1. Know the correct disposal techniques for the kind of waste you’re dealing with.
When choosing hazardous waste containers, the best place to start is to know the best practices for disposing of your specific waste type. To get started, check out our article on the four main types of hazardous waste and decide whether you’re dealing with a characteristic waste, listed waste, universal waste or mixed waste. From there, investigate the specific disposal techniques associated with wastes of that type.2. If you’re using shipping drums, remember to choose the correct material for the type of waste.
Both steel and plastic drums can be a good choice for storing hazardous waste—but each has its own circumstances in which it should and shouldn’t be used. Certain types of waste can eat through steel, while others are destructive to polyethylene. Make sure to read up on interactions with these two common materials before choosing a type of drum.3. Make sure you’re prepared for spill containment.
Should a hazardous waste spill occur, it’s vital that you have the tools to contain it and clean it up quickly and correctly. Drum spill containment equipment and salvage drums are great places to start, but your application may require special equipment beyond these as well. It’s also important that you have copies of the Emergency Response Guidebook on hand in case a spill or other accident occurs and that hazmat handlers are familiar with relevant sections.4. You can save time, effort and money by using pre-assembled shipping kits from Air Sea.
There are already enough details to worry about in hazmat shipping, so you can make it easier on yourself by using pre-made hazmat shipping kits. Air Sea Containers offers numerous types of shipping kits, including options for batteries, biological wastes and many more. These kits are UN-rated for hazmat performance and available for shipping now.5. Some spent aerosol cans and gas cylinders can be considered solid hazardous waste—but you can turn them into non-hazardous recyclables.
If you’re dealing with used aerosol cans and/or gas cylinders, consider using one of the many ways Air Sea has available to safely convert them into normal recyclables. Our Aerosolv® Aerosol Can Disposal System and Prosolv® Gas Cylinder Disposal System are designed for this purpose and feature rigorously safety-tested systems to break down these waste products into a form that’s considerably easier and cheaper to dispose of.
Aerosolv® Aerosol Can Disposal System
6. If you’re shipping your hazardous waste to another location, make sure that it’s labeled and declared correctly.
Every set of hazmat transportation standards requires that hazardous waste be labeled with one or more of the nine GHS hazard pictograms, and some also have additional labeling requirements. You’ll also need to use hazmat shipper’s declaration forms to inform freight carriers and port authorities of exactly what you’re shipping, where it’s stored and what special considerations it needs.7. Biohazard waste needs its own set of preparations and materials.
Biohazardous waste can be some of the trickiest and most dangerous waste to deal with, especially if it involves potentially infectious substances. Air Sea Containers offers a wide variety of biohazard packaging materials to address these challenges, including freezable bio-bottles and biohazard pouches.8. Flammable waste may require its own special storage cabinets.
Waste that’s highly flammable has specific disposal requirements, and that can include storing it in a special, secure cabinet. Air Sea Containers has you covered here, too—we have specially designed hazardous waste drum cabinets that will keep your hazmat waste drums contained in a safe environment. Some of these items may require a lead time, so make sure you contact us as soon as possible if you’re interested in our hazmat drum cabinets.
Flammable Waste Vertical Drum Safety Cabinet
Dealing with hazardous waste is always a challenge and requires strict attention to detail. But when you’re working with the experts from Air Sea Containers, it’s easier to achieve the safety and efficiency that you need! If you’ve got questions on how to safely package hazardous waste for disposal, call our experts at (866) 596-9448 or contact us online.
