The Challenges of Hazardous Waste Disposal

Hazardous waste disposal can be a problem ____ the companies that generate the waste. ___ this reason

most companies contract the work out ___ specialists who have the trained and experienced personnel, as

well as the equipment and machinery, to deal ___ the problem.

Hazardous waste collection and disposal becomes necessary as a result ___ spills, or because it is

generated ___ a particular process. Some industries, such as the oil and gas industry, as well as the

chemical industry generate a lot of hazardous waste ___ the course of their business. All of it has to be

properly and safely dealt ___.

The companies who are contracted to deal with the waste are required to have licensed facilities where they

can transfer and treat contaminated waste. They also need to have the proper trained and experienced

personnel to carry ___ any collecting, cleaning and disposal operation that may be required.If a company

produces contaminated or hazardous waste in excess ___ 500 kilograms or 500 liters in any one year they

are required to register ___ the Environment Agency ___ the UK. This means that they will also need the

services of a registered waste disposal specialist ___ a contractual basis.

Should a company produce less than the stated amount ___ hazardous or contaminated waste, it still has to

be dealt with in the appropriate manner; even though they don't need to register ___ the Environment

Agency. They are required to have a consignment note ___ the collection and movement of hazardous and

contaminated waste. The consignment note identifies the type of waste being dealt with and it also tracks its

movement. This ensures a greater degree ___ safety ___ all those involved, as well as ___ the general

public.

In short, hazardous waste disposal is big business. Our ever increasing demand ___ products that produce

these wastes, as a necessary part of their production, shows no signs of letting ___. This means that those

who specialize ___ hazardous waste collection and disposal are likely to have plenty of work to keep them

busy ___ a long time to come.

Exercise 5. Complete the texts with active vocabulary

Text 1

A) hazardous products

B) hazardous products

C) handling

D) disposing of it

E) solid waste

F) pollution or waste

G) effluents

H) are faced with

I) at the source

J) landfills

K) to improve performance

Pollution Prevention (or P2 as it is sometimes called) is an approach that any size or type of organization can

apply to both 1._______________ and save money. In its simplest explanation, it is captured by the familiar

saying, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. If a company doesnʼt create 2.____________, it

doesnʼt have to devote time and resources to storing, 3.___________, transporting, treating or

4.____________. Pollution prevention includes conserving water and energy, "green" purchasing, efficient

use of raw materials, replacing 5.__________ with less hazardous ones, and modifying processes to reduce

waste and pollution.

How small and medium-sized businesses manage environmental issues has been undergoing rapid change

as businesses 6. ______________r estrictions on what can be sent to 7.______________, what chemicals

can be used and what can go down drains. While many businesses struggle to comply with these new

restrictions, some have embraced them as opportunities 8._____________. And some businesses have

reached the leading edge of environmentally responsible companies across the country.

These companies have a different attitude towards dealing with pollution, whether it is 9._______________,

emissions into the workplace/atmosphere, or 10.___________ destined for sewers. The company owners/

managers and their staff understand the advantages that result from changing workplace practices,

behaviours, and technologies, and that it really just makes "good business sense" to improve their

environmental performance. Many are using a Pollution Prevention approach, reducing pollution

11._____________, to improve their performance.

Text 2

A) charge

B) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

C) facility

D) handled and stored

E) hazardous waste

F) dumping hazardous waste

G) disposed of

H) paying the fees

I) Communities

J) dumps

The rules surrounding hazardous waste are overseen in the U.S. by the federal 1.______________ as well

as state departments of environmental protection. EPA requires that 2.________________ be handled with

special precautions and be 3.____________ in designated facilities located throughout the United States,

which 4.___________ for their services. Many towns have special collection days for household hazardous

waste.

A common hazardous waste 5.______________ is one that stores the waste in sealed containers in the

ground. Less toxic waste that is unlikely to migrate, like soil with lead, is sometimes allowed to remain in

place under the ground and then be sealed with a cap of hard clay. 6.______________ may eventually

decide to use these sites for golf courses or parks, or to label them “brownfields” sites, suitable for

commercial or industrial uses.

Violations, like 7.______________ in town dumps to avoid 8._______________ charged by waste

transporters and waste facilities, may result in hefty fines.

EPA began regulating hazardous waste in 1976. Many toxic waste 9.____________ that pose a threat to

communities today are holdovers from the era prior to 1976. Other waste sites are the result of more recent

illegal dumping.

The federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act regulates how hazardous waste must be

10.______________. It also lists some but not all of the wastes that EPA considers hazardous. Substances

that are not on the list but are toxic are also considered hazardous waste and subject to EPAʼs rules. The

Superfund Act contains rules about cleaning up hazardous waste that was dumped illegally.