What is Hazardous Waste Disposal?

Hazardous waste is a growing problem in the world, both in the amount of hazardous waste
products that are produced and the increasing problem of where to store it and how to resolve it.
An entire industry has grown up around the issue, and they are regulated by the EPA. The
Environmental Protection Agency seeks to protect both the environment and human health
through regulating business practices. Waste disposal and management companies are the arm of
the waste industry that deal with the collection and remediation of waste.
Hazardous waste can be anything from certain chemicals to waste products that cannot
biodegrade to medical waste and radioactive waste too. It can also include waste that when it
does breakdown causes a toxic byproduct. Hazardous waste disposal is the process in which
waste is collected, removed and then remediated. To remediate waste means to either transform it
into a safe waste product through treatment, isolation or recycling. The end of the process
requires that the hazardous waste be effectively neutralized and kept from being able to degrade
and enter the environment.
Products such as oils, paints, batteries require special care when you dispose of them as they may
be toxic, flammable/combustible, explosive, reactive or corrosive. These hazardous wastes can
be liquids, solids or gases and can pollute the environment and pose a threat to human health.
They should not be dumped in the landfills with other waste products. Improper disposal of such
products can result in pouring them down the drain, or on the ground, or in river, or in the
landfills. They need to disposed off carefully to prevent hazards to human and environmental
health.

13 Best US Companies That Do Hazardous Waste Disposal

The hazardous waste industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the business world. These
companies represent a heavy investment in processes and training to allow for effective removal
and remediation of hazardous waste. The best 13 US companies that do hazardous waste disposal
are listed below.
1. Stericycle Inc. Stericycle is very unusual in that one of its greatest services it offers with
hazardous waste is in the management of product recalls with medical and pharmaceutical
products. As a part of this service, they also help to manage and reduce risks associated with
recalls to protect the overall brand image as well. Stericycle also focuses on the general removal
and destruction of hazardous medical waste too.
2. Clean Harbors Clean Harbors is a continental region company with offices and response
teams in place across North America. On the average they handle over 3,000 environmental
emergencies a year from oil spills to wild fires. They focus on environmental, energy industry
and industrial waste remediation.
3. Republic Services Inc. Republic has been making the news lately with the success of their
use of landfills to produce solar energy. They use a proprietary capture system that allows solar
panels to combine the power of the sun with the heat produced by landfills to generate energy
resources. Their first plant, located at a landfill in Texas, produces enough power each year to
meet the needs of over 5,000 homes.
4. Waste Management Inc. the largest US company i.e. Waste Management is the best known.
They provide services across all sectors of industry, and residential waste management too. They
work with communities to design management programs, and to promote education about the
waste cycle. They are noted for taking steps to reduce their own waste by using vehicles with
reduced carbon-emissions too.
5. Rumpke Consolidated Companies Inc. Rumpke Waste is a company that is based out of
Ohio and has been in the removal and remediation business since 1932. They are a regional
company and only serve the immediate surrounding states. The area that they serve is densely
populated with industries that create hazardous waste, which is why they are included on this list.
6. Recology Inc. Founded in 1996, Recology has a focus on the removal and remediation of
food waste. While many people dont think of food waste as hazardous, the potential for health
risks through spoiling and contamination are great. This West Coast company has been in
business for several decades and is making a name for itself through promoting food waste
management to reduce waste production in the industry.
7. Advanced Disposal Services LLC Advanced Disposal is one of the largest and best known
of the hazardous waste disposal companies. They provide services nationwide to residential,
commercial and government entities. Their educational program on waste management,
recycling and the waste remediation has made them one of the leaders in education to change the
nature of how the country views waste production.
8. Covanta Energy Corporation Covanta is a specialty waste company. They almost
exclusively deal with EfW, this is energy from waste. This can take the form of everything from
capturing and converting methane gas from sewage for power, to using waste disposal as a
means to generate alternative energy resources too. They work primarily with local and federal
agencies, and communities too to create better waste remediation processes.
9. Waste Connections Inc. Waste Connections focuses exclusively on serving rural and
secondary markets that have different needs in waste management and remediation compared to
the urban markets. Their process of streamlining the life cycle of waste has won them much
recognition, and they have also developed a waste management process that is done entirely on
site.
10. Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. Progressive keeps its focus more on urban waste
management with a heavy residential and commercial service department. They use dumpsters
and collections for remediation gathering. They are also one of the prime LEED waste
management companies around. This means that their teams are found on almost all major
construction and health facility sites to help meet LEED requirements for the management of
hazardous waste.
11. OC Waste & Recycling OC Waste & Recycling is the department that serves the Countys
solid waste disposal needs by providing waste management services, protecting the environment,
and promoting recycling in order to ensure a safe and healthy community for current and future
generations. It manages one of the nations premiere solid waste disposal systems serving
residents and businesses.

12. Hazardous Waste Experts Hazardous Waste Experts is a subsidiary of Pegasus

Sustainability Solutions, Inc. It provides services to commercial and industrial customers.
Hazardous Waste Experts is the choice for fast, compliant, low-cost and sustainable solutions to
your hazardous waste removal challenges. They are experts in hazardous materials (Hazmat) and
toxic waste as well.
13. Veolia Veolias mission is to resource the world, by providing innovative environmental
solutions in energy, water and waste. Veoliaembraces this future by developing access to,
preserving and replenishing the worlds resources. Its mission is to resource the world, helping
their customers address their environmental and sustainability challenges in energy, water and
waste

What are Hazardous Waste Products

1. Fluorescent tubes and CFLs
2. Fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides and pesticides
3. Batteries and Electronics (TV, laptop, inverter, cell phones, desktop computer, fax machines,
printers, MP3 player, cartridges, toner)
4. Paint products (water bases, solvent based)
5. Automotive products (gasoline, motor oil, polish, wax)
6. Universal materials (thermometers and thermostats)
7. Needles and lancets
8. Asbestos
9. Disinfectants
10. Spot removers
11. Gas cylinders
12. Acids
13. Adhesives and glues
14. Ammunition and ammonia
15. Rat and mouse poison
These are just few hazardous waste products. For complete list, have a look at a list of hazardous
wastes products available on EPA website
Most hazardous waste cannot be reclaimed or re-purposed. It is often neutralized through
processing or treatment, and then stored through burial, or isolated in containers so that as it
degrades the hazardous material will not enter the environment at a later stage. There is a
growing focus on the beginning of the hazardous waste cycle and creating alternatives to the
hazardous material so that less is used and introduced to the environment as a waste product.