How to set up a waste segregation area in a factory

In most plants the success of waste management comes down to how one area was built: the temporary storage area. Set it up right and segregation runs by itself; set it up wrong and no amount of training keeps the system alive.

Choosing the location

Vehicle access. The area must sit where the collection vehicle can pull up. A spot that requires carrying material 40 metres by hand stops being used after the first month.

Proximity to production. An area far from where the waste arises invites “I’ll just leave it here for now”, and interim piles appear.

Separate and defined. The area must be physically separated from other storage, with its boundary marked by a line, barrier or wall.

Floor and cover

If hazardous waste will be held, the floor must be sealed and there must be a kerb or channel to stop a spill spreading. Liquid waste needs secondary containment — where the liquid goes when a drum tips over should be decided in advance.

A roof matters for two reasons: rainwater in contact with waste becomes a separate contaminated waste stream, and everything from cardboard to plastic loses value once wet.

Separation and labelling

A separate, lidded, labelled container for each waste type. The label should carry the waste name, the waste code, the hazard mark if applicable, and the date accumulation started.

Incompatible wastes belong in separate bays — acid must not stand beside base, oxidiser beside flammable.

Tracking time

There are limits on how long and how much may sit in temporary storage. The most practical way to track this is to write the start date on each container. Then “how long has this been here” is answered by looking.

Safety equipment

The area should hold: the right type of fire extinguisher, absorbent material (granules, pads or sawdust), a shovel and collection container, personal protective equipment, and a written instruction for what to do in a spill.

The three findings inspectors write most often

1. Containers with no label or no waste code
2. Hazardous waste standing in the open, uncovered
3. An unsealed floor, or liquid waste without secondary containment

All three can be solved at set-up, and all three are difficult and expensive to solve later.