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What Hazardous Waste Does Your Business Produce?
What Hazardous Waste Does Your Business Produce?
The commercial workplace is no stranger to hazardous waste. The only reason you may not have noticed which items are hazardous in your commercial premises before is because they’re such a common sight.
Whether they’re harmful for humans or the environment, there is a reason this waste type needs to be handled carefully and disposed of in an even more careful manner. In this article, we’ll tour around the different portions of a commercial premises and list off the items you need to give greater consideration to when it comes to disposal.
Office
Just your everyday office space, you might think, but there are still a number of hazardous materials which require special care once you want to throw them out. There are some obvious culprits here, but some you may not have thought about before.
Start with the most obvious: ink cartridges from the printer. Almost every office will have a printer, some of them quite large, which means there are residual ink chemicals. How about batteries? A recycling scheme for these might be the best bet, since you definitely can’t throw them in the normal waste bin.
Finally, electronics. Whether it’s a computer monitor or a desk fan, these items count as WEEE and should be disposed of separately to normal waste in order to safeguard the environment against various components.
Warehouse
Warehouses see regular use by people coming and going, so knowing where the hazards are is key. This applies to waste in these areas too, of which, petrol and flammable liquids are probably the most common.
Proper consideration should be given for where these items are disposed of, including gas cylinders, which can be recycled, and fluorescent lights. The later of these items could contain mercury, which is why they should be handled and disposed of with care.
Construction site
Whatever it is you’re building, a construction site will have all sorts of waste which needs to be separated and disposed of. There are numerous hazardous wastes to consider, including asbestos containing materials, which can be a serious and fatal health hazard for humans.
Other materials you might want to keep an eye out for include paints and oils, as well as pesticides if your construction site involves any landscaping or garden cultivation. These can all be bad for both humans and the general environment if not taken care of properly.
Kitchen
Many buildings will contain some kind of kitchen, which usually means there will be an number of electronic appliances you can’t get rid of. Refrigerators contain dangerous gases, making it doubly important to take care when disposing of one.
Since plenty of cooking will be done – especially in a kitchen with industrial capacities – the use of cooking oil will be more prominent. This can be a huge fire hazard if it is not disposed of in accordance with the law. Similarly, bleach is a cleaning material which will no doubt be present in a kitchen if you’re a clean bunch, but make sure you use the right waste channel when disposing of any harmful chemicals such as this.
For another look across your commercial premises, and to help you spot where the hazardous waste might be on your site, take a look at the interactive graphic representation from Brown Recycling – the experts in managing hazardous waste.
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What our clients say about us
“We are hugely grateful to Brown Recycling for their help on DIY SOS: The Big Build in Stoke. Dave and the team went above and beyond to clear the site and then bring in other suppliers who also supported this great cause. Thanks to the generosity of countless suppliers and volunteers, Stoke now has a community centre that will support its residents for many years to come.”
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Excellent service on a recent Hazardous waste removal from one of our sites. Paddy and Stacey wasted no time in arranging for our waste to be removed in surprisingly quick turnaround. 10/10...
1 week ago -
Hired a skip to clear a huge pile of garden waste. Arrived on time, picked up bang on time, dead easy to book and pay. Courteous, helpful drivers. Job done! just as it should be, without drama. Highly...
1 month ago -
Very professional service and the customer service team are very helpful and knowledgeable. We have been working with browns and using their services for a number of years and cannot fault it. Very co...
1 month ago -
Terry was very efficient. We will use brown for skips again...
2 months ago -
Had problems with getting the skip into our drive but Browns persisted and 3 trucks later the 3rd driver got the job done. Incredible service from a very professional and competent company. Special me...
2 months ago -
Really efficient service, competitive price and they dropped off skip exactly where we asked them to. Easy to book a skip over the weekend using their online booking system. Very helpful when we nee...
3 months ago -
I ordered a skip at short notice and it arrived as requested. Having finished with it early Terry came and collected it very promptly which freed up the driveway. A Good service and reasonably priced....
3 months ago -
Brilliant service - I booked for the wrong date, but Browns were really helpful and changed the booking at the last minute....
3 months ago -
We chose Brown Recycling because out of the firms we rang the lady on the end of the phone knew exactly what we needed and was very helpful. ( Yes you can place a skip in a council paying car park) A...
4 months ago -
A big thanks to Phil, always helpful and polite when collecting cardboard, nothing too much trouble ....
5 months ago -
Christie has been great in providing us with a total review of our waste services on site. If you are looking at reviewing your waste service then I would highly recommend that you reach out to her as...
6 months ago -
really fast and a easy process. Thank you Christie...
6 months ago -
Christie has been most helpful and informative whilst booking a new service for plastic and general waste recycling. Would recommend :)...
6 months ago -
Christie was very helpful, she managed the whole process very efficiently and met our expectations. We now have the service and commercial offering we need for our business waste. We would recommend...
9 months ago -
Quick and really reliable service.... was a pleasure dealing with Christie!!!...
9 months ago -
Requested amendment to current waste collection. Very helpful and was able to answer all queries and adapt to our requirements. Definitely recommend...
10 months ago -
We had a visit today from Mark and Andy dropping off our new waste bin. I would just like to acknowledge their outstanding customer service. They disposed of the built up waste that we had gathered si...
11 months ago -
Full marks to Andy and Mark. Went above and beyond today and would highly recommend them to anybody looking to recycle large quantities of waste. Professional, efficient and very approachable...
11 months ago -
First time using Browns, they were clear, efficient and got the job done. Will continue to use their services....
1 year ago -
New to sorting a bin service for our new business. Christie and Brown Recyling has been great with helping us select the right type of bin required as well as not overspending for the sake of it. He...
1 year ago -
Super easy to set up a long term skip hire, Christie made things nice and clear and the prices were good too! everything was ready to go really quick, highly recommend Browns...
1 year ago