What is toxic waste? The answer is not as obvious as it may seem at first thought. The terms “toxic waste” and “hazardous waste” are frequently used interchangeably to define waste material that poses a threat to public health and the environment, which is true to a large extent. Either type of waste material does indeed pose a threat. Yet, for local, state, and federal regulatory agencies, there is a difference between the two. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines toxic and hazardous waste as not necessarily the same. This Q&A on hazardous waste will address the distinction b ..read more

If your facility, company, or institution generates low-level radioactive waste, it must be disposed of properly by law. Low-level radioactive waste is considered any type of material directly contaminated through contact with neutron radiation in small concentrations. It may also include any type of low-level material exposure to neutron radiation. Informally designated by the EPA as Low-Level Radioactive Wastes (LLRW), the classification is considered more a concept than a set definition. Degrees of radioactivity can range from low background levels that occur in nature to the highly contami ..read more

A hazardous waste disposal company provides necessary, if not vital, services for businesses, companies, and institutions that generate hazardous waste streams. Finding the “right” disposal company cannot be understated. For starters, regulations and protocols that govern the management of hazardous waste are numerous and often present many challenges for generators. Staying compliant in an ever-evolving regulatory environment requires expertise. Ultimately, the responsibility is on you, the generator—by law, companies that generate hazardous waste have a cradle to grave responsibility for its ..read more

Flammable liquids classification is defined as a Class 3 hazardous material. As one of 9 such hazardous material classifications by the EPA, flammable liquids and combustible liquids are also regulated by the DOT during transportation and OSHA where workplace safety matters. If your company, business, institution, or facility is handling a Class 3 hazardous material its storage and disposal are subject to cradle-to-grave management. There is a good reason. Flammable liquids and combustible liquids, sometimes referred to as pyrophoric liquids, are capable of posing serious threats at any time ..read more

A hazardous waste label is an important step when preparing a drum of harmful or dangerous goods for transportation. The specific intent of all hazardous waste labels is intended to communicate the specific hazards that the packaging may pose. The markings on the label ensure that the material is handled properly to prevent accidents, spills, or exposure and for the handlers to know what to do in such an occurrence. Correct hazardous waste labels provide detailed information that is vital, if not critical, to make certain the safety of those handling and transporting the drums is ensured. Haza ..read more

Common oxidizers, as examples of Class 5 hazardous materials, are composed of any solids, liquids, or gasses that react with most organic material or reducing agents that promote combustion in other materials. Though not necessarily combustible, oxidizers can increase the flammable range of chemicals to ignite more easily or intensify the chemical reaction between substances to cause a combustible reaction. Thus, common oxidizers are those substances that oxidize other substances and, through such a reaction, pose a severe fire hazard. Examples of Class 5 Hazardous Materials The Department of ..read more

For any business, industry or institution that produces hazardous waste, your hazardous waste generator status will be determined by the amount of waste you may accumulate at your facility or site at one time. Because all companies and institutions produce waste in one form or another, the first step in determining your status as a hazardous waste generator is to identify if the wastes generated at your facility are hazardous. Hazardous Waste Generator Status: What Is It? If you are unsure about the properties of the waste your facility is producing, the identification and listings of hazardou ..read more

In the pantheon of hazardous waste materials, Class 8 corrosive liquids and corrosive waste stand out from other hazardous materials because of one significant characteristic property—Class 8 corrosive materials are those that cause full thickness destruction of human skin at the point of contact within a specific time period. If they leak during transportation they will cause material damage or even destroy other goods they contact during transport. In other words, Class 8 materials are extremely dangerous, with a potential for destruction, and must be handled with caution and sensitivity. Wh ..read more

The hazardous waste manifest system was designed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to track the transit of hazardous waste from generator facilities where it was produced to off-site waste management facilities that can store, treat or dispose of the waste. Though the hazardous waste manifest is not unlike any other manifest that lists the contents of a particular cargo, the EPA’s Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest is a key component of the hazardous waste tracking system. In that regard, a manifest is a form required by EPA and the U.S. Department of Transportation anytime hazar ..read more

It may seem fairly obvious from its classification that Class 9 Hazardous Materials of Dangerous Goods are those miscellaneous hazardous materials without a specific definition of the potential hazard, the keyword here being ‘potential.’ Unlike the other 8 hazardous classes that specifically define a hazard—explosives for Class 1, flammable and combustible liquids for Class 3, toxic and infectious substances for Class 6, as examples—Class 9 only vaguely defines a potential hazard or dangerous good. It describes any miscellaneous hazardous material that “presents a hazard during transportation ..read more