Commercial
There have been several movements done by the government and environmental groups with regards to the reprocessing, recycling and disposing of waste materials. However, this cannot be done without knowing the proper classification of wastes.
To be able to achieve a successful waste movement, you have to analyze and classify first the waste product being generated. If not classified properly, the supposed recyclable waste may only become unrecyclable; hence, filling up all the landfills. In turn, this could predispose everyone to the risk of acquiring different types of health problems or even ecological problems.
The industrial and hazardous wastes are among the most unregulated and uncategorized wastes. Most companies and homeowners fail to properly segregate these types of waste. In order for you to segregate these types of waste materials the right way, this article will present you its various classifications.
Industrial Waste Classification
In this category, industrial waste refers to any discarded materials that are produced during the manufacturing and production processes of the different types of industries such as factories, mines, plants and mills. Generally, the types of industrial waste can be classified through the following:
Chemical waste. From the name itself, chemical waste is a type of waste product that constitutes of different chemicals plus their residues. Most chemical wastes are generated from factories, plants, as well as processing centers. Since chemicals are inherently dangerous, this type of waste is usually managed by different environmental organizations and government groups.
Industrial solid waste. This type of waste refers to discarded cardboard boxes, packaging materials and other related stuff. It is greatly recommended that industrial solid waste should be directed to a recycling center. Once in the recycling center, this type of waste can be made into another usable product. However, most of the time, this waste only gets mixed up with other waste materials. And when it reaches the landfill, it will only be rejected and not recycled in the end. Instead of being made into another useful thing, it will only add up to the mountain of garbage that we already have.
Toxic waste. This is definitely one of the most dangerous industrial wastes as it can cause deaths or even birth defects to any living organism. Toxic waste is a byproduct of various materials which may be generated from hospitals, factories and automotive garages. These toxic wastes can also pollute the rivers, lakes, seas and other bodies of water. If not handled with care, the effects of toxic wastes may be as harmful like that of hazardous wastes.
Hazardous Waste Classification
Hazardous waste is a type of waste material that can greatly affect one’s health, as well as the environment. Do you know that more than 50% of countries in the world do not follow the proper way of disposing hazardous wastes? One major factor that contributes to the improper disposal of hazardous waste is being uneducated about the waste’s classification. So as to protect yourself and the environment from the potential harms of hazardous wastes, you have to know its classification to apply the necessary actions.
Listed hazardous waste. Hazardous waste products fall into this category if it has been classified by the different government organizations as listed hazardous waste. Every year, the government organizations gather data from non-specific and specific sources to identify wastes to be added on the list. If a particular waste product has been classified as a listed hazardous waste, then this waste product should be handled and disposed properly.
Characteristic hazardous waste. If the waste materials exhibit characteristics such as toxicity, reactivity, corrosiveness, or ignitability, they are generally classified as characteristic hazardous wastes. Before classifying the materials as characteristic hazardous wastes, they are tested completely before these waste products are added into waste category.
Now that you have known the classification of industrial and hazardous wastes, you can now segregate and manage your wastes properly. Industrial and hazardous wastes cannot be stopped from being produced since there are several types of business that generate these waste materials such as automobile repair shops, photo processing units, hospitals, garages and others. However, you can make a difference if you will segregate these wastes properly.
Since industrial and hazardous wastes come in several forms, they need to be disposed in a different and careful manner. Proper segregation is adamantly needed in order to ensure an efficient waste management.