The state dangerous waste regulations, the federal Department of Transportation regulations, and simple common sense require that SQGs do the following:
The best way to deal with hazardous waste is not to produce it — or to produce less of it. A business may be able to eliminate hazardous waste entirely—or become a small quantity generator—by doing the following:
Recycling means there is no need to dispose of excess material as waste. To find a recycler for a specific waste, such as antifreeze, see the Waste Directory. The Directory also offers information about how to choose a reliable vendor. Call the Business Waste Line at 206-263-8899 or email them at business.waste@kingcounty.gov, for information about on-site recycling, equipment, vendors and other considerations, such as warranties, fire codes and costs.
Try our Industrial Materials Exchange (IMEX).
Treating waste may reduce the volume of waste or make the waste less hazardous. The business that produced the waste can treat it when following the guidance from Department of Ecology. Or, a permitted waste vendor can treat it. Call the Business Waste Line at 206-263-8899 for information.
Dispose of waste through a permitted hazardous waste management facility (also called a treatment, storage and disposal facility, or TSDF).
A business can deal directly with a TSDF or use a hazardous waste broker or transporter as an intermediary. Since the business that generates the waste is responsible for the ultimate fate of that waste, it's important to select reputable companies.
In Washington, waste batteries, mercury-containing thermostats and most fluorescent lamps are regulated as "universal waste." Waste management requirements for universal wastes are streamlined to promote their recycling. For example, if universal wastes are recycled, they don't need to be manifested or counted toward waste generation totals. The ultimate destination must be a recycling facility or a treatment, storage and disposal facility. Generators, collectors or consolidators of universal waste are called "Universal Waste Handlers." Waste management requirements are defined by the Washington dangerous waste regulations (173-303 WAC). Although pesticides are a federal universal waste, Washington State did not include them as a universal waste. Waste pesticides require designation and the full management requirements of the Dangerous Waste Regulations.