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Improving Hazardous Waste Management

Farm and Household Trash • Building and Wood Maintenance • Leftover or Unusable Pesticides • Vehicles Maintenance • Storage of Chemicals • Laws Regulating Disposal

There are probably several products and materials that you use around the farmstead that you don't consider to be hazardous wastes. Many materials are classified as hazardous because they require some special considerations for safe disposal. Some hazardous materials, such as lubricating oils and cleaning solvents are an unavoidable part of life on a farmstead.

Two keys to minimizing pollution potential from farmstead wastes are:

• minimize the amount of wastes and
   
• recycle when possible. Take time to examine activities that involve use of hazardous materials to make sure you really need all the products you are using. When you are certain that you are purchasing and using only essential products, carefully consider how to use the products safely, recycle or reuse them when possible, and dispose of remaining products in a way that will not pose a risk to your drinking water. Keep in mind that much of the waste generated from farmstead activities may be classified as hazardous and must be managed in accordance with local, state, and federal rules.

A few waste management principles that apply in every situation:

• Use hazardous products away from your well (150 feet or more), even when all spills and drips will be contained.
   
• Return excess product, spills, or drips to the original activity. For example, reuse filtered waste antifreeze as water in other radiators; contain oil or grease drips and use for future lubrication needs; dispose of pesticide container rinse water by pouring it into the spray tank during the mixing procedure.
   
• Contain any unusable wastes, spills, and drips for appropriate disposal.

1. Farm and household trash

This category of potentially hazardous substances includes:

• Ash and sludge from burned farm, home, and garage trash and waste oil
   
• Plastic wraps and containers
   
• Personal care products, such as spot removers, dry cleaning fluids, moth balls, shoe and leather polishes, nail polish and remover, and some medicines
   
• Hobby products, such as pesticides used in pet care, artist paints and solvents
   
• Home cleaning and repair products, such as air fresheners and pest strips, furniture and wood polishes and waxes, lead-based paint, other paints, stains and finishes, paint and finish preparation products, wood-preserving products
   
• Farm activity hazardous waste, including cleaners, solvents, pesticides, and other hazardous chemicals that are generated from equipment and activities on the farm.

Due to the rural location of farms, many farmers have traditionally disposed of their wastes on the farm site. Common disposal methods have included open air or barrel burning of garbage and trash and piling or burying trash in a ditch on the "back 40." Health and liability concerns over the increased volume of waste guarantees that a new approach to disposal practices is necessary to ensure that safe drinking water supplies are available for farm families and their neighbors.

Updated local, state, and federal laws also reflect the increased concern with many disposal practices. For example, new rules require that environmental protection requirements be met before some disposal practices are permitted. Other common disposal practices are now illegal because of their potential risks to human health and the environment.

This new approach suggests several changes in traditional practices:

• Burning on the farm should be limited to burning-off crop residues and easily combustible dry materials like brush, paper, and building materials.
   
• Trash disposal on the farm should be restricted to household garbage, leaves, and other organic wastes that will decompose.
   
• Trash like plastic, glass, and metal that will not naturally decompose should be taken to a recycling facility, a licensed landfill, or a municipal incinerator whenever possible.
   
• Farm and household hazardous waste should be separated from general trash and disposed of through a hazardous waste collection program where available. If not available, the Contacts and References Manual should be used to obtain information on disposal recommendations.

Household waste vs. farm activity waste

Arkansas regulations divide hazardous waste into two management categories: (1) wastes produced from products used in the home and (2) wastes produced from farming activities.

1. Household hazardous wastes are exempted from regulation under state and federal law. It is recommended that household hazardous wastes be safely disposed of at household hazardous waste collection events sponsored by some communities. For information about collection events and other disposal recommendations, contact your county Extension office, the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), or the State Plant Board.
    
2. Hazardous waste from farming activities must be disposed of with a permitted hazardous waste disposal contractor. For information on what materials or products are classified as hazardous waste and hazardous waste contractors, contact the hazardous waste division of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) at 501-682-0833.

Burning

While burning may destroy some toxic substances, others will become concentrated in the smoke, ash, and sludge resulting from burning wastes. Repeated burning on the same location under similar weather conditions may cause the toxic substances in smoke (especially heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic) to accumulate in a concentrated area around the burn barrel. These substances, as well as the toxic substances in ash and sludge disposed of through land spreading or burial, could also result in groundwater contamination.

Open burning of dry combustibles in small amounts is appropriate to the farm situation where it is permitted by local ordinance. Dry combustibles include clean, untreated, unpainted wood, paper, and cardboard. Burn dry combustibles outdoors or in a well-ventilated area to minimize adverse health effects from smoke. Empty pesticide bags should not be burned. If they must be burned, burn them well away from people, pets, and farm stock, because air will carry pesticide particles from the fire. Burn in small quantities and only on fields where the pesticide was applied. Arkansas law prohibits all open burning of tires.

2. Building and wood maintenance cleaners and chemicals

This category of potentially hazardous substances includes:

• Solvent-based building and wood cleaners, including wood polishes and products for wood floor and panel cleaning. (Detergent-based cleaners do not pose a threat to groundwater.)
   
• Equipment maintenance products, such as stripping and finishing products, stains and paints, products for brush or spray gun cleaning, and adhesives such as glues and caulks. Also includes solvents as used in degreasers and paint thinners, stains and varnishes, and wood-preservative compounds.

Dumping these products in a septic system or on the ground can damage the septic system and also allows the products to leach into the groundwater. Avoid on-farm disposal of these liquids whenever possible.

The best disposal method for these products is to use up leftovers or share unused products with others. Some leftover household products, such as paints or adhesives, can be evaporated, when conditions permit, in open air, away from flames. Some products, such as paint thinners, can be filtered and reused. Any remaining liquid or sludge should be safely stored and disposed of through a waste collection program, a licensed landfill, or a waste contractor.

Because of the volume of these products used on the farmstead, even spills and drips can add up to a problem for groundwater. Avoid maintenance activities within 150 feet of your well, and when possible, conduct maintenance activities in locations where spills and drips can be contained.

3. Leftover or unusable pesticides and container disposal

This category of potentially hazardous substances includes all types of pesticides and pesticide containers, including those used for indoor plants and yard care. Disposal of veterinary medical wastes might present a problem on some farmsteads. Ask your veterinarian for advice on specific wastes (such as antibiotic containers).

Handle all categories of pesticides as directed on the label to prevent health and environmental problems. Pay particular attention to pesticides classified as "restricted use." Pesticide labels and regulations concerning their use often change over time. Remember that pesticides might not have current warning labels, and some may even have been banned since the time of purchase.

The only acceptable management practices for pesticides are to use the pesticide according to current label directions or arrange for disposal with a hazardous waste contractor. When the EPA bans a pesticide it often provides a "buy-back" and disposal program for a period of time. Pesticides purchased in mini-bulk tanks or returnable containers allow the return of excess chemical to the cooperative or retail store. For leftover pesticides that cannot be disposed of in any of these ways, store them safely until they can be disposed of through a community hazardous waste collection program or a hazardous waste contractor.

Pesticide waste includes empty pesticide containers as well as leftover pesticides. Pesticides come in mini-bulk tanks, 5-gallon, 2 1/2-gallon, or 1-gallon plastic containers or paper containers. Mini-bulk tanks are returned to the place of purchase when application has been completed. Some plastic containers can be returned to the place of purchase for disposal or for recycling. Paper containers should be bundled and taken to a licensed solid waste facility. Check with your local cooperative or retail store to learn whether container disposal opportunities have been arranged.

If you cannot return plastic containers to the place of purchase, triple-rinse the containers, return the rinse water to the spray tank, and apply following labeled instructions. Take the rinsed containers to a licensed landfill. However, because of liability concerns, some landfills will not accept even triple-rinsed containers. Triple-rinsed pesticide containers may still contain enough pesticide residue that they should not be used for any other purpose.

(For more detailed information about the management and storage of pesticides on the farm, see Work Sheet and Fact Sheet #2, Pesticide Storage and Handling.)

4. Vehicle maintenance chemicals

This category of potentially hazardous substances includes:

• Vehicle maintenance products, such as antifreeze, oil, and grease
   
• Solvents for oil and grease removal and disposal
   
• Engine, parts, and equipment cleaners
   
• Lubricants
   
• Rust removers
   
• Paints, stains, finishers, and paint preparation products
   
• Brush or spray gun cleaners
   
• Lead acid battery replacement

Solvents used for cleaning metal parts, oils, and fuels include toxic ingredients. Fortunately, good recycling opportunities exist for both solvents and waste oil. Consider contracting with a solvent recycler to rent a parts washer. Old solvents are picked up by the recycler and you are provided with clean solvent. To recycle waste oil, take it to an oil recycling center or contact a waste oil contractor. Land spreading of waste oil for dust or weed suppression should be avoided.

Antifreeze may be disposed of in a municipal sewer system if it is not prohibited by a city ordinance. You should contact the city before disposing of the antifreeze. Do not dump antifreeze into your own drain if you have a septic tank. It may kill the organisms that the system depends on to break down wastes in the tank.

If you paint a lot of vehicles or other farm equipment, you may need to consider using a paint booth. Some booths are structured to collect excess paint and spray gun cleaners for later disposal with a solvent recycler. Note that filters used with a paint booth must be considered a hazardous waste when discarded.

The design and location of the equipment maintenance area is important. Some include a grease pit, while others allow drips and spills to collect on the shed floor. In both cases, the area is generally "cleaned" through periodic flushing.

If you keep your shed floor clean through flushing, you need a system to contain waste liquids so that they will not be flushed onto soil. Flushing to a paved outdoor area is recommended. Using sawdust or other absorbent materials to soak up drips and spills is another common practice. The absorbent materials should be allowed to dry in a protected outdoor area with good ventilation and disposed of in a licensed landfill. Burning any of the absorbent material should be avoided.

Evaporation of liquid wastes prior to flushing may take care of the problem of contaminated runoff, but it is not recommended due to air quality concerns and the potential for liquids to seep through cracks in floors. Flushing is one of many past waste management methods that should be re-evaluated to determine whether it is worth the risks of contamination to the environment.

5. Storage of chemicals and hazardous waste

Some farmstead activities may result in leftover or used chemicals, such as waste oil and solvents, that need to be stored. Locate the storage area for these chemicals and their wastes at least 150 feet from your well. Dike storage areas to prevent well contamination from spills if the volume of the stored products and wastes exceeds 10 gallons.

Store chemicals in clearly labeled containers designed to contain that hazard category (flammables, poisons, or corrosives). Provide a well-ventilated, flame-free area with sturdy shelving for storage of labeled containers in the building where you commonly use them. When choosing the storage location, keep indoor air quality, safety, and flammability considerations in mind. Be sure that the area is adequately vented to prevent buildup of fumes from leftover products. As a rule of thumb, if you can smell your products, ventilation is inadequate to protect your health. Also, be sure that the storage area provides a means to separate flammables, poisons, and corrosive wastes, to avoid chemical interactions.

Hazardous wastes produced from maintaining farm equipment, such as solvents and cleaning solutions, should be placed in closed containers and labeled as "hazardous waste" with the name of the waste and the date it was put into the container. Solvents, such as mineral spirits, that are hazardous because of ignitability only may be mixed with used oil so that it is less than 10 percent of the total mixture volume. You should check your waste oil handler to be sure they will accept this mixture.

Hazardous wastes generated from household vehicle maintenance should be stored safely until they can be taken to a household hazardous waste collection site. Evaporation of household hazardous wastes is not recommended due to the potential for spills, fire, and contact by children and pets. Use evaporation only when no household hazardous waste collection program is available. If you're not sure whether a particular waste is hazardous, contact the hazardous waste division of the ADEQ at 501-682-0833.

Outdoor storage of wastes and products, especially liquids, should be on bermed surfaces constructed of materials that will contain any spills. Spilled solvents may penetrate concrete or asphalt, so they should be cleaned up quickly. Store flammable chemicals in an area that will be shaded from direct sunlight. Rags used to clean up solvent spills may be a fire hazard, so they should be disposed of safely. Storage areas should be inspected regularly for spills or leaks and to see that containers are in good condition, closed, and not bulging.

6. Laws regulating disposal of wastes from farms

Disposal of hazardous wastes from farms is regulated under federal statutes in RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act). RCRA Subtitle D provides restrictions for land burial of trash not falling into hazardous waste categories. Open burning and on-farm incineration of trash are regulated in Arkansas under Section 5 of the Arkansas Air Pollution Control Code. Act 749 ­ House Bill 1170 of the 1991 Arkansas General Assembly ­ prohibits all open burning of tires and requires that tires be disposed of in permitted waste tire processing facilities as of July 1, 1992.

Under federal hazardous waste regulations, farms may be considered "conditionally exempt." In Arkansas, "conditionally exempt" generators are designed as very small quantity generators and are regulated by Federal Code 40CFR266E and Arkansas Hazardous Waste Management Code Regulation 23.

This material is thought to be current, but recommendations and regulations concerning hazardous wastes are continually under review and subject to changes and revisions. The ADEQ hazardous waste division can be contacted at 501-682-0833 for information on regulations.