waste management
Dealing with Special Wastes
The news is all a-buzz these days with talk about the news about the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which outlines specific guidelines for the lead content in children’s toys.
According to information from the Center for Environmental Health, the strict regulations have been postponed for another year, which means landfills won’t be overwhelmed with discarded Barbie Dolls and toy trains anytime soon.
(This controversial issue has been discussed by several major news organizations, including the International Herald Tribune andAustin News KXAN-TV in Austin, Texas.)
However, this brings up an important issue for landfills to consider: What should you do when dangerous/hazardous wastes come to your landfill?
1. Unless your landfill is a hazardous waste facility, you should not accept hazardous waste. Some states allow landfills to accept small amounts of certain hazardous wastes. To find a list of wastes defined as hazardous or to find a hazardous waste program in your state, visit this page on the EPA’s website.
2. Require prior notice. Because dangerous/hazardous wastes often require special handling, it may slow down the operation. Requiring prior notice allows you to schedule the dangerous wastes into the day’s plans.
3. Make sure the gatehouse attendant is actively watching out for dangerous/hazardous loads. If one comes in, the attendant may need to direct the customer to a hazardous waste facility.
3. Operators should always be on the lookout for hazardous materials in the waste stream, in case the gate attendant didn’t notice the materials.
4. Consider creating a flyer for your customers that lists hazardous wastes, what’s accepted at your landfill, and information on where to find a hazardous waste facility. You could hand flyers out at the gatehouse or post it on your website.
5. Hold a hazardous waste collection day. Customers can pay a fee to your landfill, drop off hazardous waste, and you can transport them to the appropriate facility. This might minimize people “sneaking” hazardous wastes into a load. Here is a video from the The Bergen County Utilities Authority hazardous waste collection day.
Lights, Action - Safety
Safety. It’s one of those popular buzzwords that people - especially people in the waste management industry - like to throw around a lot. It sounds good.
When you talk about things like “emergency response plans,” “personal protective equipment,” and “safety guidelines,” it makes you look like you know what you are doing.
In reality, though, what is the status of “safety” at your facility?
-Could you wipe an inch of dust off those emergency response plans? (A plan is useless unless everybody involved knows what they are supposed to be doing. When was the last time you actually talked about the plan and maybe even practiced the plan?)
-Are you using those earplugs to block out high decibels of noise…or are they serving as a fashion accessory? (Personal protective equipment can’t protect you unless you actually use it).
-If you have safety guidelines, are they being enforced? (Do you have a “no scavenging” policy at your landfill? Is it really a policy…or is it a flexible guideline that can be bent a bit when something cool is dumped at the site?)
According to information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2006 waste management employees had the fifth most dangerous job. Waste collection was rated a “high hazard” job with a fatality rate 10 times that of all workers.
At the end of the day, there is only one person responsible for safety: You. Regardless of whether you are the landfill manager or the guy that picks litter twice a week, it’s up to you to know how to work safely and then, most importantly, really do it. Safety is not just a plan, it’s an attitude.