documents to help determine whether a particular waste is hazardous or not. These are the European Waste Catalogue (EWC) and the Technical Guidance document WM2. The European Waste Catalogue contains a list of all wastes, which are grouped according to industry or process. All of the different waste types have been assigned a six digit code and hazardous wastes are identified with an asterisk. The WM2 document provides guidance on the classification process and contains a consolidated version of the EWC.

Under the European Waste Catalogue there are two different categories of hazardous waste. These are absolute entries, and mirror entries. Absolute entries in the European Waste Catalogue are wastes that are always classed as hazardous waste. Mirror entries in the European Waste Catalogue are wastes that could be classed as hazardous waste, depending on the concentration of the hazardous elements within the waste.

Wastes that are classed as mirror entries can be quite complicated to determine whether or not they are actually hazardous. The waste has to be assessed to determine whether the potential hazardous element of the waste is present in a concentration which exceeds the threshold level. If the hazardous element meets or exceeds the threshold level, the waste is classed as hazardous. If the hazardous element is present is a concentration lower than the threshold level, then the waste is not classed as hazardous.

If you are unsure whether the waste your business produces is hazardous, it is advisable to contact a specialist hazardous waste disposal company. They will be able to use their knowledge and experience to help identify the waste and provide expert advice as to the correct storage and disposal methods for each of the different waste streams that you may have.

Nicholas Tate is the director of a UK waste management company called Utopia Waste Management which specialises in hazardous waste disposal and recycling collections.