Seattle is often affectionately called The Emerald City. Although it does rain often, the truth is those cloudy, wet days make for vibrant green flora.
The nickname is also appropriate on an environmental level. Seattleites are dedicated to earth-friendly practices and, in our experience, they want to do their best to help take care of ecosystems. However, many Seattle residents and business owners may be unaware of which waste materials are considered toxic.
That’s why we’re providing this list of hazardous waste to look out for in your home, business, or neighborhood in Seattle. If you need immediate professional assistance, contact WasteXpress for a free fast quote within 24 hours.
Examples of Hazardous Waste Materials Found in Seattle
Light Bulbs
Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFL), high-intensity discharge bulbs (HID), and light emitting diode bulbs (LED) can sometimes contain poisonous mercury and should not be thrown into the trash or recycling bin.
Medical Waste
Thermometers can hold toxic materials like mercury. Other medical waste materials you may find around the house are discarded blood, sharps, unwanted microbiological cultures, and stocks. Used bandages, scrubs, discarded gloves, and other medical supplies that have been in contact with blood should also be considered.
Flammable Solutions, Aerosol Cans & Solvents
Flammable solutions, solvents, and aerosol cans are sometimes ignitable and will need to be recycled appropriately since they are accordingly due to most being made of metal, glass, or plastic. Some adhesives like super glue and rubber cement are considered hazardous because they’re ignitable as well.
Unused & Outdated Electronics
PCs, laptops, tablets, cell phones, computer monitors, printers, televisions, stereos, video game consoles, batteries, and other household electronics contain hazardous materials such as lead and mercury. Cathode ray tubes (CRTs) found in many older electronics largely contribute to today’s e-waste problem worldwide.
Paint Waste
Any old thinners, epoxies, primers, enamels, stains, paint rags, and brushes that contain certain metallic pigments or fortifiers that are regulated as hazardous waste. These regulated metals include cadmium, chromium, lead, silver, barium, mercury, arsenic, and selenium.
Building Materials
Hazardous building materials like asbestos, lead, mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) are found in buildings of any age or condition.
Additionally, any substance that is listed in state disposal laws or the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) must be treated as a hazardous substance. The government categorizes hazardous waste in “D”,“F,” “P,” “K,” or “U” waste categories. Even if a substance is not on this list but it has characteristics of a dangerous material (i.e. ignitability, corrosiveness, toxic, or otherwise reactive), then it must also be treated as a hazardous waste and special disposal laws apply.
This is a complex area of law. These are only the first couple of steps taken to characterizing waste. To be truly compliant – RCRA, CERCLA, EPA, OSHA, DOT, and more – we recommend contracting with a professional hazardous waste management company.
Outsource Your Seattle Hazardous Waste with WasteXpress
For Seattle business owners, WasteXpress can arrange cost-effective waste disposal services that adhere to compliance and environmentally-friendly practices. This includes routinely conducting customer site work such as filter swap outs, scrubber cleanings to confined space tank entries, demolitions, and decontaminations.
For one-off waste, such as expired inventory, we offer the Conditional Exempt Generator program, in which our technicians categorize all waste, prorate disposal fees by the gallon, and follow all DOT and RCRA regulations to remove and properly dispose of the waste. We leave your business clean, with all the necessary documentation required to follow the letter of the law. In order to qualify for this program, businesses must create less than 220 pounds of waste per month, or less than 2200 pounds at a time.
As a fully bonded, insured, and licensed waste management in Washington, WasteXpress can handle any amount of hazardous waste the right way. We’ll protect your business, as well as the environment, in effort to create a more enjoyable and healthier life for each Seattleite.
Call 855-224-3206 or fill out our online form to get a free estimate within 24 hours.
