What is Hazardous Waste?

Any type of waste which contains properties that could make it harmful to the environment or human health may be classed as hazardous waste.  Defining hazardous waste however is not quite as simple as this.  There are however a number of different properties that can make waste hazardous, and waste can be classed as hazardous whether the potential harm to the human health or the environment would occur straight away or over a duration of time.

Characteristics to look out for when trying to determine whether or not a particular type of waste may be classed as hazardous include irritant, flammable, infectious, toxic, harmful, carcinogenic, mutagenic, oxidising agents and ecotixic.  Some examples of items that are classed as hazardous waste include the following:

• asbestos
• solvents
• lead-acid batteries
• pesticides
• fluorescent tubes
• fridges
• televisions

To help determine whether or not a particular waste is hazardous, there are two main documents.  The first of these is the European Waste Catalogue (EWC) which contains a list of all wastes, which are grouped according to industry and process.  Each waste type has an individual six digit identification code and those which are hazardous are identified with an asterisk.  The second document is the Technical Guidance Document WM2.  The WM2 document provides guidance to help during the actual classification process.

There are two different categories of hazardous waste under the European Waste Catalogue - absolute entries and mirror entries.     

Absolute Entries - Absolute entries are wastes that are always classed as hazardous waste, such as asbestos.   

Mirror Entries - Mirror entries are wastes that may or may not be classed as hazardous depending on the concentration of hazardous elements within the waste.