What are Hazardous Waste Materials
Household waste often have hazardous items which are difficult to dispose of or which put human health or the environment at risk because of their chemical or biological nature. Hazardous waste materials such as decorative paints, coatings, household chemicals, pet care products, lubrication oils, tires, batteries, light bulbs and pharmaceuticals etc. need to be disposed of separately. Although these waste are founds in relatively small quantities compared to the total volume of household waste, their presence significantly influences the available treatment option. It is very important to dispose of these hazardous waste materials carefully. In many developing countries, a large fraction of hazardous substances like batteries, paints, refrigerants and chemicals escape the waste stem, mostly because of waste trading. In industrialist countries, attention has been given to separate these materials. Batteries, tires pharmaceutical have been key targets for households hazardous waste removal, with oil following close behind. In Denmark, a voluntary collection system of batteries achieved 50 percent recovery. Across the USA, a blend of regulations, enforcement and financial repercussions , operating at state level, successfully controlled the management of scrap tires.
Hazardous waste materials from commercial or trade premises, civic amenity services, treatment plants, construction and demolition sites, contain materials similar to these found in household hazardous waste material. These form a small but potentially highly polluting fraction of municipal solid waste whose separation at source can minimize the cost of waste treatment. If these wastes are not treated on-site, they can be treated at a central treatment unit, but the overall waste management costs will be increased.