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4. Anticipate Waste Management Challenges

Following a large-scale release of a toxic chemical, response and recovery operations will likely generate very large quantities of both hazardous and non-hazardous waste, depending on the release media and the chemical type. This volume of waste is created by materials directly contaminated with the substance itself as well as environmental remediation and personal and equipment decontamination activities. Waste minimization strategies that focus on recycling, reuse, and reclamation should be considered whenever possible to reduce the waste management burden. While such options will have initial costs, the benefit in terms of elimination of future potential liability is often worth these added costs.52

Management of large quantities of hazardous waste may prove challenging, especially when the waste contains evidence (e.g., in suspected or confirmed intentional incidents), and may further drain resources already taxed by other response and recovery efforts. The treatment, storage, handling, transportation, and disposal of waste materials is subject to a variety of local, regional, and national laws, regulations, and ordinances, some of which are discussed throughout this section. Most urban area landfills and disposal sites do not have the proper permitting to handle chemically contaminated waste, and their waste transportation systems are not equipped to handle the types and quantities of waste generated by chemical incident response and remediation activities. The lack of local capability could significantly expand the recovery timeline if planners have not already considered alternatives for waste management needs (including transportation), as discussed in KPF 1, “Prime the Pump” Pre-Event Planning.

Permanent disposal options for hazardous waste include recycling; physical, chemical or biological treatment to render the waste non-hazardous; incineration; and disposal in specially designed landfills (see Appendix H for more information). Even with pre-planning, however, completing arrangements for the permanent disposition of waste materials may require a great deal of time and could delay other aspects of the recovery. Therefore, plans for temporary waste storage should also be explored. Considerations for such options should include the anticipated quantity or volume of waste, especially if it can be considered a hazardous waste; the compatibility of the waste with the storage container in question; whether any odor or vapors may be released into the atmosphere; and any chemical reactions that could take place.52 Some details regarding waste storage and disposal options following oil releases are presented in Section 4.3.

Chemical types can have repercussions on hazardous waste processing and disposal.

Management of large quantities of hazardous waste will prove challenging and further drain resources.

Footnotes

52. National Fire Protection Association. (2018). NFPA 472: Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents.; National Fire Protection Association. (2017). NFPA 1072: Standard for Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Emergency Response Personnel Professional Qualifications.