Proper disposal of toxic waste is crucial. Strict rules and regulations are set forth by your local, state, and federal agencies to protect human health and the environment. Much of the toxic waste generated can release harmful chemicals into the environment and threaten the air, water, and soil everyone relies on to live.

Environmental Marketing Services can help your facility properly dispose of all toxic waste generated and minimize or eliminate any impact on the environment. These services include proper storage, transportation, and disposal. Using the services provided by Environmental Marketing Services can save your facility money. If improper toxic waste disposal is found in your facility, you could face significant fines and penalties for not following proper regulations.

What is Considered Toxic Waste?

Toxic waste is defined by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) as any chemical waste that can cause harm or death to living organisms if ingested or absorbed. Toxic waste is those materials that are capable of causing injury to life or death if they are absorbed by the skin, swallowed, or inhaled.

Toxic and hazardous are often used interchangeably when defining materials that pose a threat to the environment or public health. Either of these types of materials has the capability of posing threats. Under the local, state, and federal laws, however, there is a difference between the two. The EPA also considers hazardous and toxic materials to be different.

According to the EPA, the definition of hazardous waste is a material with properties that make it dangerous to the environment or human health. These materials can be in any physical form- gas, sludge, solid, or liquid. When classifying a material as hazardous it must have four characteristic properties:

• Toxic
• Reactive
• Corrosive
• Ignitable

For this reason, toxic waste is considered hazardous, but not all hazardous waste is classified as toxic.

Toxic waste can be carcinogenic, explosive, poisonous, radioactive, teratogenic (responsible for birth defects), mutagenic (causes damage to chromosomes), or bio-accumulative (increases in concentration at the end of the food chain.)

Types of Toxic and Hazardous Waste Products

There are general categories for classifying toxic waste products- radioactive, chemical, and medical.

Radioactive

Radioactive waste comes from compounds and elements that absorb or produce ionizing radiation. Any material that comes in contact with or interacts with radioactive compounds and elements is included in this category. Examples of this would be the rods and water used to moderate nuclear reactions in power plants.

Chemical

The chemical waste category is much broader and includes all types of solid waste considered to be poisonous, carcinogenic, corrosive, flammable, teratogenic, or mutagenic. Also considered are heavy metals such as lead, mercury, chromium, cadmium, and arsenic. Talk to the professionals at EMS LLC if you are unsure how to classify your waste materials.

Medical

Toxic medical waste can range from fluids capable of carrying infectious diseases, tissue samples, and tissue, to the containers that store and transfer these materials. Environmental Marketing Services can help you determine how to sort your hazardous waste materials.

Proper Toxic Waste Disposal Regulated by RCRA

Toxic and hazardous waste disposal began to grip the public’s consciousness in the mid-1900s because:

• Toxic and hazardous material disposal was getting more expensive
• More waste was being generated
• Disposal capacities were dropping
• New disposal facilities began protesting

With these growing concerns, the EPA created the RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.) Under this Act, an environmentally sound and cost-effective model was outlined to manage the disposal of hazardous and toxic materials.

The framework of the RCRA is comprehensive due to the environmental and health risks posed by hazardous and toxic waste disposal. The mandates created by this Act created a regulatory program that manages these materials during the full life-cycle (cradle-to-grave:)

• Production
• Transport
• Treatment
• Storage
• Disposal

Types of Toxic and Hazardous Waste Treatments

There are different ways toxic and hazardous waste can be treated:

• Physical
  • Sedimentation
  • Filtration
  • Flotation
  • Solidification
  • Evaporation

A common approach to solidification is using plastic, concrete, or asphalt to encapsulate the waste. This approach creates a solid, leach-resistant mass.

• Chemical
  • Oxidation
  • Ion exchange
  • Neutralization
  • Precipitation
  • Reduction
• Biological
  • Landfarming

Landfarming can treat organic wastes from the petroleum industry or others. An area of land becomes designated for this disposal purpose and the surface soil is blended with the waste. Waste-metabolizing microbes and nutrients are sometimes added to enhance this treatment process.

• Thermal
  • Incineration

Incineration is the use of high-temperature furnaces to detoxify the materials. These furnaces include liquid-injection incinerators, rotary kilns, multiple-hearth furnaces, and fluidized-bed incinerators. 

Chemical, thermal, and biological transform the waste materials at a molecular level, while physical treatments result in waste concentration, volume decrease, and solidification.

Types of Hazardous and Toxic Waste Disposal

There are some of the ways in which toxic waste can be disposed of:

Landfills

Landfills and dumpsites are the most common and oldest methods for disposing of hazardous waste. These landfills are built specially for these materials and are not intended for liquid wastes. These areas are excavated and engineered to be within the ground and not to pile upward.

The landfills are lined with HDPE, clay, or other non-porous material so the waste cannot leach into the ground. Leak protection systems, double liners, and wind dispersal controls add additional protection for the environment and humans. Typically human health is not impacted by hazardous waste landfills, however, if there is a leak, it could affect people who live near it.

Deep-Well Injection

Deep-well injection involves pumping hazardous waste in liquid form deep into the earth. This injection would go below the groundwater level and into the porous rock formations underneath. There are about 800 deep-well injection sites in the United States. These wells are monitored with sensors placed at multiple depths to prevent leaks and ensure safety.

Incineration

One of the most common hazardous and toxic waste disposal methods is incineration. The incineration process involves burning the waste materials at high temperatures. The burning process converts the toxic material into heat, flue gas, and ash. The high temperatures destroy the toxic organic compounds.

The temperatures can reach up to 2,192 Fahrenheit or 1,200 Celsius to break down the toxic organic compounds. When there is remaining ash, this ash must be disposed of in a secure landfill. To minimize environmental impacts, incinerators are generally equipped with filters, scrubbers, and electrostatic precipitators.

Underground Disposal

The only way underground hazardous or toxic waste disposal can be compliant is when the waste is brought to mines that are either partially active or completely inactive. There are numerous companies that require the disposal of radioactive waste including laboratories performing experiments, nuclear fuel production, medical facilities, and the mining of radioactive ore.

The EPA regulates underground disposal facilities as this agency is responsible for verifying the unit’s design, maintenance, and operation adhere to its standards. These standards are in place to protect the natural world and the people in it.

Surface Impoundments

Surface impoundments are man-made or natural depressions, such as pits, lagoons,  or ponds, where hazardous or toxic waste is treated, stored, or disposed of. These impoundments are typically used for liquid waste and are considered a cost-effective solution to waste disposal. These areas do, however, require monitoring and proper lining to prevent leakage into the groundwater or soil.

The lining of surface impoundments must be done with impermeable materials, such as synthetic liners or clay to prevent leakage and contamination of the groundwater. Maintenance and regular inspections are necessary to make sure the integrity of these impoundments is not compromised.

Macroencapsulation

Macroencapsulation involves enclosing large volumes of hazardous or toxic waste in impermeable, durable barriers such as concrete or steel containers. Bulky waste materials work best for this disposal method, including industrial waste, contaminated debris, and large equipment.

The containers used in this process are designed to withstand chemical and physical degradation so that they ensure long-term containment. Macroencapsulation is useful for managing waste materials that cannot be easily reduced in volume or treated as it provides a secure solution for storage and disposal.

Encapsulation

Encapsulation encloses hazardous or toxic waste in a solid material, such as plastic or concrete. This enclosure prevents contaminants from being released into the environment. This disposal method works well for semi-solid or solid wastes like asbestos, sludge, or soil.

Encapsulation significantly reduces the mobility of the hazardous or toxic components so they are easier to store and handle. The disposal method is typically used for long-term storage of radioactive waste or other materials that require a stable containment.

Toxic Waste Disposal and Other Services Tailored to Your Needs

Environmental Marketing Services offers you comprehensive services to manage your toxic, hazardous, and other disposal needs. Recycling, treatment, and chemical incineration are just a few of the methods utilized through our services. Talk to one of our customer service representatives to learn how we can help you navigate to a safe and cost-effective solution to properly manage your disposal of waste materials.

Navigation through the complex regulations set forth by local, state, and federal agencies can become frustrating when dealing with toxic waste disposal or other hazardous materials. Environmental Marketing Services is here to help you through these challenging regulations, including waste identification, manifesting, segregation, labeling, and disposal at compliant facilities. Talk to a specialist today and learn how to create a waste management program that keeps your facility compliant while you focus on your core business.