[colemancol]

Hi
How to dispose of a hazardous waste:
Break it down into less harmful components, store it away from thing it could harm, don't create it in the first place.

Or do you mean something more practical like this:
Contact the Dept. of Environmental Protection in your area for direction on how to dispose of it. Many state will collect things like mercury thermometers, unused solvents etc.
A non-hazardous waste:
Put it in the garbage but ONLY if it is not recyclable.
If you know something more about this stuff then please do post here your suggestions.
Thanks.

 

[stevensonjames8]

Nice tips, this should be implemented well to help in the climate change.

 

[Aggie67]

Also check your county. Our county has free residential Haz Waste drop off days 4 times a year. I've dropped off acetone, oil paints, old aerosol cans, asbestos, acids and pickling agents. Also check locally for electronics recyclers. An old PC tower is loaded with heavy metals that don't belong in a landfill.

 

[John Galt]

Commercial vs. residential abatement & disposal

Here in Maryland the local county authorities generally accept asbestos from home owners at their regular landfill, albeit with their full knowledge of what's in the bag. For contractors it's a whole 'nother ball game. Home owners can strip asbestos shingles all day long and throw them in trash bags to drop off for free. Contractors are required to utilize State licensed abatement contractors with all of the obvious and appropriate insurances. All of the waste must be double bagged and be followed with chain of custody certifications from the point of origination to their final disposition, typically a landfill specializing in regulated waste.

One of the easiest ways to screw the pooch on a commercial renovation project is to open a contaminated chase or demo an unidentified structure that is laced with asbestos without realizing that you have until it's been greatly disturbed and drug from one end of the building to the other. Study building history and the periods of predominant uses that are typical for your region and always assume the worst. If you are working on an old steam heated school building, chances are that it's everywhere from the pipe insulation and ceiling tiles to the floor tile and mastic, including the mastic that they use to affix the ceiling tiles and black boards. Window glazing, contamination from previous abatement efforts and abandoned pipe in crawl spaces and attics. All sorts of unlooked for fun. Many times the tile may prove to be more recent VCT, only to be found covering residue from the older VAT install that had asbestos laden mastic.

Another unforeseen shocker that we experienced was the lead content in the glazed tile walls throughout the hallways. The lead was not only in the tile but in the mortar as well. New openings that were originally thought to be minimal risk operations as long as the tile was toothed out turned into an unwelcome removal and disposal change order that sent everybody's schedules reeling. Just because a study or assessment has been done doesn't mean that they considered everything. If that were the case then the abatement contractors would never see a change order. The best way to manage the disposal costs, especially on a competitively bid project, is to make certain that the playing field is leveled by bringing as much to light as possible during the pre-bid phase.

 

[A. Spruce]

Also check your county. Our county has free residential Haz Waste drop off days 4 times a year. I've dropped off acetone, oil paints, old aerosol cans, asbestos, acids and pickling agents. Also check locally for electronics recyclers. An old PC tower is loaded with heavy metals that don't belong in a landfill.

We've got a similar thing here, though ours is open two days a week and is connected to the county transfer station, basically a local dump site for everyone to use and they shred, compact, separate then truck it to recyclers and the main landfill outside the city limits.

 

[aeasinc]

Not everything can be drop off at your local recycler. First the waste has to be classified, the content and composition has to be identified. Based on compounds and levels will determine how it should be handled. If it is certain type of waste then you will need appropriate people to handle the waste with proper disposal. If it hazardous then it will need special handling.

 

[CarrPainting]

Or you could be like the US Military, dig a hole and burn it :thumbsup:

 

[CarpenterSFO]

Funny date line on this thread. But as long as we're here:

I'm a very small producer in federal terms, but needed a California EPA ID to drop off hazardous waste and to buy some finishes. Getting the ID greatly simplified things, and I haven't found the paperwork to be onerous at all.

The cost of legal disposal of liquids and of asbestos is minimal, in my experience - a few bucks per gallon of liquid, under a dollar per pound for asbestos, i.e. a very small percentage of total job cost.

My sense is that many small contractors have an exaggerated sense of the cost and difficulty of following the law in this area.

 

[hdavis]

My sense is that many small contractors have an exaggerated sense of the cost and difficulty of following the law in this area.

I agree. Around here, it isn't as difficult as in Cali. Some waste facilities will take asbestos the same as any other material - $80 a ton, but there is a special drop off area.

The guys that are doing asbestos abatement, however, have to follow their own abatement regs.