Generate Hazardous Waste At Your Work Site? How To Avoid Contamination
If you operate a company that produces hazardous waste, it's important that you know what to do with it. There was a time when companies simply tossed their hazardous waste into the trash. However, that's how many US landfills became contaminated. Today, there are laws in place that are designed to protect the environment against hazardous waste. Here are four steps you can take as a business owner to prevent contamination, and do your part to protect the environment.
Take Steps to Reduce Your Hazardous Waste
If you're a business owner, one of the most important steps you can take to protect the environment is to reduce the amount of hazardous waste your business generates. Those steps include switching to non-hazardous materials for your production process, ensuring that your equipment is running properly, and create separate work stations to reduce the chances of cross-contamination. These steps are vital in the fight to eliminate hazardous waste from the work site.
Identify What can be Disposed of in Commercial Trash Containers
If you deal with hazardous waste on a regular basis, you probably have separate trash cans for the non-hazardous waste that you generate. However, if you're not sure what constitutes hazardous waste, you may be making mistakes that could lead to contamination. Some of the items that should never be placed in your ordinary trash cans include e-waste such as computers, televisions and other electronic equipment, as well as all paints and solvents. Those items should be disposed of with your hazardous waste.
Contact Your City About Hazardous Waste Collection
If you've been taking measures to dispose of your own hazardous waste, you may be missing an opportunity to avoid contamination. Most cities have hazardous waste collection services that businesses can participate in. To make sure that you're taking every precautionary step possible to avoid site contamination, contact your city and find out about the hazardous waste collection services they have available for business owners. It's also a good idea to contact your local hazardous waste dump site. They can provide you with assistance as well.
Have Contamination Cleaned Up Immediately
If your work site should become contaminated with hazardous waste, it's crucial that you have your site cleaned up immediately. Delays in the cleanup process could lead to environmental damage. It could also pose serious health risks to your employees, and to those who live and work in the area. Contact a hazardous waste cleanup crew near you, like PACIFIC COMMERCIAL SERVICES LLC, to take care of the contamination remediation.
