Hazardous Waste Classifications
Classifying wastes into groups that pose similar risks to the environment and human health facilitates their waste management and appropriate disposal.
Six waste classes are used:
- special waste
- liquid waste
- hazardous waste
- restricted solid waste
- general solid waste (putrescible)
- general solid waste (non-putrescible).
We love hearing from people about their industrial and commercial environmental remediation projects: Talk to AES about your project.
Six basic steps for classifying waste.
Step 1: Establish if the waste should be classified as special waste. If the waste is special waste due to its contamination with asbestos (i.e. classified as asbestos waste), continue to classify the waste in accordance with the steps below.
Step 2: If not special waste (other than asbestos waste), establish whether the waste should be classified as liquid waste.
Step 3: If not special waste (other than asbestos waste) or liquid waste, establish whether the waste is of a type that has been ‘pre-classified’. To simplify the classification process, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has pre-classified a number of commonly generated wastes as either hazardous, restricted solid or general solid waste (putrescible) or general solid waste (non-putrescible).
Waste Classification Guidelines 2 Part 1: Classifying waste (December 2009)
Step 4: If the waste is not special waste (other than asbestos waste), liquid waste or preclassified,establish if it has certain hazardous characteristics and can therefore be classified as hazardous waste.
Step 5: If the waste does not possess hazardous characteristics, it needs to be chemically assessed to determine whether it is hazardous, restricted solid or general solid waste (putrescible and non-putrescible). If the waste is not chemically assessed, you must manage the waste as if it were hazardous waste.
Step 6: If the waste is chemically assessed as general solid waste, a further assessment is available to determine whether the waste is putrescible or non-putrescible. The assessment determines whether the waste is capable of significant biological transformation. If you do not wish to undertake this assessment, you must manage the waste as if it were general solid waste (putrescible).
It should be noted that:
- the steps for waste classification must be applied in the order presented
- once a waste’s class has been established under a particular step, do not go to the next step (unless the waste is asbestos waste).
Note: Air pollution from gaseous emissions is regulated under Part 5.4 of the POEO
Source: Department of Environment, Climate Change & Water NSW
Waste Classification Guidelines Part 1: Classifying Waste
Australian Enviro Services are a asbestos removal company in Sydney. They also offer professional waste management and contaminated soil remediation.
We love hearing from people about their industrial and commercial environmental remediation projects: Talk to AES about your project.
