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The 6 Different Types of Hazardous Waste Materials

The 6 Different Types of Hazardous Waste Materials
There are different types of hazardous waste materials that pose varying degrees of danger to public safety. Hazwoper training courses helps students not only identify these hazardous waste materials, but also teaches them how to control and reduce them:

  • Nuclear Waste: This type of waste is primarily generated from nuclear power plants. Its extreme danger arises from the fact that the radioactive materials present in nuclear wastes have an extremely long half life.
  • Industrial Waste: It is evident that many solvents and cleaners used in commercial and industrial processes become hazardous wastes after their use. The EPA has specific technical groupings based on whether they come from specific or non-specific industries or processes as well as the degree of danger they pose.
  • Universal Waste: This particular type of waste is created from a large variety of sources. Furthermore, it consists of products that serve both personal as well as commercial use, for instance, light bulbs and batteries. Hence, these waste products in turn create huge landfills and incinerators where their toxic components are released into the environment.
  • Medical Waste: The EPA however, does not strictly designate medical waste as hazardous. But, it definitely can cause health problems if it is not properly managed.
  • Construction Waste: Lead pipes and certain chemicals used in maintenance all fall into this category. Hence, the construction industry needs to be aware of these hazards.
  • Electronic Waste: Many electronic products contain hazardous materials that can pose problems if incinerated. But, its their unregulated disposal that makes them a real contributor to the overall hazardous waste dilemma.
Overall, Hazwoper training courses helps workers lead safer lives.

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