Proper Management and Disposal
Why Properly Manage Your Wastes?
To Protect the Environment, Your Community and Employees
Businesses in the CRD generate many different types of wastes which, if not properly managed can enter the environment and contaminate our air, water and soil. In addition, poor management practices often increase the risks of exposure to people both inside and outside of the business that generated the waste.
Waste Is Regulated
To reduce personal and environmental risks and enforce proper practices, the federal, provincial, municipal and regional governments have established a variety of acts and regulations. Failure to meet these legal requirements can have significant impacts not only on the environment, but also on a business’ reputation and finances through fines and cleanup costs.
You are always responsible for your own waste
Under the Environmental Management Act, a generator of waste may be held liable for any contamination created as a result of the deposit of that waste. The risk of a waste generator being made subject to a remediation order should be significantly reduced where the waste generator has been careful to dispose of such waste safely and in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations and bylaws.
Even when the waste is turned over to a transporter to be taken away, the transporter does not ordinarily assume ownership of the waste and the original generator of the waste can be held responsible for the consequences of a spill or improper disposal of such waste. For that reason, an important component of due diligence and risk management is to ensure that whomever you hire to manage, transport, recycle or dispose of your waste can demonstrate to you that they are properly licensed, have properly trained staff, and will deal with your waste in a safe, responsible, legal and diligent manner.
Reduce your risk through proper waste management
To assist in the management of your waste, the CRD and other governments have put together a variety of documents that may be of assistance including codes of practices and best practice guides. Read more 
Waste Management Principles
While every waste generator should seek specific advise with respect to the type of waste that is being generated, the following general principles for waste management are recommended:
- Understand fully the nature of the waste that is being generated and the laws, regulations and bylaws that may be applicable to such waste
- Research and review any government or industry guidelines for best practices that may be available for the specific types of waste that you are generating
- Develop a program to implement practices and procedures to ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and bylaws and as closely as reasonably possible to recommended practices and policies
- Regularly inspect and service equipment, with particular attention to pollution control equipment that is designed to prevent spills or the escape of contaminants and keep records of the date of servicing, type of servicing and the identity of the person who performed the maintenance work
Selecting a Contractor to Haul Waste
Take reasonable care in the selection of contractors to haul and dispose of waste to ensure that the contractors:
- Have the necessary experience and knowledge of the type of waste that they will be dealing with
- Are familiar with spill response procedures and legal obligations
- Have appropriate licenses or other government approvals necessary to deal with the particular type of waste
- Ensure that the final disposal site for the waste is one that is authorized to receive and deal with they type of waste
Record Keeping
Keep accurate and up to date records of waste disposal. A waste manifest form should be completed by the hauler or waste generator.
- Example TLW Manifest Form (PDF
)
Data recorded on the manifest form includes:
- The date, type and quantity of waste disposed of off-site
- The destination of the waste
- The identity of the transporter of the waste
- Proof of delivery of the waste to the designated disposal or recycling site
Benefits of Following Best Management Practices
- Protects the environment
- Reduces exposure to successful prosecution where a due diligence defence is available and the waste generator can demonstrate due diligence
- Increases recovery of recyclable materials
- Reduces frequency and severity of problems with drains and sewers
- Helps you comply with regulations and avoid fines
- Demonstrates your commitment to environmental protection to your staff, customers and community
Pollution Prevention
Pollution Prevention (P2) can be defined as the use of materials, processes or practices that reduce or eliminate the creation of pollutants or wastes at the source. A P2 plan is a written record of measures designed to conserve raw resources, improve process efficiencies and eliminate and reduce waste generation. Its core principle is based on the elimination and/or avoidance of waste products, processes, wastes and environmental responsibilities.
Over the past few years, business, government and other groups have recognized that the traditional practices of controlling pollution at the point of discharge are becoming increasingly complex and costly. It is for these reasons that many businesses' environmental priorities have shifted from control and treatment to prevention; from treating the symptoms to eliminating the causes of pollution.
The CRD approach to the issue of industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) wastes incorporates a pollution prevention approach. The CRD is working with ICI sectors to promote solutions for proper waste management that incorporates the concepts of pollution prevention, waste minimization, best management practices and treatment.