Indicator description

Why is it indicative

What does the data show

Data

Related Indicators

Acknowledgment

Indicator description

This indicator identifies the quantity and composition of hazardous waste generated and the manner in which wastes are disposed. Hazardous waste may be solid, liquid or gaseous in nature and generated from either domestic or industrial activities.

Hazardous wastes usually have one or more of the following characteristics: they are corrosive, flammable, reactive (can cause an explosion or produce deadly vapours), and toxic in that they are poisonous to humans and animals. Intractable waste (e.g. highly toxic chemicals and radioactive materials) is also a subset of the hazardous waste, for which there are no available means of safe disposal. Examples of domestic hazardous waste include household cleaners, solvents and paint, motor vehicle lubricants and fuel, batteries, prescription drugs, garden chemicals and fertilisers, pesticides and pool chemicals (Moore and Tu 1993). A common industrial hazardous waste is contaminated soils.

Why is it indicative

The storage, transport, treatment and disposal of hazardous waste are controlled by legislation. Recording the volume, nature and source of hazardous wastes is important in helping to protect the environment from long-term contamination. It also allows the identification of sectors that are large generators of hazardous wastes to determine which sectors require the establishment of programs and practices for waste monitoring and control.

What does the data show

• Nolan (1999) conducted a survey of Level 2 business operations (see Schedule 2 of the legislation=34!;) across Tasmania that produce hazardous waste in 1999, primarily targeting solid wastes. The average response rate was only 35% (99 out of 283 operations). The report notes that as an indicative estimate, the total hazardous waste generation rate for all surveyed industries could be in the order of 870 000 tonne/yr. However, it is likely that this total estimate is well above the true figure. The reliability of the estimates of hazardous waste quantities for each industry type is poor, as the responses are unlikely to be fully representative, and therefore, the results have not been presented.
   
• The total rate of hazardous waste generated by the 99 industry respondents was 303,124 tonnes/year. Of the total annual volume generated, 81% was adequately disposed of and 19% had inadequate disposal.
   
• Tasmanian figures for the disposal of household hazardous waste are not available due to a high standard error within the data available (ABS 2000). However, Australia-wide data indicates household hazardous waste disposal is not being managed appropriately, with the majority of hazardous waste being disposed of via normal garbage collection systems (ABS 2000a). The use of this method of disposal has also increased since 1996 from 62% to 85% in 2000.
   
• In 2000, 39.4% of Tasmanian households knew of services or facilities that were available in their area for the safe disposal of household hazardous waste. This was a slight increase compared to 33.4% in 1996. Both values indicate a slightly higher awareness compared to the overall figures for Australian household awareness, which consisted of 31% in 1996 and 37% in 2000 (ABS 2000).
   
• Across the State there are 24 municipal landfills that are licensed to receive hazardous waste. These include 13 sites that can receive animal waste, 15 that can receive waste oil, 15 that can receive asbestos, and nine that can receive some other limited types of hazardous waste. The majority of sites that are able to receive all of these types of hazardous waste types are in the southern region of the State (Nolan ITU 1999).
   
• There are 12 municipal landfill sites in Tasmania that receive medical waste and 11 that receive quarantine waste. All the landfills that receive quarantine waste follow approved quarantine directives (Nolan ITU 1999).
   
• Generally, the method of hazardous waste disposal at each municipal landfill is dictated by the type of license they have. Only 37% of landfills have documented their procedures for handling hazardous wastes, and only 30% of landfill operators have provided staff with training on the safe management of these wastes (Nolan ITU 1999).
   
• It is not known what percentage of the privately operated industry specific landfills dispose of hazardous wastes into their landfills.
   
• The disposal practices for hazardous waste at some municipal landfill sites in 1999 indicated they could lead to a significant risk of environmental degradation (e.g. increases in the toxicity of leachate waters).
   

Data

Industry Hazardous Waste

Nolan (1999) conducted an industrial survey of 283 businesses in 1999, primarily targeting solid hazardous waste. Only 99 industries responded (approximately 35%). The survey results are given in the following table.

Table: Hazardous waste produced in Tasmania for 99 industries out of 283 surveyed.

Household Hazardous Waste

Table: Disposal of Household Hazardous Waste in Australia*

Landfill Disposal

The regional breakdown of landfill sites that are licensed to receive hazardous waste and those that receive medical and quarantine wastes are detailed in the tables below.

Table: Number of landfills licenced to receive hazardous waste in Tasmania.

Related Indicators

Acknowledgment

Adapated from the National Key Human Settlements Indicator 10.7 (Newton et al. 1998)