What are Hazardous Wastes?
Hazardous wastes are those wastes which, due to their nature and
quantity, are potentially hazardous to human health and the
environment. As a rule, hazardous wastes require special handling,
labelling, storage, transportation and disposal techniques to
eliminate or reduce the hazard.
Generated primarily as the by-product of industrial and
manufacturing processes, hazardous wastes are also produced via
commercial, medical and government activities.
Used motor oil, acids, waste pesticides, biomedical &
radiological wastes, PCBs, solvents, metals and asbestos are common
examples of hazardous wastes. Even chemicals and cleaning products
with an expired "best before" date, can be classified as
hazardous.
Do you have a question regarding possible Hazardous Wastes? Click here
HazWaste Headlines
Jail time possible for repeat asbestos violations
WorkSafeBC will ask B.C. Supreme Court for contempt of court
charge against companies
VANCOUVER SUN, May 8, 2013 - WorkSafeBC will ask
the court for stronger action against a Lower Mainland asbestos
removal contractor that could result in rare jail time for exposing
workers to health risks.
Full Article
Toxco Waste Management Ltd. Fined $17,500 for Importing Hazardous Recyclable Material
ROSSLAND, BC, April 18, 2013 /CNW/ - Toxco
Waste Management Ltd., of Trail, B.C., was ordered to pay $17,500
to the Environmental Damages Fund (EDF) in the Provincial Court of
British Columbia after pleading guilty to importing waste lithium
batteries exceeding the quantity set out in the import permit. This
action contravened the Export and Import of Hazardous Waste and
Hazardous Recyclable Material Regulations (EIHWHRMR) of the
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA, 1999).
Full Article
Surrey recycling firm charged with exporting hazardous waste
CBC NEWS, March 25, 2013 - A recycling company
in Surrey, B.C., has been charged with exporting hazardous waste
overseas for allegedly sending recycled batteries and cathode ray
tubes to Macau without a permit.
Full Article
Asbestos safety often ignored in B.C.
WorkSafeBC writes up hundreds of violations of asbestos
safety rules every year; one company has been given $280,000 in
fines
VANCOUVER SUN, February 25, 2013 - WorkSafeBC
writes hundreds of violations a year against contractors who fail
to protect workers from exposure to cancer-causing asbestos
building materials.
Full Article
Potential Hazards at Both Ends of the Lithium-Ion Life Cycle
Battery recycling is a delicate business
IEEE INSIDE TECHNOLOGY SPECTRUM, March 01, 2013 -
Despite the fires aboard two 787 Dreamliners, more and more
large-format lithium-ion applications are being rolled out: Jet
fighters like the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and cars such
as the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf are a few such examples. And
while investigators today look into the safety of using lithium-ion
batteries in the field, important concerns also remain about simply
transporting, storing, and recycling them.
Full Article
Washington plutonium leak poses 'long-term threat'
CBC.ca, February 17, 2013 - A tank leaking
plutonium at a contaminated nuclear waste site in Washington has
prompted the state's governor to sound the alarm over the threat it
poses.
Full Article
Richmond disposal firm fined $70K for illegal asbestos storage
THE VANCOUVER SUN, January 2, 2013 - A
Richmond-based disposal company has been fined $70,000 by a
Provincial Court judge for illegally accepting and storing asbestos
in 2011 on Mitchell Island.
Mr. Bin Disposal plead guilty on Dec. 21 to three violations of
their Vancouver regional district solid-waste licence, including
handling materials outside of a building and exceeding the amount
of municipal solid waste that was allowed at its facility.
The company was licensed by the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and
Drainage District to accept municipal solid waste and recyclable
material, but not asbestos.
Full Article
B.C.'s road to trash diversion: Key dates to a cleaner future
Key dates in B.C."s trash diversion regulation
2014: May 19 is the date the Multi-Material BC,
an industry group, must start a comprehensive residential recycling
program for packaging and printed paper, likely as part of the
bluebox system.
2015: Metro Vancouver deadline for increasing
the proportion of waste diverted from disposal to 70 per cent from
the current 55 per cent.
2020: Metro Vancouver deadline for increasing
the proportion of waste diverted from disposal to 80 per cent.
Read More
PCB Regulations New Compliance Promotion Guide and Revised Fact Sheets Now Available Online
Environment Canada has recently
posted several documents pertaining to thePCB
Regulations;
these include updated PCB Fact Sheets, the new PCB Compliance
Promotion Guide and PCB Online Reporting System User Guides. The
links are provided below, for your reference.
Fact Sheets
For a summary of
thePCB
Regulationsrequirements, please consult the
following fact sheets posted on Environment Canada's PCB
website.
Compliance Promotion Guide
onPCB
RegulationsRequirements:
The purpose of this guide is to
clarify the requirements set out in thePCB
Regulations(Regulations) and help the
regulated community better understand them. This document also answers
frequently asked questions from stakeholders regarding technical,
compliance or enforcement aspects of the Regulations'
requirements.Keep in mind that this guide
cannot be used as a replacement to the
Regulations.
PCB Online Reporting System
User Guides:
Section 42 of
thePCB
Regulationsrequires that reports referred to
in Sections 33 to 38 be submitted electronically in the format
provided by the Department of the Environment. Environment Canada's
online reporting system for thePCB
Regulationswas launched on March 30,
2009. More
information on PCBs can be found at Environment Canada's webpage
at: http://www.ec.gc.ca/bpc-pcb/
If you have any
questions regarding the PCB
Regulationsplease email PCB.PYR@ec.gc.ca.
Where can you recycle old batteries?
Millions of batteries get thrown out every year. In addition to
being a waste, it's also a hazard because those old batteries can
leach dangerous chemicals into the soil. But there are more than
1,200 collection sites in B.C.'s Call2Recycle program, which
collect all household batteries and cell phones for recycling.
There are also lots of retail stores where you can drop them off in
person, including most London drugs stores, Home Depot and Ikea.So
far this year Call2Recycle has saved more than
700,000 batteries from the landfill. You can just type in your
postal code on its website to find the recycling depots closest to
where you live or work.
HazWaste News
DOT Launches Free App Featuring Emergency Response Guidebook Delivers Hazmat Safety Info into the Hands of Emergency Responders
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline
and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today
announced a free, mobile web app of its Emergency Response
Guidebook 2012 (ERG). The new safety tool will provide the nation's
emergency responders with fast, easily accessible information to
help them manage hazardous material incidents. Read More...
New Lithium Battery Regulations Will Present Shippers with Challenges in 2013 Additional Training may be required
One of the most noteworthy changes, of the 2013
International Air Regulations, is the new various packing
instructions for lithium ion and metal batteries and
cells. Read More...
Asbestos & Hazardous Materials Inspections A Must if You Are Renovating
WorkSafeBC requires a hazardous materials inspection for any
worksite to determine the presence of asbestos containing materials
(ACM), and many municipalities now require a complete inventory of
hazardous materials present in a building before issuing a permit
to renovate or demolish the premises. Some of these hazardous
materials are asbestos, lead (in paint, plumbing, stained glass),
mercury (in thermostats and fluorescent light bulbs), PCBs (in
fluorescent light ballasts) and ODSs (ozone depleting substances
such as freon, a refrigerant used in air conditioners). Read More...
What to do if you find tsunami debris Guidelines from the British Columbia Ministry of the Environment
Every year, marine debris from a number of sources washes up on
coastlines around the world. Along with impacting tens of thousands
of lives, the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March
2011 also washed debris into the Pacific Ocean.
Legislation gives first responders peace of mind Emergency workers will be able to access information about potential disease exposure
Emergency workers will be able to access information about
potential disease exposure with legislation introduced today by the
Honourable Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister of Labour, Citizens'
Services and Open Government. Read More...
AMS/WASTE and COORS Databases Information Now Available Free of Charge
The BC Minisitry of the Environment has recently made some
changes to provide the information free of charge in the AMS/WASTE
and CCORs databases. Previously, searches for information in these
databases could only be requested by submitting a Site
Information Request Application.
WorkSafeBC exec says asbestos disease still top concern for B.C. workers Effects of asbestos exposure still a problem for workers
The effects of long years of exposure to asbestos is still one
of the biggest challenges faced by British Columbia's workers
today, and it is expected to continue to be a problem in this
decade.
This was according to Donna Wilson, vice-president for
industrial service and sustainability for WorkSafeBC, the
province's workers' compensation board. Read More...