Hazardous Waste Management Strategy

The Hazardous Waste Management Plan for a department provides a comprehensive overview of the quantity and kind of waste generated by that department, as well as the strategies for reusing, recycling, and disposing of that waste. The completion of each department’s Hazardous Waste Management Plan will be made easier with the help of our step-by-step guide.

The template, which has been produced by Safety Services and is available to departments, may be used. However, this template is required to be included in the plan in its entirety. Departments are not required to utilise the template.

1. Sort out the many types of waste.

The Safety Data Sheet will reveal whether or not a chemical is harmful, as well as whether or not it includes any hazardous compounds. If the SDS reveals potentially harmful chemicals, you are required to categorise the waste before recycling or disposing of it.

The waste classification code, which is also known as the LoW (List of Waste) code, offers classification codes for the many forms of waste that are most often seen.

Every classification or kind of waste is assigned its own special code and is sorted into one of these four groups.

• Absolute Hazardous (AH)
• Mirror Hazardous (MH)
• Mirror Non-hazardous (MN)
• Non-hazardous in every possible way (AN)

2. Calculation of Properties of Hazardous Waste

After you have determined the type(s) of waste that is produced by the department, the next step is to classify the hazardous properties and determine the thresholds. There is a distinct difference in the threshold for every one of the hazardous groups.

For instance, the threshold concentration for sodium fluoride is 0.2 per cent, but the threshold for organic peroxides is contingent on the presence of hydrogen peroxide and the concentration of that peroxide.

UCL considers the disposal of any unused chemicals that have been abandoned to be over the threshold. Before allocating the waste stream in the risk assessment, you are required to communicate with UCL Estates if the research you are doing results in the production of waste that is classified as Mirror Hazardous. Waste that is below the threshold and classified as either Mirror Non-hazardous (MN) or Mirror Hazardous (MH) can be disposed of by diluting it and pouring it down designated sinks.

3. Safe Storage Of Hazardous Waste.

The disposal strategy for hazardous waste will be more cost-effective if there are fewer chemicals involved in producing the waste. Good laboratory practice in the partitioning of reactive substances ought to be adhered to when chemical waste is stored. 

Incompatible chemicals can be stored in the same facility, but they must be kept physically apart from one another, for example, in different sections of the facility. This is only permissible if there is a low risk of leakage or of the materials coming into contact with one another. Such things include oxidising and corrosive substances, for instance. Glass jars are an excellent choice for the safe storage of a wide variety of liquid hazardous waste.

Always take into account: 

Weight

Glass jars may be heavy even when they are empty, and after they are full, they might be far heavier than imagined.

Manual handling

Handles and grab points on glass jars and bottles are not always convenient or functional.

The prevention of damage to items

Keep on the ground or in the transporter to reduce the risk of breaking the container if it is knocked over.

Emergency Situations

Kits designed to clean up spills should be able to handle shattered glass debris in addition to harmful substances.

Containers for municipal solid waste:

Manual handling

There is a possibility that cardboard boxes might work, but you should always take into account the box’s centre of gravity and how it will be carried.

Double bagging

If you drop any dry solid, particularly gels, there is a risk of creating an inhalable dust cloud. This is especially true for gels. The waste can be kept contained if an appropriate and watertight plastic bag, such as a clear bag with labels, is utilised.

Waste can be contained in multiple double hazardous waste bags within a single box.

4. Hazardous waste being packaged and labelled.

At the point of production, hazardous waste should be contained, and then it should be packaged and labelled in such a way that clearly indicates that it is hazardous waste. The labels must be legible and must remain attached to the waste throughout its entire journey through the waste stream. There is not a single label that can be used for all of the many kinds of waste.

The departments are required to have a standardised way of labelling the various kinds of waste. The information that is required will vary depending on the kind of waste, but at a bare minimum, it needs to include the following details:

• The whole name of the substance (no formulas, abbreviations or structures)
• The entire form of the common name (if different from the chemical name)
• If the product is a mixture, the label is required to list the approximate amounts of each component.
• Waste that has been used and then discarded, or a product of waste
• Complete volume and weight
• The precise geographic location of the facility that generated the waste (room if possible)
• The name of the research group as well as the individual who is being named (the “Producer”)
• If waste was allowed to accumulate, the data collection began and the data collection ended.
• Warnings and precautions
• Waste stream

How Does the Process of Disposing of Hazardous Waste Work?

It is dependent on the kind of waste that healthcare facilities and commercial enterprises have to get rid of. In most cases, however, the hazardous waste is transferred securely to a location that can dispose of it. This covers techniques such as treatment, reduction, and storage, all of which play key roles in the disposal of hazardous waste.

To find out more about Hazardous waste disposal in your location, contact Trikon Clinical Waste today!