3 Facts You Need to Know About Potentially Dangerous Waste

In protecting future generations governments have to be willing to lead the way. Public policy is the most effective means to combat waste and all types of air pollution. The key governmental feedback to squander management is via the Environmental Protection Agency. This organization establishes criteria and policy options for lawmakers to bring about in order to preserve a safe and healthy environment. 

Fact 1

The most substantial piece of ecological waste regulations passed was the Resource Preservation and Healing Act of 1976 (Ursery, 2005). RCRA established a system for taking care of non-hazardous and unsafe solid wastes in an ecologically sound manner. Particularly, it provides for the administration of dangerous wastes from the factor of beginning to the point of final disposal. 

Also the Dangerous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 both increased the scope and improved the guidelines of RCRA. HSWA attended to issue about the competence of alreadying existing needs to stop uncontrolled releases of dangerous wastes from waste management systems. 3 of the HSWA projects were especially essential in preventing or dealing with dangerous waste launches (Ursery, 2005). First, Congress routed EPA to develop what is now known as the Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR) Program. Under the LDR Program the land disposal of neglected wastes is prohibited. 

Fact 2

Second, centers were needed to satisfy minimal innovation guidelines (i.e., liners and leachate collection systems) for surface area impoundments, waste stacks, land therapy systems, and garbage dumps to avoid dangerous wastes from migrating into the groundwater and to permit launches to be detected when they happen. Third, when a facility finds a RCRA license, the EPA was provided the authority to require restorative action for releases of harmful waste and unsafe constituents from any solid waste administration device, irrespective when the waste was placed in the device. As offered, the RCRA municipal strong waste program moderates owners and operators of community solid waste land fills. The regulations stipulate minimal standards that each landfill need to satisfy in order to proceed function. RCRA rules also require public participation, such as public conferences, throughout the allowing process for new harmful and strong waste treatment, storage space, or disposal facilities. Public engagement gives locals with an online forum to share their worries over the building of a new facility. The mission of the Source Conservation and Healing Act is to give efficient policies and implies to thoroughly manage strong and hazardous waste, from generation to disposal. These rules must be followed by any person or company that handles strong and hazardous waste, including the production, transportation, storage or disposal of the waste. 

Waste management remedies can be finest given by the local government and controlling authorities. They can offer contracts to a regional tidy up company that then would certainly send out a vehicle or automobile and have all the waste removed the facility. That waste is sent to another center categorically indicated for hazardous waste reusing. The waste comes recycled and gets converted into a kind which could be made use of for farming functions. 

Fact 3

Fluorescent lights are energy-efficient and aid decrease the effects of worldwide warming. Nonetheless, what many of you my not understand is that these lights hold a percentage of mercury of the dimension of ballpoint pen ink or a period in a sentence which could create feasible health danger. If these fluorescent lights are not appropriately disposed of, it will trigger harmful waste which is additionally categorized as "universal waste"to our environment. Learn ways to correctly put away these lights and conserve our atmosphere. When buying these light at hardware shops such as Lowes, read through the package deals which offers guidelines on the best ways to deal with the lights properly. To learn the nearby recycling program situated in your area, calling your state government firm on ways to take care of the dangerous lights. Assume smart knowing is expertise. 

With relates to various other rubbish, in 2001, UK houses produced the comparable weight of 245 jumbo jets per week in product packaging waste and in America, waste production has actually grown from an estimated 247 million tonnes of non-hazardous waste in 1990, to 409 thousand bunches in 2001, based on Biocycle magazine, a market magazine.

Hazardous waste and the Categories of Hazardous Waste

Numerous industrial dangerous wastes can easily be recycled safely and successfully. A harmful waste is reused if it is utilized, reused, or recovered. Moreover, RCRA dangerous waste regulation makes a crucial contrast between products that are utilized or reused without reclamation and those that should be recovered before reuse. A building material is recovered if it is processed to recover a usable item, or if it is regrown. Usual unsafe waste reclamation activities involve recovery of invested solvents (e.g., recovery of acetone) or metals (e.g., recovery of lead). An instance of a product that is reused without reclamation is emission control dirt returned directly to a key zinc smelting furnace.

EPA and States collect and report data on hazardous waste recycling as part of the National Biennial Report, which offers data on the generation, management, and last personality of hazardous wastes controlled under RCRA. In 2009, about 1.8 million tons of unsafe wastes were managed by recycling (metals, solvent, or additional recovery). This amount is just under 5 percent of all hazardous waste handled in 2009. The table below shows the tons of unsafe waste managed with reusing in 2009 as reported to the National Biennial Report by facilities providing waste management.

Also when made use of correctly, lots of chemicals can still harm human health and the environment. When these dangerous substances are gotten rid of, they become hazardous waste. Hazardous waste is most frequently a result of a manufacturing procedure - product left after items are made. Some unsafe wastes come from our homes: our rubbish can include such unsafe wastes as old batteries, bug spray cans, and paint thinner. Regardless of the source, unless we get rid of dangerous waste correctly, it can easily create health dangers for people and damage the environment.

Corrosive - A corrosive material can wear away (corrode) or destroy a substance. For example, many acids are corrosives that can easily eat with metal, burn skin on contact, and produce vapors that burn the eyes.

Family dangerous waste describes utilized or unwanted contents of customer products that consist of products with one of the four attributes of a hazardous waste: harmful, ignitable, corrosive or reactive. (See the Virginia DEQ Household Hazardous Waste Fact Slab for more info.) Home dangerous waste ought to not be gotten rid of in the regular rubbish.

The Fairfax County Household Hazardous Waste Program accepts unsafe chemicals from residents free of charge of fee and disposes or recycles them according to all local, state and federal regulations. Hazardous wastes from companies are dealt with independently.

Leftover home products that include corrosive, poisonous, ignitable, or reactive active ingredients are looked at to be home dangerous waste (HHW). Products, such as paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides, that include potentially hazardous ingredients call for unique care when you get rid of them.

Inappropriate disposal of HHW can easily include putting them down the drain, on the ground, into storm sewers, or in some cases applying them out with the trash. The risks of such disposal approaches may not be instantly noticeable, however incorrect disposal of these wastes can pollute the environment and pose a risk to human wellness. Many societies in the United States offer a variety of options for easily and securely handling HHW.

More than 20,000 hazardous waste generators produce over 40 million bunches of hazardous waste regulated by RCRA (the Resource Preservation and Recovery Act) each year. Many kinds of businesses create harmful waste. Some are little companies that may be located in your society, such as dry cleaners, auto replacement shops, medical facilities, pest control specialists, and image processing centers. Some dangerous waste generators are larger business like chemical suppliers, electroplating companies, and oil refineries.

The F-list (non-specific source wastes) determines wastes from common production and industrial procedures, such as solvents that have been made use of in cleansing or degreasing operations. Because the procedures producing these wastes can take place in different sectors of industry, the F-listed wastes are known as wastes from non-specific sources.

EPA specifies strong waste as any sort of garbage or refuse, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air contamination control facility and additional disposed of material, consisting of solid, liquid, semi-solid, or included gaseous material resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations, and from area events.

A number of States have additional State demands concerning using the new Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest. Some States require copies to be submitted to the State, and/or have State-specific waste codes in addition to the federal harmful waste codes needed to be entered on the new manifest.

Even if you utilize them correctly, lots of chemicals can easily still damage human health and the environment. When you throw these substances away, they become harmful waste. Some unsafe wastes originate from items in our homes. Our rubbish can include such hazardous wastes as old batteries, bug spray cans and paint thinner. US homeowners produce 1.6 million heaps of household dangerous waste annually. Dangerous waste is additionally a by-product of almost all production.

You could have harmful wastes in your cellar or garage. Exactly how do you do away with them? Don't pour them down the drain, flush them or put them in the rubbish. See if you can contribute or reuse. Many areas have home unsafe waste collection programs. Check to see if there is one in your area.

Just what Are the Categories of Hazardous Waste?

Hazardous waste is a significant issue for a highly advanced culture. The devices, devices and electronic gadgets that make our day-to-day life much easier additionally generate numerous forms of possibly dangerous waste that have to be gotten rid of with care. Harmful waste is any sort of waste that is ignitable, corrosive, explosive or reactive, toxic or radioactive. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) divides harmful waste into four broad categories based on kind and source.

Listed wastes are waste products especially defined by the EPA as dangerous wastes. They are divided into 3 categories according to their origins. Wastes on the the F-list are produced by several usual industrial processes in lots of sectors of the economic climate and are described as non-specific source wastes. F-List waste features solvents, waste water, waste water treatment sludges and a number of industrial cleaners and degreasers. The K-list is composed of wastes from particular markets including pesticide manufacture and petroleum processing. They are described as source-specific wastes and consist of waste water and sludges from manufacturing and therapy procedures certain to those markets. The P-list and U-list are composed of discarded chemical items that have been left unused, such as pharmaceuticals or pesticides.

The different sorts of radioactive waste are divided into different groups. High-level waste (also known as heat-generating waste) is waste in which temps can raise since of its radioactivity, which is an important element in deciding how the waste is to be disposed. It is a byproduct of nuclear fuel. Intermediate-level waste has a lower level of radioactivity compared with high-level waste. This consists of reactor components and sludge left over from the treatment of radioactive effluents. Low-level waste is less hazardous than other kinds of radioactive wastes but still contains radioactive elements that do not permit it to be disposed like average waste.

Radioactive waste is treated before it is gotten rid of; most fluids are treated to convert them to solids for easier storage and disposal. Fluid high-level wastes are improved into blocks and saved in steel containers. Intermediate-level waste is mixed with cement and saved in a stainless steel body, while low-level waste is saved in drums then buried underground with concrete.

Anaerobic Digestion News: How to Start a Biogas Business with Massive Growth...

Anaerobic Digestion News: How to Start a Biogas Business with Massive Growth...: New eBook for 2012!

I will surprise many of my readers by saying, that the best approach is not to start by building an Anaerobic Digestion Plant at all!

As a reader of “Anaerobic Digestion News” blog I suspect that most of my readers probably have a very real sense of ambition toward making a success of anaerobic digestion in some way. However, if you ever wish to start up and run your own AD facility, in my view, your best approach is to start with a fairly small windrow composting facility.

But, choose a site location with plenty of land to allow you to enlarge and diversify your business, over the first 3 to 5 years of operation, before attempting to obtain the additional investment needed for a biogas plant.

By following this path you won't be unique. Far from it! Windrow composting has been the entry point for many of the present successful waste management biogas companies that I know of in the UK.

However, it is all very well to say start small, and by building your business over time you will lessen the risk and investment needed. But, for most people who could truly do this, knowing just how to get started, who to talk to, and what to do each step of the way, seems just too daunting a task. If that happens they can really lose out massively by doing nothing.

That’s why I have invested considered time to produce an ebook, supported by unique software, which I have called the “Windrow Composting Business Blueprint”. This eBook was created to help all those that want to have their own business, be their own boss, and retire in comfort, having sold their business, or handed it down to their children.

If that appeals to you at all, then you might like to visit our web page at http://compost.me.uk/offers/for more evidence of the HOT opportunity this really is right now!

Producer responsibility solution to electronic waste in developing countries - EurekAlert (press release)

How can legislation be used to avoid hazardous waste being dumped where it could poison people and the environment in developing countries? Introducing producer responsibility could be one solution, says Panate Manomaivibool of the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) at Lund University, Sweden, in a new thesis.

In recent years, the problems of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in China, India and various African countries have been highlighted. Unregulated recycling in these countries has led to toxic substances such as lead and mercury from televisions, PVC from wire coating and brominated flame retardants from plastics leaching into the environment and poisoning people. Both the poor people who work with recycling and local residents have been affected.

Initially, a lot of the hazardous electrical and electronic waste was exported from the West in breach of the Basel Convention. More recent studies also show that WEEE from domestic consumption has increased sharply in emerging and developing economies.

Faced with this growing problem, a number of these countries are now developing systems and legislation for the management of WEEE. Panate Manomaivibool's thesis shows how lessons can be learnt from the OECD countries' solutions when tackling the problem and developing relevant legislation.

Producer responsibility is a key part of the solution. It creates incentives not only to improve the recyclability of the product but also to improve other aspects of the product system. This could mean better waste management technology and methods or changes to the design of products to facilitate waste management. This helps to reduce the amount of toxic substances in the materials and components.

Producers can be given responsibility for WEEE in a number of different ways. In Europe, for example, manufacturers often join forces and form collective producer responsibility organisations, which manage the collection and recycling of products on their behalf, free of charge to householders. In Japan, obsolete products are returned to retailers and then sorted according to manufacturer. The major manufacturers have their own recycling facilities. This system has been effective in engaging the manufacturers in learning about recycling and stimulating product redesign.

There are good opportunities to apply producer responsibility for WEEE in non-OECD countries. The levels of this waste are still relatively low, which means that effective preventive measures can still be taken for the future growth in WEEE. For example, producers could be required to phase out hazardous substances and provide recycling guarantees for new products before they come onto the market. The countries also benefit from the fact that many manufacturers of ICT are working to develop systems to deal with obsolete products. Many of them are multinational companies with long experience of producer responsibility from OECD countries.

However, there are challenges involved in introducing producer responsibility. One problem is that it can be difficult to identify the producers of counterfeit or non-branded goods, and another is that the polluted informal recycling sector competes for recyclable material. These challenges are nonetheless manageable. Large companies which supply components for non-branded products, for example 'white-box' computers, can be made responsible instead of pursuing the small assemblers. It is important that fees collected can be used to support the recycling facilities that operate legally.

"In order to succeed, the politicians in non-OECD countries need to take on the challenges that exist by exploiting the full potential of producer responsibility. They have the privilege of being able to learn from the successes and mistakes of the OECD countries. In combination with an understanding of the context of their own country, there are good opportunities for them to design and run a programme that rewards producers who develop their products in a way that improves their environmental performance", says Panate Manomaivibool.

The thesis, Advancing the Frontier of Extended Producer Responsibility The management of waste electrical and electronic equipment in non-OECD countries was defended on 9 September at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University.

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Labpacks and bulk chemical defined for hazardous waste generator

When the Generator requires waste must be removed from his instrument, a good chemist Labpack is therefore invited to training to know how obvious and packing container with D.O.T. guidelines. In the framework of the trade "labpack" there are more "gray" area on the packaging of creative. This because the "abort", which defines the volumage "thou", labpack is five gallons or 50 pounds.

So if you have a bag of arsenic, lead based paint, if weight is less than 50 pounds, then rather than the classification as waste ' bulk ', chemist labpack has the option of "labpacking" on. The beauty is that many labpack separate bags or containers, waste chemical substances may be packed in the same container D.O.T. rated for as long as the basic hazard classes are similar.

There are other considerations which chemist Labpack also takes into account, such as auxiliary classes, and even higher education. Hazard class is the type of classification that D.O.T. assigns different chemical substances. Things such explosives have Your class 1. Flammables transport of class 3, Your Toxics-6, 5 oxidizers, and so on.

Liquids such as sodium hydroxide or sulphuric acid, can also be labpacked, so long as the contents of a container is less than five gallons in volume. So it is very common to the four-five gallon bladder bags Labpack (or pails), various inorganic acids as part of a larger container, such as drum open top fifty-five gallon and manifest it as not bulk waste labpack stream.

Conversely, should a waste will exceed five gallon fifty-pound limit, must then sent as "bulk" of the waste stream. To this end, the samples must be sent to confirm the suspicions of the analytical content and jeopardise the levels. This is a more time and cost to the generator. Should be no hint as to what the contents are bulk waste element becomes the "unknown", and the whole set of new criteria are required to meet the waste to ultimately be reduced again, or recycled, in short, destroyed.

Retail chemist Labpack is one, which compares with plumbing or electrician and is certainly more involved than any courses online hazardous materials training you train for. It includes, knowledge and common sense, practice, excellence and communicate with facility to remove the end.

You can view the trusted chemist's work and enable the Generator to a sense of safety and liability, during their of hazardous chemical waste for disposal is properly recorded in the hazardous waste Manifest generator.

MLI environment specializes in cleaning, identification, proper packaging, transportation and disposal of hazardous waste, fluorescent, batteries, CRT's and electronics recycling. MLP is allowed by many States, EPA and dot to shipments of waste destined for reuse, recycling or destruction. Contact us for more information.

Hazardous waste import's probe sought - Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines — Green advocates Wednesday appealed to the government to investigate the importation of hazardous wastes, particularly from New Zealand, after it purportedly exported at least 50,000 tons of toxic wastes to the Philippines and South Korea since 2008.

Greenpeace-NewZealand claimed that official documents show that used lead acid batteries were allegedly sent to the Philippines for recycling.

However, it remains unclear how much is exported to the Philippines as this information has not yet been made available.

“We call on the Philippine government to investigate the importation of hazardous wastes from New Zealand and from other countries,” Greenpeace-Southeast Asia toxics campaigner Beau Baconguis said.

“We demand that details of these shipments be made publicly available. Republic Act (RA) 6969, the law that regulates trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes, recognizes the public's right to information. It is government's obligation to disclose such information if we are to prevent more pollution from happening,” she added.

RA 6969 or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Control Act of 1990, prohibits the entry, even in transit, of hazardous and nuclear wastes and their disposal into the Philippine territorial limits for whatever purpose.

“For many years, different environmental groups have been campaigning to end exports of hazardous wastes by developed countries to developing countries like the Philippines,” Baconguis said, adding that Philippine laws allow toxic wastes to enter the country under the guise of recycling.

“The Philippines cannot continue to be a dumping ground of toxic wastes from countries that are more capable of managing their own wastes. We call on the Philippine government to immediately ratify the Basel Ban Amendment, as this is what is needed to address the loophole in the current laws,” EcoWaste president Roy Alvarez said.

The Basel Ban Amendment prohibits the export of toxic waste from developed countries such as the European Union to developing countries that can further enhance the control that is needed to prevent toxic wastes ending up in Asia.

“New Zealand is a country that prides itself in its clean and green image. A genuinely green country takes responsibility for its own toxic wastes. By exporting its own hazardous waste, it is, in effect, taking advantage of countries like the Philippines already struggling from countless environmental and social problems,” Alvarez said.

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Largest Illinois hazardous waste site you have never heard about - KMOV.com

(KMOV.com) -- A local activist is calling an area "the largest hazardous waste site" you have never heard of before.

The site the activist is referring to is a 400 acre plot near Albers, Illinois that used to be owned by Exxon-Mobil Coal.  Looking at the site today, you would never know that the site used to be a hazardous waste dump.  A satellite image from several years ago shows what is now covered by dirt: a coal-wa
ste slurry from the now closed Monterrey Mine.

Don Langenhorst lives less than a mile away from the site and he wants the site cleaned up.  He also fears the waste led to his kidney problems.  Langenhorst said he drank the water for years without any indication he was possibly hurting his health.

According to reports, the water leaking out of the site includes iron, sulfides and chlorides.  It is supposed to be pumped in to the Kaskaskia river, but is already infiltrated the water aquifer underneath.  That infiltration has seriously deteriorated the water quality in two nearby towns.

Exxon has already paid $1 million to pump in clean water to the people who live nearby.  The residents around the site say they are not after money.  They just want the site cleaned up.  Under the mining reclamation act, the site is technically not considered hazardous waste.  Area residents beg to differ.

Attorney Penni Livingston hopes the Illinois Supreme Court sees the flaw in the law.  "It's a slurried material and the reclamation act says you may not have anything that's a permanent impoundment of clean water, so maybe it's not hazardous waste, but it is not clean water either," Livingston stated.

Livingston also said she is concerned about water from that aquifer now being pumped into the nearby Kaskaskia River, which may be news to many who boat there.

Exxon-Mobil Coal sold that site to another company in 2009.  The Illinois Supreme Court will hear the case in October. 

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Maharashtra govt blasted on Union Carbide waste analysis and disposal - Hindustan Times

Conveying its strong displeasure in equally strong words, the Madhya Pradesh high court on Thursday lashed out at the Maharashtra government for its ‘casual’ approach on the issue of Union Carbide’s toxic waste disposal. The court gave three days to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to inspect Union Carbide’s Bhopal plant, collect samples and analyse the toxicity of the waste in two weeks.

A court had directed the MPCB last month to collect and examine the toxic waste and submit its findings. But on Thursday while hearing the case, the MPCB sought more time, which annoyed the court.

The court would now hear the matter on August 29 and directed the MPCB to furnish the details of the findings of toxic waste examination then. The court asked MP government to allow MPCB to carry out analysis of 346-tonne of the toxic material lying at the now defunct Bhopal plant.

The Jabalpur high court had last month granted a stay on its July 12 order directing MP government to transport toxic waste lying at Union Carbide’s abandoned Bhopal plant to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) facility near Nagpur for its scientific disposal. 

However, a division bench comprising justice Sushil Harkauli and justice U C Maheshwari made it clear that hazardous waste needs disposal and refused to curtail the process and directed MPCB to collect sample of toxic waste from Bhopal. This means the actual transportation of the toxic waste has been stayed until further orders.

Earlier, responding to a petition, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court had directed the state government to file an appropriate application before the MP high court to modify its earlier orders regarding dumping and incinerating the Union Carbide’s toxic waste near Nagpur, apparently to avoid conflict between two high courts.

Hence, a fresh application was filed before the MP court on the issue.

The petition was filed before the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court when the Jabalpur bench directed the Madhya Pradesh government on July 12 to transport toxic waste to Nagpur and file compliance report by July 28.

The Jabalpur court’s directives to transport the toxic waste near Nagpur triggered resistance and anger among the people of Nagpur.

Local units of political parties, including the ruling Congress, NCP and BJP and environment activists opposed the move, though the DRDO had said it has the expertise and the facility for safe toxic waste disposal.

It was the then minister of forests and environment Jairam Ramesh, who suggested disposing the 346-tonne of Union Carbide waste at the DRDO facility. However, Ramesh did not take Maharashtra government into confidence while making such a suggestion.

People of Nagpur feel that it would pose a pollution threat for them. The toxic waste is lying on the Union Carbide factory premises in Bhopal for well over two and half decades.

The Maharashtra environment minister, Sanjay Deotale, had told the state Assembly last week that the government would approach the apex court, if necessary, to oppose the burning of toxic waste near Nagpur.

The minister made it clear that even transporting the material from Bhopal to Nagpur -- a journey of 360 km -- would also pose problems.

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Rockford Hazardous Waste Pickup a Long Running Success - MyStateline.com

It's a long running program to keep hazardous waste out of our landfills.

Rockford approved renewing its contract with the state E.P.A. to continue its household hazardous waste program.

Weekends in Rockford can seem kind of scary at this disposal site. But the haz-mat suits allows these workers to get rid of dangerous garbage.

"It's getting rid of things that if they were put into the regular waste stream, would be a problem for the landfills to handle and so they don't dispose of in a random fashion by the homeowners."

The state E.P.A. picks up the cost of picking up paint, tires, oil, and chemicals. Keeping them from getting into ground water. The contractor will sort them out and hand them off to the proper disposal sites. Property Improvement Manager Charles Schaefer says they can get overwhelmed.

"It's really popular, in fact that's why we need to schedule people for special pickups when they have large items because it holds up the line."

The waste pickup started in the early nineties after a huge turnout for an Illinois clean up day.

"People were lined up for four hours waiting to dispose of their hazardous waste there was no other option."

Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful takes calls regularly from people asking how to dispose of hazardous materials. Rockford's collection is open to any Illinois resident. And Executive Director Lori Gummow says the collection was unique.

"Rockford was number two, and for years we were only one of two permanent facilities in the state of Illinois, other communities were still applying for the one day sweeps."

Other cities have started up permanent collection facilities as the E.P.A. has phased out one day collections because of a lack of money. Gummow says it's important to keep the pickup going.

"You don't want it going in the garbage truck and leaking as its taken down the city street, you don't want the chemicals going into a landfill."

For times and a list of what's accepted, click here.

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Govt suspends chemical firm for dumping toxic waste in Cavite - GMANews.TV

The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) on Friday issued a suspension order against hazardous waste management firm SOLCHEM Philippines Inc. (SPI) for illegal dumping of toxic waste in a private lot in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Following a technical conference with officials of SOLCHEM and EMB-Region 4A director Allan Leuterio on Tuesday, EMB director Juan Miguel Cuna said the recommendation of the regional office is to suspend the company's transporter and treatment, storage and Disposal (TSD) registration certificates.

In the conference, SOLCHEM president and general manager Edwin Afzelius admitted to contracting a person identified only as "Boyong" to transport and store their partially treated hazardous wastes.

The company reportedly did not verify whether the individual actually operates a storage facility accredited by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The company said they did not also know the location of the facility.

Last week, a total of 63 drums of hazardous waste were recovered in Barangay Langkaan I in Dasmariñas.

Upon investigation, truck driver Ramon Olager said the drums came from the treatment facility of SOLCHEM Philippines in Las Piñas City.

With this action, Cuna said the company violated Republic Act No. 6969 or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act.

He added, however, that the penalty for the company has yet to be determined.

?The temporary suspension of SOLCHEM?s TSD permits would mean that the firm is not allowed to transport and treat hazardous wastes until such time that the disposition that came up during the technical conference conducted between the EMB and SOLCHEM has been complied with," Cuna said. ? JMT/VS, GMA News

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Bid to clear Union Carbide plant toxic waste hits hurdle - Hindu Business Line

Bhopal, July 22:  The process of disposal of 346 tonnes of toxic waste lying at the defunct Union Carbide plant here has once again hit a road block with several groups protesting the dumping of this poisonous material at Nagpur in Maharashtra.

The decision to dispose of the toxic waste at a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) facility near Nagpur was taken after the unit evinced interest in it, as stated by former Union Environment Minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh, here on May 26.

Following this, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had also issued directives to the State Government as well as the DRDO to make arrangements for the transport and disposal of the toxic waste lying in the defunct factory for almost 27 years.

But opposition towards disposing of such a huge quantity of hazardous waste has irked some NGOs and activists here.

According to Ms Rachna Dhingra from ‘Bhopal Group for Information and Action’, an NGO, though the matter is sub-judice and will come up for hearing on July 28, the facility near Nagpur does not have mandatory clearances from Maharashtra Pollution Control Board for operating it.

Speaking to PTI, Ms Dhingra claimed that no facility in India is capable of disposing of such a toxic waste safely and demanded that it should be disposed of in any of the OECD (Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development) countries as they have a capacity to deal with such hazardous waste.

She also suggested that the cost of shipment of toxic material should be charged to Dow Chemicals, the current owner of the defunct plant at Bhopal.

Keywords: Bhopal, Union Carbide, toxic waste disposal, DRDO, NGO

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Commissioners affirm ban on new haz waste sites - Tooele Transcript-Bulletin

Cedar Mountain Environmental president Charles Judd talks about plans he has to build a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility near Clive in February. On Tuesday the Tooele County Commission voted to continue its five-year-old ban on creating new hazardous waste storage zones.
- file photo / Maegan Burr- file photo / Maegan Burr" href="C:\Program Files\ABS\Auto Blog Samurai\data\Hazardous Waste Disposal News\Haz Waste Disposal Google\H4GQ_Nuke_Waste_12_9_10.jpg" rel=lightbox[10608586]>slideshow Move keeps proposed competitor to EnergySolutions out — for now

The Tooele County Commission voted Tuesday not to lift a five-year-old ban on the creation of new hazardous waste storage zones.

The removal of the ban was considered at the request of Charles Judd, president of Cedar Mountain Environmental, a Salt Lake City-based transportation and waste management company. Judd wants to open a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility that would compete with EnergySolutions. He plans to build the facility on 320 acres of school trust land about 4 miles north of EnergySolutions’ Clive site.

“I had just come on the commission in 2005 when we passed an ordinance to shrink the hazardous waste zones and to not allow any additional new hazardous waste zones to be created,” said Colleen Johnson, chairwoman of the county commission, during the discussion of Judd’s proposal. “It was the overwhelming public opinion at the time that they did not want any new — or expansion of — hazardous and radioactive waste facilities in the county. I don’t see that much has changed since that time.”

Judd countered by saying his proposal has several elements that make it attractive to the county. He proposes to pay fees based upon the volume of waste received by the facility instead of a percentage of revenue, as is the current agreement with EnergySolutions. He also would give 50 cents per cubic foot of waste received directly to the Tooele County School District.

“Under my proposal, the county would receive $10 million a year for 30 years,” Judd told commissioners. “All I want you to do is seriously look at my proposal and what I am offering to the county and schools.”

The state School Land Trust program would also receive a payment per cubic foot of waste.

“The payments from Judd’s proposal would go directly into the pool of money distributed statewide for community councils to spend on their local schools,” said Margaret Bird, an administrator with the School Children’s Trust, the beneficiary of the School Land Trust program.

Judd also touted job creation as a benefit of the proposal.

“I would employ 200 to 300 people directly with another 300 related jobs that would be created because I will be contracting with local Tooele County companies,” Judd said.

Steve Bunn, owner of Lake Point-based general contracting firm Broken Arrow, one of those potential contractors favors Judd’s proposal.

“I worked with EnviroCare when it first started. We helped develop the technology they currently use out there,” Bunn said. “I have had conversations with Charles and together we can do things much more efficiently with the knowledge that we gained from doing this before. There also are people out there in the waste industry that are unhappy with EnergySolutions and would like a competitor to do business with.”

Judd added that opening his new facility will not bring any more waste to Tooele County.

“About 98 percent of the commercial low-level waste produced in this country comes to Clive right now,” Judd said. “There isn’t that much additional waste that I can bring to the county, but I will compete directly with EnergySolutions for waste.”

The capacity of the EnergySolutions site at Clive has been a source of disagreement. Judd said he can show they have only a five-year capacity remaining, while EnergySolutions officials have testified they have 25 to 30 years capacity remaining.

While the county commission voted unanimously to not lift the hazardous waste zone ban, the door was left open for Judd to return at a future time and make the request again.

“I am not necessarily opposed to the idea,” said Commissioner Jerry Hurst. “I would like to see you go a little further with your planning without us taking this action right now. You have a lot of steps to take yet, you need a state license as well as the approval of the governor and the legislature. Let’s see how far you can get in the process first.”

Judd said he has submitted an application for site review with the state Division of Radiation Control and that could possibly go forward without the ordinance change.

Judd is no stranger to rejection. Having served as the president of EnviroCare, the precursor to EnergySolutions, from 1988 to 2002, he has been trying to get back into the radioactive waste business since he left EnviroCare. In 2003, he was turned down for a conditional use permit to build a radioactive waste site on property he owned adjacent to EnergySolutions. The county claimed Judd had not proved the need for an additional radioactive waste site. He sold the property to EnergySolutions, which then received permission from the county to store radioactive waste on the site.

In 2005 Judd sued the county for denying his permit and the 3rd District Court dismissed the case because he no longer owned the property. He appealed to the Utah Supreme Court, which overruled the district court and ordered a trial held. Judd lost the district court trial and was in the process of appealing that loss to the state Supreme Court in 2009. Judd dropped the appeal in Feb. 2010.

“I decided to try and work out an agreement with the county outside of the court system,” Judd said. “It is difficult to believe they won’t even look at a plan that will create hundreds of jobs and give them millions more in mitigation fees than they are receiving now.” Judd said he doesn’t believe commissioners are trying to deliberately give EnergySolutions a monopoly.

“The current ordinance does favor EnergySolutions,” Judd said. “ But I think the commissioners have just worked with one company for so long they are having trouble understanding how it would work with two companies.”

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EPA fines Wests largest toxic waste dump $300000 - BusinessWeek

FRESNO, Calif.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is fining the West's largest hazardous waste dump more than $300,000 for alleged improper disposal of cancer-causing chemicals.

Residents near the Kettleman Hills dump in Central California previously expressed concerns that it was linked to a high rate of birth defects among children in the area, but state health officials say they have not identified a common cause of the problems.

EPA officials said Tuesday that Chemical Waste Management was being fined because the dump failed to clean up soil tainted with PCBs. The facility is one of just 10 dumps nationwide that handles polychlorinated biphenyls, a now-banned transformer fluid.

The landfill is near Kettleman City, an impoverished San Joaquin Valley farm town where 11 cases of cleft palates and other birth defects have been reported since 2007.

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Public hearing over hazardous waste disposal company's expansion plans - WWMT

PLAINWELL, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A hazardous waste disposal company in Plainwell is looking to expand and the DNRE wants you to weigh in.

Drug and Laboratory Disposal is located on Broad Street. News reports say it wants to increase the size of its operation nearly tenfold.

Environmental officials are considering the company's application and they're holding the first of a series of public hearings tonight to discuss the proposal and get input.

That meeting starts at 7:00 tonight at Plainwell City Hall.

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Swiss hazardous waste arisings climb again in 2009 - EUWID Recycling and Waste Management

(04 November 2010)

Nearly 1.837m tonnes of hazardous waste were generated in Switzerland in 2009. The figure, released earlier this week by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), represented an increase of almost 4 per cent or 71,000 tonnes compared with the year before.

The video below is not from the same source as the article

The amount of hazardous waste treated domestically rose by around 3.2 per cent to 1.586m tonnes. Around 251,000 tonnes of hazardous waste were exported, after 229,000 tonnes were transported abroad in 2008. Mineral wastes, sludge and treatment residues again made up the largest fractions of hazardous waste. Accounting for 630,000 tonnes, landfilling was the most commonly employed means of disposal. Around a third of the waste was incinerated and 17 percent was recycled or treated.

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Horseheads Athletics Field No Longer a DEC Hazardous Waste Site

The Horseheads Central School District athletic fields are no longer listed with the Department of Environmental Conservation as a hazardous waste disposal site.

But environmentalists question the testing, and the DEC's research. They say just because one investigation didn't unearth anything, it doesn't mean there's no potential danger.

Testing by a private company, Barton and Loguidice, came back negative for hazardous chemicals. Superintendent Ralph Marino, Jr. is relieved, but the president of Toxics Targeting, Walter Hang, has doubts.

There is clear documentation that pollution is here, Hang said.

That's according to a 1986 investigation by NUS Corporation.And these are cancer causing agents found in cigarette smoke that cause lung cancer, Hang said.

Hang said the concern is pollutants dumped near the fields decades ago  in an adjacent nature area could have migrated over years.

Bart Putzig, the DEC engineer who worked with the school district, said there's no cause for concern.

We did not find that there was a consequential amount of waste so there's really nothing to clean up. It just didn't rise to a level where the state needed to take action on it, Putzig said in a phone interview.

We did comprehensive testing, we went well beyond just the satellite section,? Superintendent Marino said.

But Hang is convinced the work was not comprehensive enough and wants more testing, and ultimately, a complete clean-up of the area. But that might take some time. the matter is closed, Marino said.

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St. Mary's to Host Household Hazardous Waste Day - Bay Net

St. Mary’s County is sponsoring its annual Household Hazardous Waste Day (HHW) Day Event on November 13, 2010, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the St. Andrews Landfill, 44825 St. Andrews Church Road, California, Maryland, 20619.

Many common household products contain hazardous substances.  These products become household hazardous waste (HHW) after the consumer no longer has any use for them.  The average U.S. household generates more than 20 pounds of HHW per year.  As much as 100 pounds can accumulate in the home, often remaining there until the residents move or do an extensive clean out.

County residents are encouraged to clean out their barns, basements, sheds, garages, etc. and take advantage of the opportunity to properly discard the toxics that have been lurking in and around their homes.  These toxins include pharmaceuticals, disinfectants, paint (all kinds), stains and polish, solvents and thinners, caustic cleaners (for toilets, tile masonry, ovens, etc.), pool chemicals, lawn care chemicals, pet care chemicals, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides, batteries (all kinds), thermometers, thermostats, fluorescent light bulbs (all contain mercury), aerosol cans, old gasoline, kerosene, and other fuels (even mixed with water) will be collected.

 More information is available by visiting the County’s Solid Waste/Recycling web site at www.stmarysmd.com or by calling the Department of Public Works and Transportation at (301) 863-8400.

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Chemical company agrees to pay penalty - Houston Chronicle

A Pasadena chemical manufacturer has agreed to pay $1.5 million in penalties for violations of Texas and federal waste disposal laws, officials said Thursday.

The penalties stem from Air Product LLC's failure to properly store, transport and manage sulfuric acid at its Pasadena plant between 1990 and 2009, according to legal filings by the Texas Attorney General's Office and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The used acid is classified as a hazardous waste under state and federal law. Air Products maintains that the acid was "purposefully produced" and not a waste, according to legal documents filed in Houston federal court.

The company sent the spent acid to a nearby plant that was not a permitted storage or disposal facility for the waste. In 2007, the fluid breached a retaining wall and reached the Houston Ship Channel, officials said.

Under the settlement, Air Products is prohibited from sending spent acid to the plant, Agrifos Fertilizer Inc. It also must notify state and federal regulators if it ships the waste off site.

mailto:matthew.tresaugue@chron.com

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"Hazardous Waste Disposal" - Northland's NewsCenter

November 4, 2010

Duluth, MN (Northlands NewsCenter)

Painting your house is always a great way to give it a fresh look.

But the leftover paint can damage to the environment if spilled or dumped inappropriately.
In this weeks "Your Green Life", Meteorologist Jeff Edmondson takes a look at some options you have for disposing of leftover paint.

Almost all of us have some hazardous chemicals...maybe stored under your sink, or in your garage.
When it comes time for spring cleaning there are some things you should know about getting rid of them.

"Our goal is to get all of the hazardous waste out of the waste stream and get it here", said Sarah Lerohl; Environmental Program Coordinator at WLSSD.

At the product exchange site here at WLSSD you can grab a quart of water–based primer and you can have up to five items per day.

Seasonal dropping temperatures can also pose some problems.

"One of the issues that we come into the winter is that of freezing and a lot of the hazardous chemicals that you may have in your home or garage especially outdoors could freeze", said Lerohl.

Leaves aren't hazardous but they can cause some serious problems by clogging sewers and filling up landfills. WLSSD has an answer for that as well.

"If you are not going to be using your leaves and your grass in your backyard composter at home, please remember to bring them here to our compost site. Because it is a local resource and it doesn't belong in the trash", said Lori Blais; Environmental Program Coordinator at WLSSD.

Your spent Jack–o–Lanterns can also tag along to WLSSD for composting. Clean up your yard and protect the environment all in one step. In Duluth I'm Meteorologist Jeff Edmondson. The Northlands Newscenter.

The Yard Waste site is scheduled to remain open until November 15.
The Hazardous waste site is open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

To find out what you can bring to the Hazardous waste site, visit:

http://www.wlssd.com/garbage_hw_residents.php

If you need to find a location closer to your home search on Earth911.

www.earth911.com

Posted by Jeff Edmondson

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US Ecology Announces Closing of Stablex Hazardous Waste Facility Acquisition - MarketWatch (press release)

 BOISE, ID, Nov 01, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- US Ecology, Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!ecol/quotes/nls/ecol (ECOL 16.89, -0.02, -0.12%) ("the Company") today announced that on October 31, 2010, it completed its previously announced acquisition of Stablex Canada Inc. ("Stablex"), a leading North American provider of hazardous waste services, for $80 million Canadian dollars in cash.

Stablex operates a permitted hazardous waste processing and disposal facility in Blainville, Quebec, northwest of Montreal, Quebec in Canada. The Stablex facility principally serves the eastern Canadian and northeastern U.S. industrial markets utilizing proprietary state-of-the-art technology to treat a wide range of hazardous waste. The acquisition was funded with cash on hand and borrowings under a new $75 million reducing revolving line of credit facility with Wells Fargo National Association ("Wells Fargo").

The $75 million reducing revolving line is part of an aggregate $95 million credit agreement entered into with Wells Fargo on October 29, 2010. In addition to the new $75 million reducing revolving line of credit, which has a maturity date of November 1, 2015, the credit agreement provides for a $20 million revolving line of credit with a maturity date of June 15, 2013, which replaces the prior $20 million line of credit.

Further details regarding these transactions can be found in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 1, 2010.

About US Ecology, Inc. US Ecology, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides radioactive, hazardous, PCB and non-hazardous industrial waste management and recycling services to commercial and government entities, such as refineries and chemical production facilities, manufacturers, electric utilities, steel mills, medical and academic institutions and waste brokers. Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, the Company is one of the oldest radioactive and hazardous waste services companies in the North America.

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are based on our current expectations, beliefs and assumptions about the industry and markets in which US Ecology, Inc. and its subsidiaries operate. Because such statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from what is expressed herein and no assurance can be given that the Company will achieve its 2010 earnings estimates, successfully execute its growth strategy, increase market share, or declare or pay future dividends. For information on other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations, please refer to US Ecology, Inc.'s December 31, 2009 Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Many of the factors that will determine the Company's future results are beyond the ability of management to control or predict. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect management's views only as of the date such statements are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Important assumptions and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking information include a loss of a major customer, compliance with and changes to applicable laws and regulations, North American hazardous waste market conditions, access to insurance and other financial assurances, loss of key personnel, lawsuits, cost effective access to credit markets, the timing or level of government funding or competitive conditions, incidents that could limit or suspend specific operations, our ability to perform under required contracts, our willingness or ability to pay dividends and our ability to integrate the above noted or any other business acquisition. No assurance can be given that any expected benefits of the aforementioned acquisition will be achieved.

Investors should also be aware that while we do, from time to time, communicate with securities analysts, it is against our policy to disclose any material non-public information or other confidential commercial information. Accordingly, stockholders should not assume that we agree with any statement or report issued by any analyst irrespective of the content of the statement or report. Furthermore, we have a policy against issuing or confirming financial forecasts or projections issued by others. Thus, to the extent that reports issued by securities analysts contain any projections, forecasts or opinions, such reports are not the responsibility of US Ecology, Inc.

Contact:Alison ZieglerCameron Associates(212) 554-5469alison@cameronassoc.comwww.usecology.com

SOURCE: US Ecology, Inc.

mailto:alison@cameronassoc.comhttp://www.usecology.com

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