Disposing of waste properly is crucial for maintaining human and environmental health and safety. This is especially true for the disposal of chemical waste. Chemical waste is a form of hazardous waste. Incorrect disposal of hazardous materials has detrimental impacts on the environment. So much so that there are strict regulations in place to ensure safe waste disposal.
Irresponsible and incorrect disposal of chemical wastes is forbidden by law. This includes disposal down the drain, in regular waste collection (to the landfill), or into the atmosphere.
The impact of hazardous waste on the environment
While chemical waste is not necessarily always hazardous waste, almost all the waste produced in a laboratory is. Any waste that has the potential to harm its surroundings is considered hazardous waste. This can cover a variety of chemical substances. Waste including laboratory chemicals, cleaning solutions, batteries, and industrial chemicals are all categorised as hazardous and thus harmful to the environment.
Any chemical waste that is reactive to other substances has a harmful effect on the environment. If it can explode, turn into a poisonous gas, is flammable, toxic, or erosive, it will cause serious harm to its surrounding settings.
Air, water, soil, and biodiversity are all affected by hazardous waste. Regarding short term impacts, water pollution due to chemical waste is the most prevalent. Chemical waste makes waterways unsafe for agricultural purposes and consumption. If animals and plants consume this contaminated water, they are at risk of damage.
In the long term, however, there are even more significant implications. Polluted water and air results in mutation in animals, multiple diseases in humans, and destruction of natural resources. In particular, the population of bees is drastically reducing due to air and water pollution. As these insects are crucial in preserving plant life through fertilization, their decline has detrimental impacts on biodiversity globally.
Air pollution as a result of hazardous waste implements damage to the ozone layer. This causes the earth to warm. This enables hazardous waste to have a two-fold impact, as the chemicals can impact the earth in new ways in a warmer climate.
IDR Environmental Services has theorized that as climate change continues, and the earth warms more, hazardous wastes once locked away can be activities, such as in abandoned soviet strongholds.
How to dispose of chemical waste in laboratories
Understanding the risks hazardous chemical waste can have on the environment is important, however, it is important to be well educated in how to dispose of it properly.
Collect and Recycle offer safe and sustainable waste management and disposal. We are experienced waste management specialists, with extensive understanding of the laws and regulations regarding proper hazardous waste collection and treatment.
Our specially trained ADR drivers will collect any chemical waste from your laboratory that needs to be disposed of. We understand the importance of flexibility for businesses, therefore, we offer a variety of collection schedules to fit your needs. Whether on an ad hoc basis or scheduled collections, our team is available to collect and treat all of your chemical waste.
If your business produces large amounts of chemical waste, or consistently produces waste regularly, we are able to provide on site hazardous containers. This helps you manage your chemical waste and prevent build up between collections.
Our containers are secure, labelled, and waterproof. This ensures that your chemical waste will remain secure, without risk of leakage and contamination to your laboratory site.
Our team will ensure that your chemical waste will be disposed of in the correct hazardous waste stream. We will take your waste to transfer stations, and then send it to the suitable disposal facilities. These facilities are authorised and certified. This ensures that your waste will be dealt with responsibly, sustainably, and in line with the UK regulations.
We promise to keep a full audit and waste disposal log for every client we work with. Therefore, there will be detailed logs of all chemical collections, ensuring your business can access all the paperwork related to the collection.
Professional commercial cleaning companies can support in keeping your spaces free from dirt however, it’s important to use a specialist hazardous waste collector for removing chemicals.
Collect and Recycle are here for all your chemical waste disposal needs. We will dispose of your chemicals safely and securely, in line with UK guidelines. Contact us for more information or a quote, on our website or via phone: 0845 366 9306.
