According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States produced more than 292 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) in 2018. Businesses and industries are responsible for a significant amount of that total. A portion of that refuse is harmful to human health and the environment and requires extra measures for disposal. Understanding the difference between hazardous and non-hazardous waste is essential — protecting the health of our communities and their residents relies on the proper disposal of both.
Explore the differences between the types of waste to better understand how important it is to dispose of them properly.
What Is Hazardous Waste?
Waste is hazardous if it can cause significant harm to the environment or human health due to its flammability, corrosiveness or some other harmful factor. Toxic waste is a subset of hazardous waste. These materials may be harmful or fatal when absorbed or ingested, making them even more dangerous than hazardous waste, especially if not disposed of properly.
When classifying hazardous and non-hazardous waste, it's helpful to know the industries where waste poses the most challenges. Some fields with more potential for generating risky waste include:
- The automotive industry: Paints, solvents and greases require special material handling. The Chem Klean team has extensive experience with the safe disposal of automotive industrial waste.
- The aviation industry: At Chem Klean, we're familiar with the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation regulations that apply to your facility and its industrial waste. Our specialists will work with you to design an aviation industrial waste disposal strategy.
- The dry cleaning industry: The processing used in effective dry cleaning produces hazardous chemical waste, and our specialists offer cost-efficient solutions for their disposal.
What Are Some Examples of Hazardous Materials?
Hazardous materials are produced by a wide variety of industries and can include the following:
- Motor oils
- Pharmaceuticals
- Cleaning fluids
- Wastewater
- Mercury light switches
- Lead-based battery acid
Always be cautious when dealing with hazardous waste, as it has the potential to harm people and the environment. To verify that a material is hazardous, contact local waste management professionals. They can dispose of the waste safely and ethically.
How Do You Dispose of Hazardous Waste?
There are many disposal methods for hazardous waste, some of which suit certain types better than others. For example, hazardous waste can be:
- Incinerated
- Disposed of in surface impoundments
- Neutralized
- Disposed of in landfills
- Encapsulated
- Recycled
Many other disposal methods exist, and each one comes with benefits and drawbacks. You can consult waste management professionals and safety data sheets (SDSs) before attempting to dispose of any hazardous materials yourself.
What Is Non-Hazardous Waste?
Non-hazardous waste is industrial waste that cannot go into a waterway or garbage container. The primary difference between hazardous and non-hazardous waste is that the latter isn't considered dangerous. For example, non-hazardous solids such as construction debris and routine commercial trash aren't typically toxic. The EPA designates both as non-hazardous waste, and the Chem Klean team can consult with you for an affordable solution for the disposal of hazardous or non hazardous waste.
What Are Some Examples of Non-Hazardous Waste?
Here are some common types of non-hazardous waste:
- Food waste
- Paper and cardboard
- Clean glass or plastic
To verify if a material is considered non-hazardous waste, you should consult the EPA's guidelines and your local waste management professional. In doing so, you protect your business, its people and the world around you.
How Do You Dispose of Non-Hazardous Waste?
Although regulations for it are less strict, non-hazardous waste is still subject to certain guidelines across each state and local government. Disposal typically follows this hierarchy:
- Reuse: Companies or facilities should reuse as many non-toxic items as possible through repurposing or investing in sustainable packaging and production methods.
- Recycle: Many non-hazardous materials, like paper- and plastic-based items, can be safely recycled by an approved facility.
- Recovery: Recovering non-hazardous waste materials looks different depending on the industry, but it could mean recovering metal components from electronics to reuse or recycle before sending the rest of the machine off for disposal.
- Treatment: Non-toxic waste treatment focuses on making the waste, whether solid or liquid, safe for the environment, communities and facilities. Treatment methods vary, depending on the waste type.
- Disposal: Items that cannot be reused, recycled, recovered or treated must be safely disposed of at material-approved facilities.
What Are the Key Differences Between Hazardous and Non-Hazardous Waste?
In simple terms, waste is anything no longer useful or desirable. Not every form of industrial waste is unsafe, however, and it can be challenging to identify the differences. To determine what wastes are hazardous or non-hazardous, consider these examples and review our waste identification guide:
- Water used during fabrication: Industrial processes rely on significant amounts of water, creating a need for manufacturing waste disposal. While the water itself is safe, it may become toxic if it comes into contact with solvents or other chemicals during manufacturing.
- Packaging and paper: Generally speaking, these items are non-hazardous and may become part of a recycling program.
- Lab chemicals: Pharmaceutical and other bioscience wastes are frequently deemed unsafe and require special procedures for proper disposal, such as lab packing.
- Insecticides and pesticides: These substances typically fall under the definition of hazardous wastes.
How Can You Tell if Waste Is Hazardous?
To distinguish between hazardous and non-hazardous waste, the EPA follows a four-step process:
- Determining whether the material can be classified as solid waste.
- Evaluating whether the waste can be excluded from the definitions of solid waste and hazardous waste.
- Determining whether the waste is a listed or characteristic hazardous waste.
- Assessing whether the waste has been delisted.
While wastes that meet the criteria are automatically designated as hazardous, it can be challenging to determine whether some compounds are hazardous, especially in environments with mixed waste. Under EPA rules, even traces of certain materials create different handling needs.
Lab testing can solve the issue and deliver definitive results to help your organization stay compliant and make better-informed waste management decisions.
Are There Different Types of Hazardous Waste?
According to the EPA, hazardous waste comes in two primary varieties — listed and characteristic.
According to the EPA, listed hazardous waste refers to substances that fall under one of four lists. Characteristic wastes are those that fall outside the lists but still display any of four characteristics, including:
- Degree of corrosivity: Certain acids and bases with very high and low pH levels may corrode metals and be subject to disposal regulations.
- Flammability: If the waste meets specific criteria, such as a low ignition temperature, it classifies as hazardous.
- Toxicity: Wastes that experts know to be poisonous can harm humans and wildlife and require the highest measures of disposal safety. Some wastes that fall under this description include lead and mercury.
- Reactivity: This waste category includes materials that are volatile or react adversely with water.
Three subtypes are recognized as well:
- Derived-from: These substances are related to listed or characterized wastes and are still subject to disposal regulations, with very few exceptions. For example, after a listed solid waste is burned, the ash remains hazardous and requires special care.
- Mixtures: This subtype refers to combined wastes, which are generally designated as unsafe for traditional disposal.
- Delisted: Businesses and industries can appeal to the EPA to remove a substance from qualification. Under the delisting process, a company must prove the regulations don't apply to their waste material. Delisting can be lengthy and costly, and the process is different in each U.S. EPA region.
At Chem Klean, we have the knowledge, tools and resources to help you safely dispose of all types of industrial hazardous and non hazardous waste. Our family-owned business proudly employs skilled technicians with experience in regulatory compliance.
What Are the 4 Lists of Hazardous Waste?
These lists give waste management professionals an easy way to understand the nature of a particular waste material.
The F List
F-list wastes result from standard industrial processes and aren't specific to one source. Typical items appearing on the F list include:
- Substances derived from metal finishing techniques or electroplating
- Spent solvents commonly used in degreasing
- Materials resulting from treating wood, such as creosote
- Leachate — water that has traveled through a substance and leached components out of it
- Wastewater from refinery operations
- Wastes containing dioxins
The K List
Conversely, wastes on the K list result from industry-specific processes, such as:
- Pesticide creation
- Production of iron, aluminum and steel
- Explosives fabrication
- Veterinary medicine production
- Oil refining and coal processing
The P List
Items on the P list are the most potentially toxic wastes, posing heightened risks even at low levels or under proper management. As such, they should always be treated with the utmost caution. Substances appearing on this list include:
- Arsenic acid
- Nicotine
- Fluorine
- Epinephrine
- Strychnine
P-list chemicals must be pure, unused and commercially available for inclusion.
The U List
Similarly, the U list contains unused chemicals often found in the pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries, such as:
- Formaldehyde
- Acetone
- Toluene
- Xylene
- Benzene
Chem Klean specializes in removing all listed and characteristic hazardous waste with eco-friendly techniques. Our consultants offer environmental auditing and site assessments to create a comprehensive, personalized strategy for your company.
Trust the Experts at Chem Klean for Your Waste Disposal Needs in Orlando and Miami, Florida
At Chem Klean, our industry professionals ensure a cleaner tomorrow by identifying the best waste management solution for your organization. We draw on more than 20 years of industry experience to transport and dispose of hazardous and non-hazardous waste in an environmentally responsible way. As a local and family-owned company, our team provides exceptional customer service to the Orlando and Miami areas. We often complete projects within 24 to 48 hours.
Partner with Chem Klean to design an innovative, affordable disposal strategy that meets your needs — request your free quote today.
