3 Hazardous Waste Streams That Could Be Impacting Your Business

As a business owner, overseeing your company's waste management system can feel like an overwhelming task, especially when you're not sure which items are considered hazardous. Even small businesses create hazardous waste, whether they know it or not. Properly identifying the waste streams your business produces can increase your business’s productivity, minimize risks, and reduce your waste management costs.

Any waste that’s generated from industrial or business-related activities is considered a waste stream. Waste streams are any solid, liquid or gaseous by-product that’s created as a result of a process or task. When waste is considered hazardous, it means that it poses a risk to human health or the environment. That’s why disposing of hazardous waste is an important matter, and, when handled poorly, can result in fines or compliance issues. As such, identifying and dealing with your business’s hazardous waste is your legal responsibility. Not sure if your business produces hazardous waste? Check out these 3 common hazardous waste streams and see if they could be impacting your business.

Sewage and Wastewater

Wastewater is any water that's been contaminated by a process or function of your business. Industrial wastewater contains contaminants like chemicals, metals, oils and pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and more. Businesses that generate organic waste in the food and beverage industry, medical, or manufacturing facilities require biological wastewater treatment to help break down and remove contaminants.

Sewage waste is a specific kind of wastewater containing organic matter and microorganisms that can cause several diseases if handled improperly. If your business has a septic system, they’ll need to be emptied regularly to ensure they don’t back up. Cesspits generally need to be emptied more often than septic tanks but if your facility has either of these sewage methods, you should set up an on-going service that’s both reliable and competitively priced.

As a business, it’s important to remember that the mishandeling of liquid waste can lead to pollution and serious health effects. Keep your business compliant with wastewater collection and disposal by letting our qualified experts do all the heavy lifting so you can get back to running your business.

At Cawleys, our sewage waste services include:

• Emergency call out attendance

• Pre-planned scheduled visits

• Industrial jetting and blockage cleaning

• CCTV survey

Fully insured, BS EN ISO 9001 accredited, and with highly experienced waste operatives, Cawleys can collect and dispose of sewage from septic tanks, cesspits, cesspools and sewage treatment plants of all sizes.

Construction and Demolition Waste

Managing construction waste can have expensive repercussions if not handled properly. Even if your business is not in a construction-related industry, all building-related waste must be dealt with safely and responsibly. Help your business reduce health and environmental risks by ensuring that any waste generated from construction, demolition, or excavation activities are disposed of according to regulations and requirements.

Building insulation, gypsum, and other asbestos-containing materials are often found in demolition waste and can cause additional health and safety risks. When working with old asbestos, it easily breaks up into fine flakes that can be inhaled through the air, increasing the risk of lung disease and other fatal respiratory problems. Gypsum is safer than asbestos, but mishandling can lead to inhalation which causes upper-respiratory and gastrointestinal issues. Improper handling and disposal of hazardous construction waste not only puts your company at risk financially, but it can also pollute the environment.

At Cawleys, we have a variety of fully compliant waste recovery containers to fit your business’s needs.

We ensure complete compliance with health and safety guidelines and whether you require a simple telephone quote or an on-site audit and inventory, we can help you with your waste needs.

WEEE (Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment)

In the beginning of 2022 alone, 120,000 tons of municipal waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) was collected from households in the United Kingdom. That waste is just residential and does not account for commercial WEEE. As digital and electronic demands continue to increase, you might not be surprised that electrical waste streams are found in every business and industry. WEEE waste can be defined as any broken, unused, or outdated electrical devices, components, and materials your business may have.

Electronic waste contains heavy metals that can be harmful to both humans and the environment and if sent to the landfill, substances like lead, arsenic, and mercury can leach into the surrounding soil causing extensive pollution. WEEE producers consume large quantities of glass, plastics, and metals to create their product, which also requires resources like fuels, chemicals, and water. When disposed of properly, many of these resources can be recovered from the recycling process and used again for later.

Some waste electrical and electronic equipment like lithium batteries, can pose a potential fire or explosion risk, and are therefore considered hazardous waste. With Cawleys, you can ensure your WEEE waste is disposed of properly with our Lithium Battery Recycling Solutions. Not only do we have the means to safely deal with and dispose of these batteries, we also help you recover and recycle the plastic, nickel, cobalt and lithium content from lithium battery waste.

At Cawleys we provide a range of fully compliant re-use and recycling options for redundant or damaged WEEE equipment. Whatever your situation, we can help your business manage all of your e-waste recycling and disposal needs.

Total Waste Management Services

We understand that some businesses need more than just hazardous waste collection. At Cawley’s, our dedication to service delivery has allowed us to go one step further in helping our clients by offering a full-service solution that manages all aspects of your organisation’s waste resource management. We can help you by conducting a waste stream assessment so you can know what types of waste your business produces as well as the quantity, composition, and sources of waste produced at a given time.

From dedicated waste operatives who collect waste in and around your organisation, to on-site waste compaction equipment, dedicated engineers and hazardous waste specialists, we can provide all the services you need.

With over 35 years of experience, our knowledgeable team is on hand to help. Contact us today or call 0845 260 2000.