10 32
Methods of Waste Classification: by chemical, biological and physical properties
• Inorganic wastes
e.g. acids, alkalis, heavy metals, cyanides, wastewater from electroplating
• Organic wastes
e.g. pesticides, halogenated and non- halogenated solvents, PCBs
• Oily wastes
e.g. lubricating oils, hydraulic fluids, contaminated fuel oils
• Sludges
e.g. from metal working, painting, wastewater treatment
11 32
Methods of Waste Classification: by characteristics
• Toxicity
• Corrosivity
• Ignitability
• Reactivity
• Eco-toxicity Health hazard
Physical hazard
Environmental harm
Miscellaneous wastes - small quantities, widespread - may pose greatest risks in developing economies
Chemical wastes may exhibit … and may pose
12 32
Hazardous Characteristics: Eco-toxicity
Eco-toxic wastes are harmful or fatal to other species or to the ecological integrity of their habitats
Examples:
• Heavy metals
• Detergents
• Oils
• Soluble salts
13 32
Relative composition of hazardous waste types by region
Source: INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANISATION Global waste survey, final report 1885
14 32
•Hazardous waste from households - outside the controls in many countries
•Small quantity generators - often placed outside the system, at least initially
•Aqueous effluents discharged to sewer or treated on-site - controlled separately from hazardous wastes in most countries
•Sewage sludge - excluded in some countries •Mining wastes - often excluded
•Agricultural waste - often excluded •Nuclear waste - always excluded
Exclusions from Control Systems
Some wastes may be excluded from the legal definition of hazardous wastes, and thus not subject to controls. These
vary, but may include:
15 32
Hazardous Waste Generators
Industry Manufacture
•Chemical and pharmaceutical manufacture • Metals refining, working and fabrication
• Petroleum and coal products •Rubber and plastics manufacture
Municipal solid waste
•Households •Commercial, institutional
16 32
Non-industrial Waste Sources
• Used motor oils • Used car batteries
• Redundant agricultural pesticides and
containers • Surplus paints and solvents
• Medical and health care wastes – next section
Some examples include:
17 32
Waste Generating Industries
Large quantity generators: 1000kg month
eg pharmaceutical companies
Medium quantity generators: 100 - 1000kgmonth
eg laboratories, printers
Small quantity generators: 100kgmonth
eg dental surgeries, photographic processors
18 32
Small and Medium Scale Industries
In developing economies, these often predominate
• Typically they have:
– low level of technology – unskilled management
– unspecialised workers – lack of modernisation
– poor environmental performance
• SMIs may account for one third of the total hazardous wastes generated
• There are high risks from occupational and environmental
exposure
19 32
The Dirty Dozen
• tanneries • textile dyeing plants
• dyestuff producers • metal working and electroplating shops
• foundries • automobile service shops and gas stations
• lead-acid battery manufacturingrecycling • chemical industrieslaboratories
• paint shops • printers
• photographic processors • dry cleaners
20 32
Quantifying Waste Generation: Inventory by Rapid Estimation
•
Per capita:
• 100kgper personyear for industrialised countries with strong chemical sector
• 6kgper personyear for OECD countries with predominantly agricultural economies
•
Per unit of GDP:
• According to contribution of industry to GDP • According to importance of chemical sector within industry
•
Per unit of work force
• Per number of contaminated sites
21 32
Estimated Quantities of Hazardous Wastes
‘000 tonnes per year - as reported by Parties to the Basel Convention 1998
More than 400 million tonnes
of hazardous wastes are
generated worldwide
each year
Source: UNEP Geo 2000
Selected countries:
Indonesia 17
Latvia 80
Denmark 281
21 kgcy
Greece 287
Slovakia 1,400
Thailand 1,600
The Netherlands 2,926
200 kgcy
Czech Republic 3,917
130 kgcy
UK 1,846
32 kgcy
Morocco 6,543
China 9,896
Uzbekistan 26,442
Russian Federation 107,060
22 32
Health-care waste includes all the waste generated by
– health-care establishments, – research facilities and laboratories,
– including health-care waste produced at home
dialysis, insulin injections etc.
Definition
8.4 Health-care Waste
