As a Georgia manufacturer, you likely have need of safe, reliable, legal, and cost-effective hazardous waste disposal, and a big component of that has to do with transportation fees. With that in mind, what factors affect this transport fee, and what can Georgia-based manufacturers expect when it comes to shouldering this expense?

Waste Disposal Costs for Georgia Manufacturers: All about Transportation Fees

The Cost of Waste Disposal Isn't Federally Mandated

If you're a Georgia-based manufacturer, the first important fact to consider when shopping around for the right waste management company is that transportation fees are not set by any overarching federal body. That is, the price will fluctuate from private company to private company.

Therefore, you want to get multiple quotes in order to throw out any bids that are outliers—either too high or too low. This helps ensure you aren't overpaying, but it also makes sure you're working with a reputable company that can safely and legally deal with your RCRA hazardous waste.

Waste Disposal Cost: The Type of Waste Matters

When trying to determine what to expect in terms of pricing for transporting hazardous waste, Georgia manufacturers should be aware that this fee will fluctuate according to the kind of waste you need transported.

For example, if you produce any nonhazardous waste and need that transported from your premises, this is going to be significantly cheaper than hazardous waste transport. In fact, non-hazardous waste or dry freight transport can be as little as half the cost of comparable transport for hazardous materials.

By and large, this comes down to a liability issue. If there's an accident involving nonhazardous material during transport, that's going to pose less of a financial and safety issue than an accident involving hazardous material.

Another significant factor is how much training and certification must go into becoming a driver who handles hazardous materials. As the generator, some of that associated pricing is folded into your overall waste disposal costs.

Industry Standard for Hazardous Waste Disposal in Georgia

Understanding that any transport fees are variable and based on many factors, Georgia-based manufacturers can expect to pay in the ballpark of $45 per drum for this transport fee.

Other factors to consider include the following:

  • Expect to pay a cost per container rather than a lump sum.
  • A stop charge typically runs about $50.
  • Industry standard for fuel is around 22 percent.

Every state must comply with all EPA regulations, and Georgia is no exception. Whatever the federal standard is, Georgia must follow that. (Note, in any given state, it is acceptable to be more stringent than federal regulations but not less stringent. Florida, for example, is one state that does impose stricter waste rules than the federal government actually requires.)

Still Have Questions about the Cost of Waste Disposal?

Whether you're the environmental manager of a large manufacturing company or the operations manager, owner, or person who handles all hazardous and nonhazardous waste generated by your small to midsize manufacturer, you might still have questions surrounding this transportation fee for your waste.

If you want clarification or need more information about how to plan for this expense, feel free to reach out to a representative of MCF Environmental Services, an Atlanta waste management company.

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