Do I Need to Segregate My Waste?

Safely and responsibly managing waste is one of the many everyday tasks for businesses, and one key part of this is correctly segregating different waste streams. Waste segregation is the process of separating different types of waste based on their properties, origin, and how they should be disposed of. There are several different reasons why this is so important, particularly for the various types of hazardous waste that we collect here at Oil Salvage.

The main reason for correctly segregating waste is to ensure that each waste stream can be individually dealt with in the most efficient and safe manner for that particular waste. When different waste streams are mixed it can often be very difficult and sometimes impossible for them to be separated again, meaning that some or all components of the waste can’t be recycled as they should be. When this happens it drastically increases the risk of the waste ending up in landfills or being fly-tipped, which can have a huge detrimental impact on our environment, particularly for hazardous wastes like oil and coolant.

Ensuring as much waste as possible is recycled and given a new lease of life is crucial for reducing the environmental impact of the waste we produce, but as mentioned, once different wastes are mixed recycling them becomes an infinitely more complex task than recycling them alone. At our re-refinery, we’re able to process a variety of different waste mineral oils back into a base oil, but when waste oil has been incorrectly stored and becomes contaminated with water, coolant, or a variety of other chemicals, the cost of processing the waste oil increases significantly, and in some cases, may not be able to pass through our re-refinery at all.

Aside from making the recycling process much easier, there are also legal obligations under the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 that require businesses to correctly segregate their waste. This is to ensure it doesn’t contaminate other waste streams, but also so the waste is correctly documented from origin to disposal through what’s known as a consignment note. The consignment note contains both the SIC code, which describes the business activity that produced the waste, and the EWC code which categorises what the waste is, and failure to have accurate or complete consignment notes is a legal offence that can result in large fines and even prosecution.

Incorrectly segregated waste not only causes environmental harm, but also physical danger to those storing it, collecting it, and processing it. Hazardous waste is often toxic, flammable, corrosive or dangerous in other ways, so when mixed with other waste or wrongly labelled it may be handled incorrectly or react with other wastes. There are a variety of reasons this can be dangerous, such as incompatible substances mixing to create fumes, explosions or chemical reactions, storage containers not being suitable for what they are holding and becoming damaged, contaminated or leaking, or the waste being processed incorrectly by those unaware of what it really is.

As mentioned earlier, mixed and contaminated waste is very difficult to collect and process correctly, and with the increased difficulty comes increased costs for several different reasons. Firstly, during transportation mixed waste such as oily water must be kept separate from ‘clean’ waste to stop the spread of further contamination, which drastically increases the transportation costs. Once the waste has returned to the processing site, there is then the cost of actually separating mixed waste, and whilst some may just require time-consuming physical separation, others require chemical treatment and costly mechanical processing. If the waste isn’t something that can be separated, then a specialist company may need to come in and handle its disposal, which can be very expensive depending on the nature of the waste.

Besides cost savings, waste segregation can also benefit businesses by keeping their premises tidy and organised. Here at Oil Salvage, we provide clearly labelled bins and drums for each waste stream we collect, ensuring the hassle and confusion is taken away from your waste segregation and all waste is stored how it should be.

If you ever have any questions about correctly segregating your garage waste, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team who’ll be happy to advise on what waste we can take and how to safely store your waste.