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Hazardous waste

What is hazardous waste?

A hazardous waste is a waste (discarded or no longer being used for its intended purpose) that has one or more of the following characteristics:

Poison sign
Toxicity

Explosives sign
Reactivity

Corrosive sign
Corrosivity
Flamable sign
Flammability

OR, is located on a list identified by the EPA as a hazardous waste.

The primary goals of this program are:

Identify hazardous waste generators.

Notify generators of their responsibilities under federal, state, and local laws regarding hazardous waste storage and disposal.

Verify compliance of Very Small Quantity Generators (VSQGs) and Small Quantity Generators (SQGs) with hazardous waste regulations during on-site visits. Provide technical assistance regarding proper disposal of any hazardous waste generated. For more information please contact Environmental Management at (386) 736-5927 or volusia.org/environmental.

Hazardous waste generators are categorized as:

VSQG - Very Small Quantity Generators
Generate less than 100 kilograms or approximately 25 gallons of hazardous waste or less than 1 kilogram of acute hazardous waste in any month.

SQG - Small Quantity Generators
Generate between 100 kilograms (approx. 25 gal.) and 1000 kilograms (approx. 250 gal.) of hazardous waste in one any month.

LQG - Large Quantity Generators
Generate more than 1000 kilograms (approx. 250 gal.) of hazardous waste OR > 1 kilogram of acute hazardous waste in any month.

Hazardous waste facilities

Volusia County operates the Small Quantity Generator Notification and Verification Program under the direction of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Costs for administering this program are offset by the collection of occupational licensing fees. Any business operating in Volusia County with a VSQG or SQG generator status is required by county ordinance to pay a $37 or $50 surcharge, respectively.

Industrial waste facilities

Typical industrial waste facilities may include laundries, power generator sites, car washes, and concrete batch plants among others. Industrial waste from these facilities includes mixtures of non-hazardous solids or liquids with water. Although this waste is considered non-hazardous, it can still reduce water quality to the point that it cannot be discharged to sewer systems or surface waters without being treated. In such cases, facilities must obtain a permit and periodic testing may be required to ensure that certain water quality standards are being met prior to discharging their wastewater. Compliance with the terms of their permits is overseen by FDEP.

Some guidelines on exemptions from permitting for auto washing (dealers and fleet) can be found on the following link.
Exceptions for auto washing (dealers and fleet)

Used oil program

Used oil is any petroleum-based or synthetic oil that has been used and as a result has been contaminated by physical or chemical impurities such as dirt, water, metal shavings or other chemicals.

Used oil can be handled in one of the following ways:

  • Reconditioned on site and reused
  • Transported off site by a used oil hauler for recycling. In many cases this can be done free of charge if you have a certain quantity and it is not contaminated with hazardous waste.
  • Transported off site for disposal if contaminated with hazardous waste.

The most common concerns for businesses concerning used oil include:

  • Improper storage - open and unlabeled containers and messy housekeeping (spills).
  • Mixing used oil with hazardous waste - Mixing makes all of the oil in the container hazardous waste. This practice increases costs for disposal and requires greater regulatory oversight.

Volusia County residents that generate used oil by doing their own oil changes can also take their used oil to one of the county’s igloo recycling locations that accept used oil, or to a local service station that accepts oil from outside sources.
Occasionally, residents still apply used oil for dust suppression or weed control. Both of these practices are in violation of regulatory standards and should not be used.

Citizen action requests

As environmental awareness increases, more often, citizens call in concerns over possible environmental violations by businesses and fellow citizens. We welcome the opportunity to help resolve problems before they become serious enough to require regulatory action, enforcement.

Related links of interest

Battery disposal fact sheet

EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting program which requires renovators to have Lead-Safe Training by April 22, 2010.  Information on the EPA accredited training provider list. Choose which class you are interested in and then enter your zip code or city and state.  The EPA contact for this and other lead abatement programs in Florida is Alex Winston at 404-562-8994. Florida does not administer this program.

FDEP Used Oil Program

Copies of the latest rules, guidance documents, and used oil handler information.

METRA

The Metropolitan Environmental Training Alliance (METRA) is a not for profit environmental partnership whose objective is to provide little or no cost, professional environmental education to the Central Florida small business community and local government agencies.

US EPA Superfund Program

Superfund, what it is and where Superfund sites are located.

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