Chemical Waste Control in Hong Kong

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Chemical Waste ControlinHong Kong
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Major Hazardous Properties of Chemical Waste

• Flammable
• Toxic
• Corrosive
• Oxidizing

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Handling/Disposal of Chemical Waste Before Control

• Minority co-disposal at landfill under
• controlled manner
• Majority indiscriminate disposal into sewers,
• drains, or together with normal refuse
• Problem

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Hazards of Chemical Waste
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Implementation of Chemical Waste Control Scheme

• Main piece of regulation Waste Disposal
  (Chemical
• Waste) (General) Regulation under the Waste
• Disposal Ordinance
• Waste Disposal Ordinance is the main ordinance
  for
• controlling most types of wastes
• The Regulation implemented in two phases i.e.
  Phase
• I in end 1992 and full control in mid 1993
• Phase I covers mainly asbestos and tannery
  off-cuts
• which are disposed of at existing landfill
• Full control in-line with the commissioning of
  the
• Chemical Waste Treatment Centre

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Objectives of Chemical Waste Control

• Chemical wastes handled, stored, collected and
• disposed of properly
• Cradle-to-grave control from waste producer to
• disposal facility
• Waste producer registration, proper packaging,
  labelling and storage of chemical wastes
• Collector controlled through licence, comply
  with
• licence standards
• Disposal facility controlled through licence,
  comply with treatment/discharge standards

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What is Chemical Waste ?

• Section 3 of Regulation
• (a) Scrap material
• (b) Effluent
• (c) An unwanted substance or by-product
  arising
• from the application of or in the course
  of any
• process or trade activity
• AND specified in Schedule 1 of the Regulation
• AND in such a form, quantity or concentration
• so as to cause pollution or constitute a danger
  to
• health or risk of pollution to the environment
• Household chemical waste exempted
• Containers with chemical waste residue is also
• chemical waste

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Schedule 1 of the CWR

• Divided into Part A and Part B
• Part A Waste
• require prior notification to EPD
• need to follow EPDs direction
• very toxic
• environmentally persistent
• require special disposal arrangement

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• Part B Waste
• no prior notification
• common types of waste
• organic solvents
• acids
• alkalis
• heavy metals
• others

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Schedule 1 of the CWR
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Booklets
http//www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/
waste/guide_ref/guide_cwc.html
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Cradle-to-Grave Control

• Trip ticket system employed for control
• Each party involved i.e. producer, collector
• and disposal facility has its respective legal
  
• responsibilities under the laws

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Chemical Waste Control Scheme
Waste Producer
Waste Collector
Waste Disposal Facility
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Trip Ticket System

• Consignment note in triplicate
• Keep track of the movement of chemical waste
  from
• the point of generation to the point of final
  disposal
• Each party fill in the appropriate parts during
• consignment of chemical waste
• Each party should keep a copy (for at least 12
• months) for future reference if necessary
• The collector and disposal facility required to
• summarize the trip ticket data in electronic
  file and
• submit to EPD

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Trip-ticket System
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Trip Ticket
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Duties of Waste Producer

• Register with EPD as a waste producer
• Package chemical waste in proper containers
• Label chemical waste containers
• Store chemical waste properly
• Consign the chemical waste to a licensed
  collector.
• Fill in trip ticket for every consignment and
  retain
• one copy

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Registration of Chemical Waste Producers

• to identify and locate the various types of waste
  producers in Hong Kong so that EPD can monitor
  and ensure that they comply with the legal
  requirements and
• to maintain a public register of waste producers
  as required under s.6(2) of the CWR
• Information includes .
• The names of producers of chemical waste
• the location of the premises where the chemical
  waste is produced and
• A description of the business or activity in the
  course of or in connection with which the
  chemical waste is produced.

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Packaging of Chemical waste

• Containers should be in good condition and
• free from corrosion, contamination, damage
• or any other defect
• Containers should be securely closed or sealed
• In general, different waste types should be in
• different containers, especially for
  incompatible
• wastes

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• For using containers with capacity larger than
  450L,
• prior approval from EPD required which would
  be
• assessed considering the size, design, leakage
  control,
• alarm system etc.
• For wastes in solid and bulky form such as
  asbestos
• waste and PCB contaminated equipment, heavy
  duty
• and leak-proof plastic bags/sheets could be
  used.

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Material of containers should be compatible with
the chemical waste to be store

• The containers should meet specified performance
  
• standards including drop test, leak proof
  test,
• internal pressure (hydraulic) test and
  stacking test

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Labelling of Containers

• Every container should bear an appropriate label

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• The information entered should be correct and
• accurate (i.e. particular risks, safety
  precautions)
• The combined size of the words "CHEMICAL
• WASTE" and characters "????" should not be
• less than 1/20th of the area of the label. For
  the
• small-size labels, the minimum size of the
  characters
• should be around 5mm high
• The label should be securely attached to the
• container and the information could be easily
  seen
• It is recommended to attach two labels on
  opposite
• side of the container

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• The label should be of appropriate dimensions

• The waste code is a general code to indicate the
  
• nature of the chemical waste contained. More
• details can be found from EPDs booklet A
  Guide
• to the Registration of Chemical Waste
  Producers

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• The hazard symbol is used to indicate the major
• hazard of the chemical waste contained
• The size of symbol should not be less than
  one-tenth
• of the area of the label and in no case shall
  it be less
• than 500mm2 (i.e. 25mm x 25mm)

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Hazard Symbols
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Some examples of appropriate hazard symbols
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Labelling of Waste
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Storage

• Stored at a proper area
• Best be located within the same premises and
  close
• to the source of waste generation
• If not, find another area on the same floor or
  within
• the same building
• Used for storage of chemical waste only
• Enclosed on at least three sides
• Height not less than two meters or the total
  height of
• containers in stack, whichever is the less

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• Adequate ventilation in the area to prevent
• accumulation of dangerous vapor
• No connection from the area to any surface drain
  
• or foul sewers
• Adequate space within the area for containers
• handling by workers
• Should not obstruct any means of escape
• If not within a building, provided with a roof
  or
• similar covering to prevent rain and reduce
  heat

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• The area should be kept clean and dry
• For liquid chemical waste, an impermeable floor
• or surface (such as epoxy resin)
• For liquid chemical wastes, a retention
  structure
• with suitable capacity

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Containers of incompatible chemical wastes must
not be stored together, and should be stored
in different compartments separated by wall
or partition
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• Stacking of containers inside the storage area
  is
• allowed provided that the wall or partition is
  
• impermeable the stacks are secure so as to
• prevent falling and the containers are
  stacked
• with each of them in the normal upright
• position
• Each chemical waste storage area should display
• a hazard warning panel, notice or marking at
• the entrance of the area. Such warning panel /
  
• notice / marking should

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• indicate the English words and Chinese
• characters CHEMICAL WASTE and ??
• ?? clearly and boldly in red on a white
• background with a letter/character size of not
  
• less than 60 mm high
• be securely attached to or worked on a vertical
• plane of the storage structure
• be weather resistant and rigid
• be kept clean and free from obstruction

CHEMICAL WASTES ????
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Typical Chemical Waste Storage Area
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For small waste producers
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Chemical Waste Storage Area
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Chemical Waste Storage Area
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Collection of Chemical Waste

• Collector licensed under the Waste Disposal
• Ordinance
• Submit a duly completed form together with an
• Operational Plan which provides details of
• operation including types and no. of
  collection
• vehicles/vessels, collection arrangements,
• staffing, waste handling and emergency
  response
• actions etc.

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• Two types of collection licence i.e. in-house
  and
• off-site
• In-house licence is for collection of chemical
• waste produced by the licensee
• Off-site licence is for the provision of
  chemical
• waste collection

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• Licensed collector can only collect chemical
• waste from registered chemical waste producers
  
• and deliver the waste to disposal facilities
• specified in the licence
• The collection should be operated in accordance
• with the licence terms and conditions
• Most updated list of chemical waste collectors
• can be found from EPDs website at
• http//www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentin
  hk/
• waste/guide_ref/ref_cw.html

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Collection Vehicle/Vessel

• The collection vehicle/vessel should be equipped
  
• with

• fire extinguishers
• Tremcards (Transport Emergency
• Card) of the chemical wastes being
• carried

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• Bear the following warning panels at the front
• and rear of the vehicle or on each side of the
  
• vessel

• Each panel shall have a black border in yellow
• background. Words shall be at least 60 mm
• high.

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• A NO SMOKING ???? notice with the
• English capitals and Chinese characters at
  least
• 60 mm high shall be prominently displayed on
• each side of the vehicle/vessel
• This instruction shall be complied with by the
  
• driver or transport personnel during the
• collection operation

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Typical Collection Vehicle
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Disposal of Chemical Waste

• There are two types of disposal facilities i.e.
  in-
• house and off-site
• In-house disposal facilities can only treat
  those
• chemical waste produced by the licensee.
  Mainly
• found in factories producing large quantities
  of
• chemical wastes such as bleaching dyeing,
• electroplating
• Off-site disposal facility can treat chemical
• wastes produced by other chemical waste
• producers. The largest one is the Chemical
• Waste Treatment Centre at Tsing Yi

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Chemical Waste Treatment Centre (CWTC)
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• Another government facility is the SENT
  landfill,
• which mainly accepts solid chemical wastes
• Other off-site facilities are mainly recycling
• plants i.e. recycle spent oil, recover
  precious
• metals form electroplating solutions or
• photofinishing waste
• Disposal facility can only receive chemical
• wastes from a licensed collector
• The disposal facility should be operated in
• accordance with the licence terms and
• conditions.

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Thank You