Hazardous Wastes - What are They?

In August 2000, a burst pipe spilled a million litres of oil into the Pine River, near the water supply of Chetwynd, BC. The town had to find a new source of drinking water....In July 1999, citizens of Yellowknife were warned to avoid any contact with the water in three lakes within city limits. The lakes were so contaminated with arsenic from gold mining that the city was using a dust suppressant on nearby roads to avoid arsenic being kicked up into the air....Prohibitive costs to clean up Saskatoon's highly contaminated old Inland Steel site prevent the land from being converted to a community park.

Many of the products we use every day are directly hazardous (need to be handled and disposed of carefully) or indirectly hazardous, in that their manufacture produces harmful by-products and residues.

Environment Canada estimates that 5.9 million tonnes of hazardous waste is generated in Canada each year. Typical industrial hazardous wastes include heavy metals; solvents; clean-up residuals; oils and greases; paint; and pesticides and herbicides wastes.

Ontario households generate approximately 20-40 litres of hazardous waste annually (Pollution Probe Foundation). Typical household hazardous wastes include: automotive products (motor oil, antifreeze, lead-acid batteries, brake fluid); home improvement products (paint, stain, paint stripper, adhesives); pesticides (insecticide, weed killer, rat and mouse poison); household cleaners (drain cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, bleach). Products are considered hazardous if they have any of the following properties:

• corrosive — they eat or wear away at many materials,
• flammable — they easily ignite,
• reactive — they can cause an explosion or produce deadly vapours, or
• toxic — they are poisonous to humans and animals.

Potential problems posed by hazardous wastes are many. Buried wastes can filter down through the soil and contaminate groundwater. Wastes can clog storm sewers and over-burden septic systems. Plumbing systems can be damaged by corrosive chemicals. Burning hazardous wastes may simply distribute them over a larger area. Pouring hazardous liquids on the ground can poison soil, plants and water.

As with many (all) waste issues, solutions include the 3Rs hierarchy.

• Reduce — buy/use less, find non-toxic alternatives, re-design your process to require less or no hazardous materials
• Reuse — find someone who can use your leftovers, use it up, participate in waste exchanges
• Recycle — some hazardous materials can be recycled

Saskatchewan doesn't have any of these facilities, so disposal is an expensive option for us. But it's better than hazardous wastes ending up in our soil or water.

(Source: September 2000 WasteWatch)

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