Proper waste disposal is an important issue for many businesses, and rightly so. It is one of your responsibilities as a business owner or manager to make sure that your business waste is disposed of in the proper manner. But before you can do this, you need to know what type of waste your business produces first, as there are different ways to dispose of them. Here, then is an essential list of the types of waste you may be producing as a business:
- Commercial waste
Commercial waste, as its name implies, is waste coming from premises that are used mostly or completely for trade, sport recreation, business, or entertainment. This doesn’t include industrial or municipal waste.
- Controlled waste
Commercial waste falls under controlled waste, as does household, clinical, and industrial waste. These types of waste require a license for waste management for its proper disposal, transfer, and treatment. Exempted from these are farm, quarry, and mine wastes.
- Industrial waste
Industrial waste comprises waste coming from a factory or locations or premises which are occupied by an industry. This does not include quarries or mines.
- Radioactive waste
Radioactive waste, according to the 1993 Radioactive Substances Act, is waste which is comprised entirely or partly of substances that are categorised as radioactive materials, or substances which have become contaminated by materials which are radioactive or waste which is radioactive. It is also important to note that some types of radioactive waste can be categorised as special/hazardous waste.
- Clinical waste
Clinical waste is waste which consists entirely or partly of animal or human tissue, bodily fluids (including blood), bodily excretions, pharmaceutical materials or products and drugs, dressings or swabs, needles, syringes, and sharp objects or instruments. Clinical waste, unless specified to be ‘safe,’ can prove dangerous or hazardous to anyone who comes into contact with it. Similarly, clinical waste comprises waste coming from nursing, medical, dental, pharmaceutical, veterinary, or other practices such as investigation and treatment, research or teaching, or blood collection for use in transfusion.
- Agricultural waste
Agricultural waste is comprised of streams of waste coming from horticultural or agricultural establishments. This also includes agricultural packaging and plastic waste, empty containers of pesticide, tyres, oil, and old equipment or machinery. Some types of waste which are derived from agricultural businesses are also subject to strong regulations and control under the Regulations for Animal By-Products. This includes bedding materials, carcasses, and so on.
As a business, it is one of your prime responsibilities to know and be able to identify the types of waste your business produces. Once you know exactly what it is you produce, you can then be able to properly choose a waste collection partner and service which ensures that you adhere to all governmental regulations.
