Current hazardous waste management and disposal practices among small quantity generators.In general, there are three categories of hazardous waste Hazardous waste Any solid, liquid, or gaseous waste materials that, if improperly managed or disposed of, may pose substantial hazards to human health and the environment. Every industrial country in the world has had problems with managing hazardous wastes. generators: Fully Regulated Generators (FRGs), Small Quantity Generators (SQGs), and Conditionall Exempt Generators (CEGs) (1). Fully Regulated Generators are classified as such if in one calendar month they produce on-site, 2,220 or more pounds of hazardou waste, generate more than 220 pounds of spill clean-up debris containing acutel hazardous waste, or accumulate at any time more than 2.2 pounds of acutely hazardous waste. On the other hand, Small Quantity Generators are businesses that are classified as such if in one calendar month, they generate between 220 and 2,200 pounds of hazardous waste and produce 2.2 pounds or less of acutely hazardous waste. Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generators are so classified, if in one calendar month, they generate 220 pounds or less of hazardous waste, produce less than 2.2 pounds of acutely hazardous waste, and also generate 220 pounds or less of spill clean-up debris containing acutely hazardous waste. In this paper the latter two generators were studied to assess types and quantities of wastes produced and disposal methods used. Because, historically, small businesses were provided with relatively little government assistance on hazardous waste management and disposal issues, little is known about their practices when compared to large businesses. Small businesses were asked to respond to types and quantities of waste they produced. These categories include the following: waste oils-automotive, industrial, and fuel oils; aqueous aqueous /aque·ous/ (a´kwe-us) 1. watery; prepared with water. 2. see under humor. a·que·ous adj. liquids-water soluble wastes, including acids and alkalis; halogenated halogenated pertaining to a substance to which a halogen is added. halogenated salicylanilides see rafoxanide, clioxanide. solvents-solvents containing chlorine, fluorine fluorine (fl  `ərēn, –rĭn), gaseous chemical element; symbol F; at. no. 9; at. wt. 18.998403; m.p. −219.6°C;; b.p. −188.14°C;; density 1. ,
iodine iodine (ī`ədīn, –dĭn) [Gr.,=violet], nonmetallic chemical element; symbol I; at. no. 53; at. wt. 126.9045; m.p. 113.5°C;; b.p. 184.35°C;; sp. gr. 4.93 at 20°C;; valence −1, +1, +3, +5, or +7. , etc; non-halogenated solvents-benzene, acetone acetone (ăs`ĭtōn), dimethyl ketone (dīmĕth`əl kē`tōn), or 2-propanone (prō`pənōn), CH3COCH3 , toluene toluene (tōl`yēn') or methylbenzene (mĕth'əlbĕn`zēn), C7H8 ; other
combustibles-liquids capable of being burned with a flash point of less
than 140 [degrees] Fahrenhei (e.g. varnishes, recycled paints, etc.);
other non-combustibles-non-flammable liquids with a flashpoint greater
than 140 [degrees] Fahrenheit; organic sludge solids-oily residue,
solvent steel bottoms; inorganic sludge, solids-dusts, sludges from ink
formation, sludges from photographic processes This page list various photographic processes. Color
Since World War II, there has been a growth in new products based on the use of plastics and chemicals. With this growth, questions have arisen concerning the manner in which hazardous waste disposal is managed or mismanaged. For instance according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a survey by the Association of Bay Area Governments The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) is a regional planning agency incorporating various local governments in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It deals with land use, housing, environmental quality, and economic development. (ABAG ABAG Association of Bay Area Governments ABAG Associação Brasileira de Aviação Geral (Brazilian Association of General Aviation; São Paulo, Brazil) ABAG Antigua & Barbuda Association of Georgia ), 70% of the SQGs (e.g. dry cleaners, auto service and repair shops) are located close t residential neighborhoods and metropolitan areas with large populations (3,4). In general, most of the illegal dumping is done through the sewage systems sewage system Collection of pipes and mains, treatment works, and discharge lines (sewers) for the wastewater of a community. Early civilizations often built drainage systems in urban areas to handle storm runoff. and on the ground. A similar demographic study conducted by Deyle (2) indicated tha 32% of SQGs disposed of hazardous wastes in public sewers or septic tanks septic tank, underground sedimentation tank in which sewage is retained for a short period while it is decomposed and purified by bacterial action. The organic matter in the sewage settles to the bottom of the tank, a film forms excluding atmospheric oxygen, and . Some merely store these wastes for indeterminate That which is uncertain or not particularly designated. INDETERMINATE. That which is uncertain or not particularly designated; as, if I sell you one hundred bushels of wheat, without stating what wheat. 1 Bouv. Inst. n. 950. periods (6,7). A recent incident took place in Clackamas County, Oregon Clackamas County (IPA: [ˈklæ kə mɪs]) is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county was named after the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, who were part of the Chinookan , where 1,313 counts of criminal conduct were filed against a resident of Welcher, Oregon, for the illegal disposal of hazardous wastes on residential property (8). In 1992, Oregon State University Oregon State University, at Corvallis; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1858 as Corvallis College, opened 1865. In 1868 it was designated Oregon's land-grant agricultural college and was taken over completely by the state in 1885. (OSU (Open Source UNIX) Refers to the Unix variants that are maintained as open source, which were primarily BSD Unix and Linux until Sun made its Solaris operating system open source in 2005. ) was fined $2,500 by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ DEQ Abbreviation for the Incoterm "Delivered Ex Quay." ) for violating a hazardous waste storage permit and for shipping hazardous wastes off-site without a hazardous waste manifest (9). Insofar in·so·far adv. To such an extent. Adv. 1. insofar - to the degree or extent that; "insofar as it can be ascertained, the horse lung is comparable to that of man"; "so far as it is reasonably practical he should practice as the federal regulatory programs concentrate on the fully regulated businesses, SQGs and CEGs were provided with relatively little assistance or technical advice on issues of waste management. However, during the last few years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time state of Oregon began various support programs and legislative initiatives, and policies were drafted increasing assistance to small businesse to ensure compliance with hazardous waste regulation and management practices. For instance, the Oregon 65th Legislative Assembly determined that Conditionall Exempt Generators did not have access to economically feasible options for the management of hazardous wastes. As a result, Oregon House Bill 3515 directed th DEQ to provide the assembly with a report on current hazardous waste management and funding problems and options. The final report cited a lack of disposal options, prohibitive costs, complexity of the rules, liability issues, and lack of incentives as some of the problems experienced by CEGs (10). Based on the DEQ's report, several legislative proposals were passed into law t fund a waste management assistance program through an increase in hazardous waste disposal fees (11); to clarify the regulation of tires; to increase enforcement; and to help small businesses understand the requirements of the Oregon Law on New Toxic Use Reduction (12). Based on these legislative directives, the DEQ instituted workshops throughout Oregon to help small businesses. Concern for potential illegal activities and mismanagement mis·man·age tr.v. mis·man·aged, mis·man·ag·ing, mis·man·ag·es To manage badly or carelessly. mis·man  age·ment n. of
hazardous waste chemicals that could result in groundwater
contamination, health effects, and environment degradation prompted the
Benton County Benton County is the name of nine counties in the United States:
Methods and Materials "Current Hazardous Waste Management and Disposal Practices Among Small Quantity Generators," developed by Deyle, was used as an interview guide for data collection (2). The text was reviewed for content validity content validity, n the degree to which an experiment or measurement actually reflects the variable it has been designed to measure. by several professionals from the Benton County Environmental Health Division, Corvallis Waste Disposal Company, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. A critical analysis of the interview guide was given by the Oregon State University Research Center which assisted in formulating the questionnaire for easy administration and scoring. The questionnaire was designed to assess several areas in the realm of hazardous waste management and disposal practices In identifying current practices of hazardous waste management and disposal issues among the registered and nonregistered SQGs and CEGs in Benton County, Oregon Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S. senator who advocated U.S. control over the Oregon Country. In 2000, the county's population was 78,153. , demographic data were gathered in cooperation with the state of Oregon, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Oregon State Fire Marshal fire marshal n. 1. The head of a department or office that is charged with the prevention and investigation of fires. 2. A person in charge of firefighting personnel and equipment at an industrial plant. Noun 1. , and the Benton County Environmental Health Division. Benton County, with a population of 71,000, includes the university town of Corvallis, Alsea, Bellfountain, and Philomath (14). The principal industries in the county are agriculture, lumber and timber, education, research and development, electronics, and oenoculture. Data on registered businesses were provided by th DEQ. A total of 40 registered hazardous waste handlers handlers persons involved in the handling of, for example, circus animals. Includes grooms, milkers, herdsmen, strappers. Used mostly in referring to persons handling animals for show or auction. were identified. Of these, seven were either closed or out of business; one business had no valid address; and two were located outside of the boundaries of Benton County, resulting in 30 businesses included in this study. Of these, one-third were registered SQGs and two-thirds were registered CEGs. Demographic data on the nonregistered small businesses were provided by the State Fire Marshal. A total of 27 nonregistered businesses were identified. The data included a listing of the businesses by size, name, address, zip code zip code System of postal-zone codes (zip stands for “zone improvement plan”) introduced in the U.S. in 1963 to improve mail delivery and exploit electronic reading and sorting capabilities. , and telephone number. Of these, five were duplicate entries of businesses on the DE list; another business was included twice on the Fire Marshal's list; one company no longer existed; one refused to cooperate with this study; and one wa reclassified as a large quantity generator. As a result, only 18 businesses wer included in the survey. Among these, one-third were registered SQGs and two thirds were nonregistered CEGs. Overall, 48 small businesses were surveyed. Due to the small sample size, random sampling of the businesses, presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. more representative of SQGs and CEGs in Benton County, was not conducted for this study. A letter of introduction using Benton County Environmental Health Division letterhead was sent to the businesses identified for this survey. The purpose o the letter was to inform the businesses about the study and on-site interview and to assure confidentiality. During the on-site interview, the researcher noted that most of the respondents were reluctant to answer questions for fear of identification by government sanctions. Many wanted to be perceived as conducting politically and environmentally correct practices. A descriptive statistical program, SPSS/PC+ was used to analyze and cross-tabulate the quantifiable data of the registered and nonregistered businesses (15). Data were also used to graphically depict mean and median scores for each response. Results and Discussion The data are presented by the types and quantities of hazardous wastes generate and disposal methods used by the businesses in Benton County. According to the survey, the majority of the registered (73.3%) and nonregistered businesses (94.4%) generated waste oils. Why most nonregistered businesses produced more waste oils than registered businesses is not fully understood. It may be that more nonregistered than registered businesses were involved in generating waste oils. The median amount of waste oils produced per month by both businesses was 50 gallons. However, for aqueous liquids, the median number of gallons generate by registered businesses was 30 gallons. The survey also indicated that the majority of the nonregistered businesses disposes of hazardous wastes by returning them to the supplier (77.8%), recycling on-site (72.2%), or sending i to a Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facility (TSDF TSDF Time Slot Duty Factor TSDF Treatment Storage and/or Disposal Facility TSDF Toxic Substance Disposal Facility TSDF TACAIR System Development Facility ) (66.7%). Among the registered businesses, the majority stated sending the waste to a TSDF (66.6%), returning it to the supplier (60.0%), and recycling on-site (60.0%). When asked why they chose the above disposal methods, most of the respondents indicated it was economically cheaper compared to paying a higher cost for transportation. While 33.3% of the nonregistered and 26.7% of the registered businesses disposed of hazardous waste in their garbage, fewer respondents indicated dumping into sewers, evaporation evaporation, change of a liquid into vapor at any temperature below its boiling point. For example, water, when placed in a shallow open container exposed to air, gradually disappears, evaporating at a rate that depends on the amount of surface exposed, the humidity , or using dry wells, which appears t be underreported compared to similar studies. In general, comparison of SQGs an CEGs does not provide clear and convincing evidence clear and convincing evidence n. evidence that proves a matter by the "preponderance of evidence" required in civil cases and beyond the "reasonable doubt" needed to convict in a criminal case. (See: beyond a reasonable doubt) that CEGs by virtue of the regulatory exemptions practice illegal hazardous waste disposal or environmentally unsound unsound said of an animal, usually a horse, which has been examined for soundness and found to be unsatisfactory. management practices. Types of Wastes Produced Figure 1 shows types of wastes produced by percentage of respondents. From the response presented in Figure 1, the majority of the registered (22 or 73.3%) an nonregistered (17 or 94.4%) businesses indicated they produce waste oils. For purposes of this survey, waste oils were categorized cat·e·go·rize tr.v. cat·e·go·rized, cat·e·go·riz·ing, cat·e·go·riz·es To put into a category or categories; classify. cat as products from automotiv and industrial processes and waste fuel oils. The reason why most nonregistered businesses in Benton County produced more waste oil than registered businesses is not fully understood. However, it is speculated that the majority of the nonregistered generators were involved in businesses that generate automotive, industrial, or other types of waste oils to a greater extent than the registere businesses. However, for all SQGs, a similar study on the production of major hazardous wastes indicated that spent, cleaning, degreasing, and stripping solvents commonly used in metal work, plating, vehicle maintenance, and equipment repair shops were the predominant waste stream (16). Quantities of Hazardous Wastes Produced After indicating the types of hazardous wastes generated, respondents were also asked to specify how much of that waste was produced monthly. Figure 2 shows quantities of hazardous waste produced by type (in median gallons per month). Among both registered and nonregistered businesses, the median amount of waste oils produced per month was 50 gallons, while the minimum and maximum amounts o waste oils produced were 1 to 500 gallons per month respectively for the registered businesses and 10 to 7,500 gallons per month for nonregistered businesses. For aqueous liquids, (water soluble wastes, cyanides, spent plating wastes), the median number of gallons generated by registered businesses was 30 This is in sharp contrast to 800 gallons per month reported by nonregistered businesses. An underlying reason for this discrepancy may be that some firms ar not aware of the quantities of wastes they produce. In fact, when businesses were asked how much waste their firms produced, most of the respondents indicated that records of waste quantities were not maintained and their responses were based on estimations. Methods of Disposal Respondents were given a list of disposal methods that some businesses use locally, (including return to supplier, recycle on-site, treatment storage and disposal facility), to discard hazardous wastes. Figure 3 shows the methods of disposal by percent of respondents. The majority of the nonregistered businesse reported disposing of hazardous wastes by returning them to the supplier (14 or 77.8%), recycling on site (13 or 72.2%), and sending to Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facility (TSDF) (12 or 66.7%). On the other hand, among the registered businesses the majority of the respondents indicated sending the wastes to Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facility (TSDF) (20 or 66.7%), returning to supplier (13 or 60.0%), and on-site recycling/reclaiming (18 or 60.0%). The majority of the respondents indicated their choice was economically driven. The usual transportation charge was between $250 to $350, an amount that could impose a real financial burden upon SQGs and CEGs. In addition, numerous small businesses were only marginally successful, and compliance costs could constitute a major loss of financial resources. Overall, 33.3% of the nonregistered and 26.7% of the registered generators indicated disposing of hazardous waste in their garbage. The percentage of respondents who indicated burning, dumping into sewers evaporation, or using dry wells as a means of disposal appears to be underreported when compared to other studies. Conclusion This study looked into the current hazardous waste management and disposal practices among small quantity generators and gathered some results. The majority of the registered and nonregistered businesses indicated they produce waste oils. When respondents were asked to specify the quantities of wastes, most responses were based on estimates. As a result, there appears to be a discrepancy in the quantities of hazardous waste produced among registered and nonregistered businesses. On the issue of hazardous waste disposal facilities, substantial number of businesses indicated disposing of their hazardous wastes by other than regulated methods. However, the preferred method of disposal for the majority of small businesses was to return the materials to the supplier, followed by the use of a licensed TSDF, and on-site recycling and reclamation. Most SQGs and CEGs chose the above methods based on economics, since the cost o transportation or hiring a business consultant to manage the hazardous wastes would impose a financial burden on small businesses. In general, respondents had reservations about the nature of this study. They questioned how the result would be used. Clearly, there was concern about being identified by governmental agencies and fear of possible penalties or legal reprisals REPRISALS, war. The forcibly taking a thing by one nation which belonged to another, in return or satisfaction for a injury committed by the latter on the former. Vatt. B., 2, ch. 18, s. 342; 1 Bl. Com. ch. 7. 2. . However, to mitigate illegal disposal of hazardous waste by SQGs and CEGs, to minimize distrust between small business and government, and to alleviate costly transportation, storage and disposal expenses, serious consideration must be given in the areas of public policy, monitoring and enforcement strategies, public education, and continued research in small quantity hazardous waste management. Before firm conclusions are drawn, several studies should be acknowledged, including the actual number of small businesses registered and exempted and the types of wastes produced and disposed. Because of the small sample size in the study, the extent to which the population of this study is representative of Benton County's small businesses hazardous waste management and disposal practices is unclear. At the time of this study, most of the Oregon hazardous waste management programs were instituted only within the last two years. The effectiveness of the actual program implementation and budgetary considerations may not be determined for awhile a·while adv. For a short time. Usage Note: Awhile, an adverb, is never preceded by a preposition such as for, but the two-word form a while may be preceded by a preposition. . The success of these programs depends on future research to ascertain the effectiveness of legislative proposals, to determine the nature of problems encountered in program implementation, and to develop alternative policies and procedures Policies and Procedures are a set of documents that describe an organization's policies for operation and the procedures necessary to fulfill the policies. They are often initiated because of some external requirement, such as environmental compliance or other governmental for future hazardous waste management and disposal practices throughout the state of Oregon. References 1. U.S. Environ. Protection Agency (1986), "Solving the Hazardous Waste Problem EPA's RCRA RCRA Resource Conservation & Recovery Act of 1976 RCRA Resort and Commercial Recreation Association Program. Report EPA/530-SW-86-037, Washington D.C. 2. Deyle, R.E. (1989), Hazardous Waste Management in Small Business: Regulating and Assisting the Smaller Generator, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, Inc. 3. Assoc. of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) (1985), "The Disposal of Hazardous Wastes by Small Quantity Generators: Magnitude of the Problem" 4. Schwartz, S.l. and Pratt, W.B. (1990), Hazardous Waste from Small Quantity Generation Washington, D.C.: Island Press. 5. Quellette, C. (1990), "Toxic Waste toxic waste is waste material, often in chemical form, that can cause death or injury to living creatures. It usually is the product of industry or commerce, but comes also from residential use, agriculture, the military, medical facilities, radioactive sources, and : Not in Anybody's Back Yard," Utne Reader Utne Reader is an American bimonthly magazine. The magazine collects and reprints articles from generally alternative media sources, including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music, and DVDs. November-December: 36-39. 6. Schanaiberg, A. (1992), Book Reviews Oppositions, Science 255:1586-1587. 7. 7. Oregon Dept. of Environ. Quality (1992), "Hazardous Waste Violations Net Criminal Charges," Beyond Waste : A Haz. and Solid Waste Newsl. 12(1): 1-2, Portland, OR. 8. Kelly, M. (1992), "Waste Storage Gets OSU fined," The Daily Barometer, June 5:1. 9. Oregon Dep. of Environ. Quality (1990), "Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Hazardous Waste Generator Report" (Draft). Portland, OR. 10. Oregon Dept. of Environ. Quality (1991), "Legislative Proposals Update," Beyond Waste: A Haz. and Solid Waste Newsl., 13 (2). Portland, OR. 11. Oregon Dept. of Environ. Quality (1992), "Hazardous Waste Technical Forum," Beyond Waste: A Haz. and Solid Waste Newsl., 14(4). Portland, OR. 12. Keisling, P. (1992), Oregon Blue Book, Salem, OR: Off. of the Secretary of State. 13. Norusis, M.J. (1988), SPSS/PCTVV.2.0 Base Manual, Chicago, IL: SPSS A statistical package from SPSS, Inc., Chicago (www.spss.com) that runs on PCs, most mainframes and minis and is used extensively in marketing research. It provides over 50 statistical processes, including regression analysis, correlation and analysis of variance. Inc. 14. Ctr. for Hazardous Material Research (1987), Hazardous Waste Minimization Manual for Small Quantity Generators in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, PA. Fetene Gebrewold, Ph.D., St. Cloud State University, Dept. of Health & Safety, 720 4th Ave., South, St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498 |
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