Industrial Chemical Waste Control
The set of measures for identifying, separating, storing and handing over a business's chemical waste to an authorised waste manager.
A company's chemical waste includes residues of expired or no longer used product, spent solutions that cannot be discharged, contaminated empty containers, spill absorbents and treatment sludge. Its management begins with characterisation: knowing what each waste contains and whether it is hazardous. In the European Union, waste is coded with the European List of Waste (LoW codes) and its management is governed by the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC; in Spain, by Spanish Law 7/2022 on waste and contaminated soils for a circular economy.
The basic measures on site are: separating waste at source and not mixing incompatible products, such as acids with alkalis or chlorinated products with acids, which can react and give off heat or toxic gases; storing it in closed, suitable and labelled containers, in an area with spill containment; and handing it over to an authorised waste manager, keeping the documentation for each handover. The waste producer is responsible for it until its final treatment.
The safety data sheet of each product includes, in section 13, the disposal considerations, and the label, in accordance with the CLP Regulation, states the hazards and the instructions for disposal of the contents and container. Reducing waste starts with buying the quantity needed, dosing correctly so as not to have to discard badly prepared solutions and completely emptying containers before handing them over.
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