SPRING 2002     Inside: • The Growing Liability for the Insurance and Restoration Industries posed by Hazardous Mould in Buildings • Wasteweb.ca Update • Updates to the Law Governing Contaminated Sites in British Columbia • Waste Management in Business in the Twenty First Century • Staff in the News • Staff Updates & News • Emergency Spill Kits • Training Course Schedule Waste Management in Business in the Twenty First Century By Kerri Wilson, Project Coordinator, PHH Environmental, Calgary Office Waste Management plays a large role in business today. Companies have been finding over the last 20 years or so that doing business involving any kind of waste, especially hazardous waste, is a lot more challenging with every passing year. Waste Management is composed of three primary sections of service or activity: Waste Characterization, Disposal Option Determination, and Disposal/Documentation. Each component of the waste management program plays an important role in the overall completion of the disposal task. In order to decide on a disposal destination the generator needs to know what the waste is, and the documentation is the tool that tracks the disposal and proves the company's "DUE DILIGENCE". Waste Characterization, which is one of the most critical parts of the process, involves the identification of wastes through site visits; observations and, if need be, sampling for analytical identification. The various approaches to identification will depend greatly on experience in the industry, and the waste type. The second segment of Waste Management is to determine the appropriate disposal destination for the type of waste. Liquids, for example, are not well suited to landfill disposal; however, they are conducive to recycling/reprocessing into new products. This is one of the best approaches to disposal of waste materials, as it reduces the amount of waste created. The other disposal options for free liquids include incineration, and deep well injection. Incineration is the most expensive option for any kind of waste. However, some materials can only be incinerated due to toxicity. Deep well injection is somewhat cost effective disposal in comparison. It involves the injection of "like", relatively neutral (pH 3- 8), waste liquids into empty underground formations. This method is interesting as it too can be considered as recycling because of the formation use. There are, however, some concerns regarding the integrity of a formation to contain the waste. Solid wastes have some different disposal options that can be exploited compared to liquid wastes. Recycling of waste solids is still an option but can be more difficult depending on the waste material. Some examples of recyclable solids are: tires, plastic bags, paper (colour, plain), tin cans, cardboard, etc. There are, however, the following options: incineration, landfills that are designed to handle hazardous waste, or pretreatment of solid waste to make it less hazardous and subsequent disposal of separate streams (i.e. treatment of oilfield rags and filters to extract free liquids so that the solids can be landfilled/ incinerated and the liquids recycled). Finally there may be an additional option for unwanted materials or by-product materials that are otherwise usable products. This option is a Waste Exchange network. For example: Company A has excess Soda Ash that they are unlikely to have an application for, however they need Potassium Chloride (KCl) solution for another part of their process. Company B has excess KCl solution that they need to dispose of due to storage constraints, but they need soda ash for a different application. These two companies can do one of two things, either sell each other the excess unwanted products or they can simply trade materials. The question that is left is how does each company find the other? The answer is through an exchange network that is usually available provincially. For example, in Alberta there is the Alberta Waste Materials Exchange. The third and final stage in waste management is the actual disposal and the manifesting of the waste. Upon reaching a decision on the disposal option for the waste, the generator must decide how they are going to transport their waste from their facility to the disposal facility. This is a service usually offered by the disposal receiver and in that case the receiver will usually prepare the manifest documentation for the generator. However, there is usually a minimum pick up charge for the receiver to pick up the waste and if the generator only has a small volume of waste to dispose of, it could cost more to have the waste picked up than the disposal of the waste. The Waste manifest is an essential part of the entire waste management, "DUE DILIGENCE" concept. The manifest must be completed as detailed as possible. There are usually 6 copies in each manifest, one copy for the generator, one copy for the governing body (i.e. Alberta Environment), one copy for the transporter, one copy for the receiver, an additional complete copy each for both the governing body and the generator. All copies are distributed at different stages of shipping and receiving and all copies require that different sections of information be completed. All of section one of the manifest should be complete, prior to the departure of the waste from the Generator facility. Prior to departure from the generating facility the Transporter must also complete the second section and finally, upon receipt, the Receiver must complete the third and final section of the manifest. The manifest must accompany the waste from the time of loading onto the transport truck to the time of receipt at the disposal facility. The receiver is usually responsible for distributing the appropriate copies of the manifest to each appropriate body. The generator must retain all disposal documentation for a minimum of 2 years as per government regulations. This documentation confirms that the waste was disposed of legally and appropriately and demonstrates the company's "DUE DILIGENCE". Retention of documentation could be the difference between a pat on the back from a regulatory body and a fine for non-compliance. Waste Minimization is another concept that many businesses are looking at when considering optimization of their current systems and waste management. Waste minimization is not a new concept per se, it has been in practice since the 1800's and earlier. The concept is simple really, the less waste you create the less loss there is in the production of the item. Many companies are trying to revamp their systems so that, should they produce a by-product, they can refine the process to produce more of the byproduct at a higher quality so that they can sell it as a product, therefore, minimizing their waste at a profit. Other companies are testing alternative materials in their process to minimize the waste if the current materials are yielding high waste. Waste Management can be a complex adventure in the workings of the business world but it is also a necessary step towards the future for business and the planet. It promotes sustainability in business. For additional information contact: Kerri Wilson at: 403-250-5722 (extension 26) or kwilson@phhenv.com.