Hazardous waste contains substances with the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics that require special handling and disposal procedures to avoid adverse risk to health and/or the environment, or both. The term “hazardous” refers to the situation and circumstances as well as the properties of waste materials.
It is recommended that all chemicals, dyes and other destroyed raw materials from industries and workshops are characterised by their level of hazardousness; however, for safety purposes, such wastes should generally be considered hazardous before a more detailed characterisation has been completed.
Examples of potentially hazardous waste include:
- Substances containing heavy metals, such as mercury and lead
- Hydrocarbons such as oil, fuel, lubricants etc.
- Paint, varnishes and solvents
- Pesticides and fertilizers
- Household cleaning products such as bleaches and methylated spiritsand
- Waste of medical origin found among the debris.
- Asbestos
