If your Georgia-based manufacturing facility requires hazardous waste disposal, safely and legally complying with all those associated laws can be confusing. Luckily, there are plenty of waste management companies that can walk you through this process step by step. You just need to make sure you're working with the right company because the extra experience and knowledge can end up saving you a lot of time and hassle!
Waste Disposal Tips: What Georgia Manufacturers Must Know about Hazardous Waste Removal
Choose a Full-Service Company for Your Georgia Waste Management
When it comes to proper waste disposal in Georgia, working with a full-service company can offer a lot of distinct benefits.
- Time Saving
Trying to navigate multiple companies often proves a time sink. Making all those calls and arranging all those pickups and meetings can quickly become taxing on your employees. One company means fewer logistics, which means fewer headaches.
- Waste Disposal Costs
Working with one company that can handle all your waste streams is nearly always going to be more cost-effective than trying to deal with multiple companies. It cuts down on waste disposal cost through fewer transportation fees, and there's also the opportunity to get volume discounts if you're processing all your waste through one company.
- Experience
A full-service company will have experience doing every aspect of proper waste disposal—from identification through to treatment. This comprehensive knowledge of the industry means you're working with reputable people who understand the laws and regulations as well as the chemistry and dangers associated with hazardous materials. You will benefit from that experience in that, despite your cradle to grave liability, you can rest easy knowing your waste is being properly, legally, and safely handled.
Choose a Hazardous Waste Disposal Company with Referrals
Years in business is one excellent way to gauge the experience and professionalism of a waste disposal company. After all, if they haven't been fully complying with all federal and state laws, that company simply wouldn't be allowed to operate very long.
At the end of the day, however, years in business is just a number. A lot of years doesn't guarantee the quality of the company, and very few years doesn't necessarily speak negatively to the company in question.
That's why referrals are so important in the waste management industry. These firsthand accounts from other Georgia manufacturers that produce hazardous material can offer invaluable insight into what company will conduct itself best.
Know Who Is Disposing of Hazardous Waste
One important thing to check regarding hazardous waste disposal companies is the rigor with which they screen and test their drivers.
Drivers are the people who are ultimately transporting your waste away from your facility, and it's during that transport that potential accidents involving your waste are most likely. With that in mind, always check that your waste management company has DOT-approved drivers who are permitted to transport your specific kind of waste. (Note that hazardous waste requires extra training and permitting.) If you ask and the company hesitates to provide proof of this permitting, that's a huge red flag.
In addition to the proper qualifications, drivers should also possess more intangible qualities, such as a willingness to load the truck, answer any questions you might have, and so on.
Hazardous Waste Identification: What to Expect from Your Waste Management Team
One of the first steps in proper hazardous material disposal is identification. What exactly does your Georgia manufacturing company produce? What within your generated waste stream is hazardous and requires special disposal?
A reputable company can determine this a few different ways.
- MSDS and SDS sheets: these will provide comprehensive chemical data about particular substances, which will alert the waste management company regarding how to handle, mix, and dispose of them.
- Analytical testing: a company's chemist or other qualified individual can run testing to identify unknown substances.
- Generator knowledge: sometimes the generator itself will have insight into exactly what is being produced from that manufacturing site, which can then be backed up or corroborated by analytics and SDS sheets.
Choose from Knowledgeable Hazardous Waste Removal Companies
In such a detail-specific and knowledge-based industry, you want a company that is as well informed as possible. This not only provides peace of mind but it can also save you actual dollars and cents.
Know What (and How) to Segregate Waste Steams
Your waste management company should advise you about what waste material should and shouldn't be stored or mixed together. This is important for two big reasons:
- Safety
Some chemicals have extremely dangerous reactions when mixed together. Improperly mixing can result in explosions, fire, noxious fumes, and more. You need a company with the expertise to keep you, your employees, and the surrounding environment safe.
- Cost Savings
Your EPA generator status determines how much paperwork you must complete and the amount of taxes you must pay. A knowledgeable company will alert you to the relevant levels and do everything in its power to help you avoid a large quantity generator status—if possible.
The company can also inform you about regulations, such as how often you must ship your waste from your facility. When not complying with those regulations results in fines, a knowledgeable company can very quickly become a cost-effective tool in your arsenal!
For more information regarding what your Georgia manufacturing facility needs to know in terms of hazardous waste, please feel free to contact a representative of MCF Environmental Services, a waste management Atlanta business.
