Everything you Need to Know About Hazardous Waste Disposal in Adelaide

Professional waste management services are in high demand in Australia due to the country's rising waste generation rate. Because hazardous waste harms the environment, it is one of the most serious issues that people face. Continue reading to learn more about hazardous waste and the most common hazardous waste disposal techniques in Adelaide.

What is hazardous waste?

Hazardous waste, as the name implies, is waste that poses a serious threat to both the environment and public health. It consists primarily of the final stages of the manufacturing process and is available in solid, liquid, and gaseous forms. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified over 450 hazardous wastes into three lists: F-list, K-list, P-list, and U-list.

What are the characteristics of hazardous waste?

Hazardous waste shows certain characteristics. Some are mentioned below:

Ignitability

Hazardous ignitable trash has a flash point lower than 60 degrees Celsius and burns fiercely once ignited. Examples include thinner, epoxy resins, adhesives, and oil-based paints.

Corrosivity

Corrosive hazardous waste is a liquid waste with a pH of less than 2 and greater than or equal to 12.5. They primarily consist of sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid, both of which are used to clean metallic parts in industrial units. This category also includes untreated solvent-disposed-of painting.

Reactivity

When exposed to corrosive elements, reactive hazardous waste often reacts with water and emits harmful fumes. Waste cyanide-containing garbage, sodium metal, and spent gunpowder are a few examples.

Toxicity

Accredited laboratories conduct tests on samples of various types of waste to determine their level of toxicity before releasing them into bodies of water.

More about hazardous waste disposal in Adelaide

Hazardous waste disposal in Adelaide is difficult because it frequently contains chemicals and poisonous materials that must be handled carefully before disposal or discharge into bodies of water. Some of the most common methods for dealing with hazardous waste are as follows:

Landfill disposal

Landfills are one of the oldest and most popular methods of disposing of hazardous waste in Adelaide. This method entails collecting, transporting, and disposing of hazardous trash into an engineered landfill, which is constructed differently than a typical landfill.

It is lined with a double-layered, non-porous material to prevent leaks or human contact. It also has wind dispersal control and a leak protection system. A comprehensive regulatory and maintenance system is required for safe disposal. If the corresponding safety precautions are ineffective, this landfill disposal strategy could be dangerous. Waste that leaks from landfills may endanger wildlife and local residents.

Incineration

This technique burns hazardous materials by placing them within enclosed machinery. This method is popular in areas where there are few landfills, but it is also very expensive. Wastes containing nitrogen, phosphorus, chlorine, polychlorinated biphenyl, carcinogenic chemicals, and heavy metals are burned in incinerators along with pollution control equipment. Although this method reduces the amount of hazardous trash, it emits certain poisonous gases during the burning process.

Dumping in deep sea

To keep the waste out of other bodies of water, it is dumped in the deep sea using this method of hazardous waste disposal in Adelaide. To protect marine life, garbage is properly treated before being disposed of. Because of the increasing amount of garbage dumped into seas and oceans each year, this method can be used after receiving approval from environmental protection authorities, but it is not strongly advised.

Underground disposal

Subterranean disposal is used to dispose of radioactive waste generated by laboratory operations, some medical procedures, the mining of radioactive ore, and the production of nuclear fuel. It is widely regarded as the best and most cost-effective method of hazardous waste disposal in Adelaide. Only mines that are inactive or partially operational and meet the necessary technical and geological standards are disposed of.

Which disposal technique should be used for hazardous waste?

Choose a method from the list above that best meets your needs, such as the amount of garbage produced, the location, the regulations that must be followed, and the frequency of other methods compared to the one you choose.

Hire experts to dispose of your hazardous waste

Would you rather have a specialist in a medical facility treat your wound than treat it yourself? A similar approach to waste management should be encouraged. Handling hazardous waste alone can be dangerous because it contains poisonous compounds that must be processed using modern techniques. The Adelaide Waste and Recycling Centre (AWRC) is the ideal location for properly disposing of hazardous waste. One of Adelaide's four Community Chemical and Paint Drop-off Centres, the Adelaide Waste and Recycling Centre accepts batteries, chemicals, coolants, fire extinguishers, fluorescent tubes, gas bottles, herbicides, oils, paint materials, pesticides, and x-rays. This service is provided free of charge to the general public for the disposal of hazardous materials originating from domestic sources.

The Adelaide Waste and Recycling Centre is managed by Solo Resource Recovery and handles both business waste and domestic household rubbish, for Adelaide and surrounding locations.