How is hazardous waste managed?

Some hazardous waste can be reused, recovered or recycled, such as solvents, oils and metals. Others are landfilled or incinerated. Waste mineral oil, for example, can be burned as fuel but it’s better for the environment to recycle it instead. In 2003, nearly 38% of all hazardous waste in England and Wales was landfilled , around 19% was recycled or treated and 4% was incinerated. The rest was stored temporarily before disposal or recovery (Figure 2).



The 2002 EC Landfill Directive puts more stringent restrictions on landfilling hazardous waste. This directive:



bans some hazardous waste from landfill

bans disposing hazardous and non-hazardous waste together

requires pre-treatment of most hazardous waste before it can be disposed of to landfill

only allows hazardous waste in sites designed to take it.

The end to co-disposal of non-hazardous and hazardous waste in July 2004 will see a drastic reduction in the number of landfills accepting hazardous waste. The Government set up a Hazardous Waste Forum to discuss how to reduce the amount of hazardous waste produced and to ensure it continues to be managed properly. In 2004, it reported back to Government with an Action Plan.



There are two merchant hazardous waste incinerators in England and Wales which receive waste from other waste producers:



Cleanaway, Ellesmere Port

Shanks, Southampton

Hazardous waste is also incinerated at a number of chemical plants, drum reconditioning facilities and cement or lime kilns that incinerate hazardous waste with other fuels