Under the BC Hazardous Waste Regulation, facilities are defined
as any piece of equipment, process, or constructed works that is
used to handle or deal with a hazardous waste. The most
common types of facilities (often referred to as Receivers /
Processors) include:
Incinerators | An incinerator is a type of thermal treatment
facility that uses controlled conditions to burn wastes. Facilities
that use processes such as pyrolysis or plasma arc are defined as
thermal treatment systems rather than incinerators. This
distinction is important as there is a difference between the
requirements for these types of facilities.
In-Situ Management | An in-situ management facility can only
occur on a historical contaminated site. These facilities are
used to reduce the impact of contamination on such sites, without
substantial physical alteration of the site. Examples are slurry
walls to control the flow of groundwater or bioremediation to treat
toxic contaminants.
Land Treatment | The most common forms of land treatment are
land farms or bio farms that use natural or enhanced biological
processes to treat a waste. The facility must be designed firstly
to contain the waste and secondly to maximize the desired
biological activity. An area where waste is simply spread
onto the ground without prior technical investigation or other
management action is not acceptable land treatment.
Mobile | Any facility that is designed to be transported from
site to site is a mobile facility. Usually these are chemical
or thermal treatment units mounted on trucks, trailers, or rail
cars. The HW Regulation limits the number of hours of
operation and the quantity of waste that may be treated at these
facilities for them to be considered mobile.
Recycle | A recycle facility can only be those where a hazardous
waste or waste residue is wholly utilized. There can be no
residue and processes that apply to land, burning or where the main
purpose is waste management are excluded.
Treatment | A treatment facility is a place where the physical
or chemical properties of a hazardous waste are changed to reduce
or eliminate one or more of its hazards. Treatment facilities
may be located either at the point of generation or off site.
Waste Pile | A waste pile is a facility where solid hazardous
waste is stored or treated. This definition does not include
wastes in containers and therefore normally applies to bulk storage
of wastes. The waste may be stored outdoors if the weather does not
have a detrimental effect on it.
Hazardous waste Facilities (Receiver / Processors) in British
Columbia are authorized to manage certain wastes as outlined in the
HW Regulation. The following quick reference guide lists the
approved hazardous waste capabilities of those companies operating
in British Columbia by waste stream (includes contact
information).
British
Columbia Hazardous Waste Receiver/Processor
List
For further information refer to this Fact Sheet:
004 Selecting a
Hazardous Waste Receiver / Processor