There are an assortment of activities that take place toward the end of the year. Aside from the holidays, many companies use this time to do physical counts or clean outs. They may want to dispose of old inventory or equipment from their warehouse before the new year starts. Depending on the product they are dealing with, the cost to recycle, remove, or otherwise dispose of old materials can vary greatly.
Chemical products, due to their nature and potential hazards, typically become the most difficult and costly to dispose of. Old cans of paint, half empty bottles of bleach, or outdated pesticides might seem innocuous, but each one could be considered hazardous once it becomes a waste. All special wastes, whether hazardous or non-hazardous, require specific handling and documentation to meet state and federal disposal requirements. Sometimes, the cost to dispose of an unused chemical product can be more than the original purchase price.
That’s why the best time to be thinking about waste disposal is during procurement. Selecting the right amount of chemical product to meet your needs mitigates costly disposal of the leftovers and limits the risk of the material spilling while in storage for long periods. Buying in bulk might provide the lowest cost per gallon of a liquid chemical, but it might also mean a large unused portion needs disposal later.
Choosing non-hazardous alternatives also reduces spill cleanup and disposal costs, even if they are a bigger up front investment. Chemical products that are safer to handle protect your employees, your facility, and your bottom line. There are many different options available, and doing the research with chemical distributors can pay off in spades.
If your business already has old chemical products taking up space, the best practice is to use what you can and dispose of the rest as soon as possible. Leaving them to deal with in the future only allows the disposal cost go up, and creates the possibility of a spill. The cost of an emergency chemical spill cleanup is multitudes more than proper packing and disposal.
To learn more about how to dispose of outdated chemical products, contact our office and let our team guide you to a safer, clutter free workplace.
Richard Cameron is the CEO of Protect Environmental Services.
Protect Environmental Services, Inc. (PESI) is your best-in-class “clutch” performer when you need a First Responder. PESI tackle & remediate the most dangerous chemical spills & removal of hazardous waste. In fact, our pursuit of safety & rapid response for environmental sustainability surpasses ALL other environmental service companies. PESI has been rapidly responding to emergency environmental calls in North Central Texas since 1996.
Richard is also a published author of the “Ebola Response Procedures.” Additionally, he is considered an expert witness to many litigation and mediation cases. He works with multiple law enforcement agencies in forensics to hunt down illegal dumping perpetrators.