This document discusses proper procedures for disposing of hazardous industrial waste, including biological, chemical, and radioactive materials. It outlines key principles such as segregating different waste types, using appropriate packaging and labeling, employing safety precautions during handling and transport, and utilizing approved disposal methods like incineration, chemical treatment, and secured landfills or deep well injection based on the waste characteristics. Proper hazardous waste disposal is important to protect both human and environmental health.

1. HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL AND
CLEANING
Frederick Smith
S3 , M.S Environmental Engineering

2. • Industrial sewage refers to the waste produced by industrial activity
which includes ,materials that are rendered useless during a
manufacturing , mills, mining ,chemical ,power industries etc.
• Improper Industrial waste disposal pose serious problems to the
environment and ecosystem and ultimately humans.(bio
magnification, river contamination, soil pollution, health effects etc.)
• Safety of the disposing personnel and safety of the environment is
important in case of industrial waste disposal
INTRODUCTION

3. Based on their source
 Biological
 Chemical
 Radioactive
Based on the impact
 Hazardous
 Non - Hazardous

4. HAZARDOUS WASTE
Hazardous wastes refer to wastes that may, or tend to, cause adverse
health effects on the ecosystem and human beings.
•Biological - Pathological wastes , Medical sharps , Body fluids ,
Infectious waste , Discarded vaccines .
•Chemical - Refrigerants , Aerosols , Heavy metals, Toner cartridges,
Pesticides, Batteries.
•Radioactive - spent fuel rods, safety equipments and tools used in nuclear
plants, medical wastes.

5. BIO-HAZARDOUS WASTE
• Biological wastes could be hazardous or Non hazardous.
• Hazardous wastes include Bulk human blood or blood products , Pathological
waste , Microbiological waste , Bio hazardous sharps.
• Non Hazardous wastes include most biological waste that is not infectious or
otherwise hazardous to humans, animals, plants or the environment.
• Produced by food processing industry, hospitals, laboratories.

6. 1.Segregation:
• Segregate hazardous biological waste from non-hazardous biological waste.
• Any waste that could cause a laceration or puncture must be disposed of as "Sharps.
Sharps must be segregated from other waste.
• Do not mix biological waste with chemical waste or other laboratory trash.
• Biological material contaminated with chemicals must be treated as chemical waste.
• Biohazardous waste mixed with chemical or radioactive waste must be treated to eliminate the
biohazard prior to disposal. After treatment, manage the hazardous waste through EHSRM
• Do not mix waste that requires incineration with glass or plastics.
• Liquid wastes must be stored in leak proof containers
•

8. 2.Handling and Transport
• Avoid transporting untreated bio hazardous materials.
• Only properly trained technical personnel may handle untreated bio hazardous waste.
• Transport bio hazardous waste outside of the lab in a closed, leak-proof bag or
container.
• Contain and label all treated waste before transporting it to the incinerator or
dumpster.
• Sharps must be placed in puncture-proof, tamper-proof container.
• Highly infectious waste has to be sterilized at high temperatures and under high
pressure, a process known as autoclaving,.

9. 3. Labeling
•Clearly label each container of untreated bio hazardous waste and mark it with Symbol.
•Label non hazardous waste as "NONHAZARDOUS BIOLOGICAL WASTE”.
•Label autoclave bags with special tape that produces the word "AUTOCLAVED" upon
adequate thermal treatment.

10. 4.Disposal Methods
•Incinerate the carcasses or send them to a commercial rendering plant for disposal.
•Liquid wastes should be disinfected by thermal or chemical treatment and then
discharged into the sanitary sewer system.
•Sharps should be disinfected by chemical treatment/auto claving, needle tips should
be destroyed followed by shredding of the sharp materials.
•Discarded drugs should be secured in landfill/incinerated.
•Pathological wastes must be incinerated or treated by alkaline digester (not
autoclaved) for disposal.
•Solid wastes other than sharps must be autoclaved and disposed.

11. CHEMICAL WASTES
Major sources - Chemical manufacturing, primary metal production, metal fabrication,
and petroleum processing.
 Flammable - substances that easily catch fire
 Corrosive - substances that corrode metals in storage tanks or equipment
 Reactive - substances that are chemically unstable and readily react with
other compounds
 Toxic - substances that harm human health when they are inhaled, are
ingested

13. TYPES OF CHEMICAL WASTE
•Flammable solvents (eg.Acetone,Alchols etc.)
•Leachate toxic materials (e.g., heavy metals, pesticides)
•Corrosives (e.g., hydrochloric acid, potassium hydroxide pellets)
•Reactives (e.g., sodium metal, benzoyl peroxide)
•Toxic materials including mutagenic, carcinogenic, acute or chronic
toxicity materials (e.g., chloroform, ethidium bromide).

14. 1. Packaging
• Never mix incompatible materials together in a single container.
• Wastes must be stored in containers compatible with the chemicals stored. For example,
hydrofluoric acid waste must not be stored in glass containers .
• Solvent safety cans should to be used to collect and temporarily store large volumes
(10- 20 liters) of flammable organic waste solvents.
• Do not insert precipitates, solids or other non-fluid wastes into safety cans.
• Sufficient air space in containers when storing liquid wastes .

15. • Refer to the MSDS for hazards associated with each chemical.
• During filling, use a funnel to avoid contaminating the outside of the container
• All containers must be in good condition without leaks, the outside of the container
must be free from contamination

16. 2. Handling
•Proper Personal protective equipments must be used during handling of
chemical wastes like masks, eye protection goggles, shoes etc.
•Gloves (NEW LINK) and other chemically resistant protective clothing
(NEW LINK) should be worn to protect against skin contact.
•Perform liquid chemical waste management in a fume hood. Mixing of liquid
waste may generate toxic or corrosive aerosols.
•The container must be in secondary containment, i.e. large plastic bin or
bucket.
•Slowly add the waste, watching for any unintended reactions.

18. 3. Labeling
•Attach a Chemical Waste label directly to the waste container.
•All information requested on the Chemical Waste Label should
be provided.
•Chemical generic names of the chemicals must be listed.
•No abbreviations, acronyms or trade mark names are to be
used.
•Vague categories (e.g., solvent waste) are not acceptable.
•List each waste constituent down to 1%; heavy metals must be
listed down to the parts per million range. Label contents must
add up to 100%. Volumes are acceptable.

19. 4. Storage
• Dispose of aging containers promptly. Some chemicals are time sensitive and
may degrade into very hazardous by-product.
• Use sealable containers that prevent release of contents and prevent other
substances from entering the containers
• Ensure wastes are stored in an area that is inaccessible to unauthorized persons,
clearly identified as a hazardous waste storage area.
•Areas where waste chemicals are accumulated must have secondary containment
sufficient to collect any incidental spills from container failure.
•Do Not use containers that are old, dented, damaged, leaking or cracked. The
container must be able to be capped, sealed or closed.

20. Hazardous Landfill
•Hazardous wastes must be deposited in so-called
secure landfills.
•At least 3 metres (10 feet) of separation between
the bottom of the landfill and the underlying
bedrock or groundwater table.
•Have two impermeable liners and leachate
collection systems.
•The double leachate collection system consists of a
network of perforated pipes placed above each
liner.

21. Deep Well Injection
•Tubes of concrete and steel extend anywhere from a few
hundred feet to two miles into the earth.
•At the bottom, the well opens into a natural rock
formation.
•There is no container. Waste simply seeps out, filling tiny
spaces left between the grains in the rock like the gaps
between stacked marbles.

22. Surface Impoundment
•Surface impoundment involves developing a
containment pond of some type that may be lined
with plastic and/or clay to hold an accumulation
of liquid waste or sludge.
•It acts as a storage and not a permanent solution.

23. RADIOACTIVE WASTE
•Produced by Nuclear reactor, weapon manufacturing and research
projects and medical uses.
•They are categorized as
1)Low Level Waste : about 90% of all nuclear waste is low level . Low-
level nuclear waste is not dangerous. Produced from medical and
laboratory uses.
2)Medium Level Waste : Intermediate-level waste contains high amount of
radioactivity than low-level. This type of waste typically includes

24. refurbishment waste, ion-exchange resins, chemical sludges and metal fuel
cladding.
3)High Level Waste : High-level nuclear waste, simply put, is spent fuel
that is still present after it has been used inside of nuclear reactors.

26. •Do not discard any radioactive material or potentially contaminated item into a regular
trash container or wastebasket.
•Label the outside of all radioactive waste containers with stickers indicating "Caution
Radioactive Waste
•For handling any kind of radioactive waste use disposable gloves ,a full length lab
coat and closed toe shoes.
•Under no circumstances shall personnel bury radioactive waste in the soil.
•Under no circumstances shall non-aqueous radioactive waste be released into the
sewage system.
•Empty vials containing radioactive materials other than C-14 or H-3 must be held for
decay or decontaminated.

27. Each container of radioactive waste must have a properly
completed radioactive waste tag affixed to it. All
information must be legible, in indelible ink, and include:
•Isotope
•Accurate estimate of activity IN MILLICURIES
•Name of the authorized user
•Date the waste is prepared for disposal
•Type of waste

28. NEAR SURFACE DISPOSAL
•Disposal in a engineered channels or vaults constructed on
ground on few meters below ground.
•Used for low level waste disposal
•Includes contaminated equipment and other kind of wastes
from nuclear plants, laboratories etc.

29. MEDIUM LEVEL WASTE DISPOSAL
•The waste is encased in resin or concrete and sealed in steel drums.
•Drums are then packed into concrete casks and placed in concrete trenches up to 18 m
deep.
•Trenches are covered with a concrete slab, layer clay ,reinforced concrete shield .
•For disposal of medium level waste
•Contain metal fuel cladding, chemical sludges etc.

30. GLASS VITRIFICATION
•This involves combining the radioactive liquid waste
with glass to form a solid compound.
•Because of the solid nature of the waste it is much less
likely to contaminate the surrounding area.
•Unlike liquid waste, it cannot leak into the ground if
the stainless steel container it is in becomes faulty.
•The converted solid waste can be stored in caverns or
geographical formations

31. DEEP GEOLOGICAL DISPOSAL
•The idea of deep geological disposal is to isolate the waste deep inside a suitable host
formation like granite or salt formations.
•Waste is placed in a underground facility designed to ensure radioactivity from
escaping due to natural barriers.
•Used for High level radioactive waste

33. Organic compounds and heavy metals can be
hazardous
• Organic compounds
– are particularly hazardous because their toxicity persists over time and synthetic
organic compounds resist decomposition
• Keep buildings from decaying, kill pests, and keep stored goods intact
• Their resistance to decay causes them to be persistent pollutants
• They are toxic because they are readily absorbed through the skin
• They can act as mutagens, carcinogens, teratogens, and endocrine disruptors
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34. Organic compounds and heavy metals can be
hazardous (cont’d)
• Heavy metals
– Lead, chromium, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, tin, and copper
– Used widely in industry for wiring, electronics, metal plating, pigments,
and dyes
– They enter the environment when they are disposed of improperly
– Heavy metals that are fat soluble and break down slowly are prone to
bioaccumulation
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