Chemical Waste Collection
Safe chemical waste disposal is essential when your business works with hazardous or non-hazardous substances. From a laboratory generating regular chemical waste, to one-off clearances for a garage, dry cleaners, or any other business, it’s important you comply with regulations. Arrange chemical waste disposal near you, whatever you need to get rid of and wherever your business is located, we offer chemical waste collection anywhere in the UK.
With Business Waste, you can get free chemical waste bins delivered to your premises – so you only pay for chemical waste collection. Our experts can advise on the best way to dispose of your waste. Call us on 0800 211 8390 or contact us online for a quick quote or answers to any questions you may have about chemical waste removal.
Collections in the last 7 days
Get a free chemical waste quote
Get a fast FREE quote for your chemical waste collections.
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of chemical waste
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK
Chemical waste management
At Business Waste, our main priority is to protect the planet by providing you with the insight, tools, and equipment to dispose of your chemical waste in as safe and environmentally friendly way as possible. We can help you put together an effective plan for chemical waste management.
Arrange delivery of free chemical waste disposal bins and containers to store waste safely and easily. Simply tell us how many bins you need, what sizes and how often you want it collecting and we’ll do the rest – you just pay for collection.
Find chemical waste disposal near you, as we cover all of the UK. Our exert team can also provide you with practical steps to help reduce the amount of waste you produce. Plus, we offer competitive and fair prices for our services – so you can save time, money, and the planet in one go.
Collect waste from your business on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, ensuring it goes to an appropriate facility for disposal. For more information or to arrange chemical waste removal for your business, get in touch today.
Chemical waste
bins
You must store chemical waste in a highly durable container that the chemicals will not damage. The right type of chemical waste bin, container, or COSHH bin depends on what you’re getting rid of. To dispose of oil waste, we offer a range of oil drums, tanks, and barrels. They’re resistant to corrosion and lockable – to reduce the chances of dangerous spills or leaks.
Whatever type of chemical waste you produce, find a chemical waste bin or COSHH bin for safe and legal storage and disposal. All chemical waste containers must be clearly labelled as hazardous and display the:
- Name of each chemical and its quantity
- Date
- Contact details for your business
- Place where the waste was produced
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60L chemical waste drum
Commonly used to store and dispose of waste oil
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240L chemical waste bin
Standard two-wheel bin often used in hospitals
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COSHH bin
Bins and containers compliant with COSHH regulations
Chemical waste disposal
A wide range of businesses produce chemical waste across the UK and beyond – from needing to dispose of empty paint tins to toxic solvents in the proper manner. Some of the main types of businesses that require chemical waste collection include:
- Laboratories – Solvents, resins, acids, and dyes, as well as chemical waste containers to store them and any products containing mercury, such as thermometers. You must dispose of any chemicals used for research purposes carefully with the appropriate security measures in place.
- Healthcare or clinical facilities – Hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, and health centres produce large volumes of chemical waste in their daily operations. Areas must be clean and sterile to protect patients, so they must maintain high cleaning standards. This involves using many cleaning products and disinfectants – which require appropriate disposal.
- Factories– The manufacture of new goods and materials results in lots of chemical waste in factories. This could include products such as waste oil and brake fluids.
- Dry cleaning– Chemical cleaning products, such as Perchloroethylene (PERC), are used in dry cleaners. While PERC helps clean and launder clothes, it could also present a significant threat to the environment with improper disposal.
- Farms and agricultural businesses– These produce large volumes of chemical waste, such as pesticides, brake fluids and waste oils.
- Offices– Typically use printer cartridges, ink, and toner are one of the main sources of chemical waste in offices. However, these figures are decreasing steadily as we make an effort to go paperless.
Chemical waste
storage
To comply with government chemical waste disposal regulations, including the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), business owners must ensure you store chemical waste appropriately within your facility before collection. The easiest way to achieve this is by incorporating chemical waste management into your main waste management plan.
Chemical waste must be:
- Handled carefully before, after, and during use. Any person who comes into contact with these products must wear the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and follow all health and safety guidelines.
- Stored at a designated spot within your facility, which the general public cannot access. For example, this area should be locked or concealed.
- Separated from other hazardous waste products and stored in appropriate chemical waste bins and containers. These chemical waste containers should be inspected regularly to ensure they haven’t sustained any damage.
How does
chemical waste collection work?
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Select your free bins
It’s quick and easy to organise commercial waste collection for your business.
Simply start by telling us the:
- Type of waste you need removing
- Size of bins you require
- Number of bins you want
We’ll provide you with a free quote.
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Arrange delivery
When you’re happy with the type, number, and size of free bins, tell us when you need your bins delivering.
Let us know about any access issues where you want the bins delivering – such as locked gates, access codes and times. We’ll get you up and running in no time.
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Fill up your bin
After the free bins arrive at your chosen location, fill them up with the agreed waste type.
Make sure you remain within any weight limits for the specific waste type and bin size.
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Get your business waste collected
We’ll arrange waste collection at a time and frequency to suit you and the amount of waste you have.
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What is
chemical waste?
Chemical waste is any waste product that contains or was in contact with dangerous chemicals. It can be a solid, liquid, or gaseous material that may pose a hazard to human or environmental health. The waste itself may be hazardous or non-hazardous, which means you need to handle, store, and dispose of chemical waste in a safe and secure manner.
Examples of chemical waste vary from potentially dangerous ones such as lead acid and pesticides, to commonly used but seemingly safer substances like brake fluid and printer toner.
These products are considered hazardous if they are:
- Toxic – poisonous or hazardous to human, animal, and plant life.
- Flammable – easily set on fire.
- Highly reactive – incredibly volatile and unpredictable.
- Corrosive – can cause a chemical reaction by destroying or breaking down various materials.
How to dispose
of chemical waste
Disposal of chemical waste is strictly monitored through government regulations and guidelines, such as the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA) and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Failure to comply with these legislations puts your company at great financial risk and could even result in jail time. Business owners must know how to manage, store, and dispose of chemical waste.
Previously, companies would send chemical waste to landfill. However, this means they could leak into the surrounding ground or water sources, causing pollution. Thankfully, there are various other chemical waste disposal methods. The right process depends on the type of chemicals you need removing. Chemical waste disposal methods can include:
- Reclamation – chemical waste products such as mercury can be removed and recycled from broken thermometers through a reclamation process.
- Dewatering – oil waste can be disposed of through dewatering, where the oil separates from water).
- Filtering and distilling – filtering is the removal of additives or inorganic material, while distilling involves refining the oil by boiling it. Both methods mean the oil can be used again in some capacity.
- Chemical treatments – some forms of chemical waste, such as sulphuric or hydrochloric acids, can be reused after undergoing chemical treatments.
- Thermal treatments – heat is applied to sanitise the waste products, which helps dispose of chemical waste in a safe and secure manner.
Working with Business Waste, rest assured that we treat landfill as an absolute last resort. We have access to a wide range of facilities and cutting-edge technologies so we can dispose of your chemical waste in a way that has as little impact on the environment as possible.
Types of
chemical waste
There are many types of both hazardous and non-hazardous chemical waste. It’s not just in laboratories where chemical waste is produced. For example, in offices any used printer cartridges also class as chemical waste. By understanding what classifies as chemical waste, business owners and employees can ensure all waste is appropriately segregated before disposal.
Common chemical waste examples include:
- Waste oils – such as diesel, kerosene, gearbox, and other oils.
- WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) products – including the materials contained within them.
- Batteries – standard AA batteries to car and machinery ones.
- Chemical containers or packaging – contaminated due to contact with chemicals.
- Chemically contaminated sharps – for disposal of needles, syringes, lancets, and clippers.
- Cleaning products – detergents, disinfectants, wipes, and sprays.
- Solvents – ethanol, methanol, and acetone.
- Pesticides – insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
- Paint – emulsion, gloss, primer, and more.
- Printer toner and ink cartridges – empty ink cartridges are contaminated by chemicals.
- Used aerosol cans – deodorants, air fresheners, and more.
- Fluorescent light bulbs – contains a mix of argon, xenon, neon, and mercury vapour.
Chemical waste disposal
benefits and facts
Across the world we produce around 400 million tonnes of chemical waste every year – about the same weight as 60 million elephants. This means almost 13 tons of chemical waste is produced per second.
Of this waste around two million tonnes of pesticides are used every year. Half of these are herbicides, almost a third insecticides and the rest are fungicides. Nearly 27 million solvents also make up the total tonnage of chemical waste in the world, with expectations both pesticide and solvent usage will increase in the coming years.
Chemical waste is potentially hazardous because it can be toxic, corrosive, highly reactive, or flammable. Proper disposal is vital as otherwise it could:
- Pollute or contaminate water sources, presenting a significant threat to both human and marine life. This could also render water unsafe for drinking.
- Impact the health of those who come into contact with it. For example, chemicals not stored correctly could inflict chemical burns on whoever handles them.
- Release dangerous toxins into the environment, further damaging the ozone layer.
- Trigger dangerous fires that are difficult to control.
Sarah was extremely helpful and promptly dealt with our issues with no problems at all. It was so nice to find someone so helpful and efficient especially in businesses these days. If you need anything sorted out at Business Waste then Sarah is the one to contact. Thank you again Sarah very much appreciated.John
Barn Owl Lodge
Chemical waste
FAQs
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How do you dispose of empty chemical containers?
When using Business Waste, fill up your chemical waste bin or container and our team will collect it and safely dispose of the contents. The container will be cleaned and reused for further collections where possible.
If you have your own empty chemical waste container, the proper disposal method depends on the material it’s made from and the chemicals it held. Always clean the container and remove any labels first. Then if the chemicals it contained were classed as non-dangerous you can recycle as normal with your commercial glass, metals, or other waste types.
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Can you reuse chemical containers?
Not all chemical containers can be reused – it depends on the type of chemical they contained. Some also require thorough, professional cleaning with solvents and other cleaning products before they can be used again.
At Business Waste, we take care of the containers after collecting your chemical waste and disposing of it – so you don’t have to worry. We can advise on whether you can reuse a container that held oil, solvents, detergents, or any other chemical type.
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Can chlorine be recycled?
Chlorine is one of the most commonly used chemicals in swimming pools, and you can recycle it. Scientists found a way to convert HCL waste back to its original components, hydrogen and chlorine. You can discharge chlorine from swimming pools and hot tubs to send to a treatment plant, where as much as possible can be recycled and reused – rather than polluting our waterways.
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What is the best storage location for chemicals?
Always keep chemicals and their waste in a secure container that’s locked where possible, to avoid accidental leaks and spills. The type of chemical may affect the best storage but generally keeping in a cool, dry place that’s well ventilated is advised. Make sure every container is clearly labelled as well.
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Can you pour chemicals down the drain?
As a business, you should never pour chemical waste down the drain – as it’s your responsibility when dealing with hazardous waste to ensure it causes no harm or damage. While it may be safe to pour some non-hazardous chemicals down the drain at home – such as some glass cleaner, liquid soap, and more – it’s still advisable as a business to dispose of these in separate chemical waste bins.
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What is COSHH waste disposal?
COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) waste covers items that are toxic and contain a hazardous chemical. Because of its nature this means COSHH waste disposal must be done in line with the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005 to protect human health and the environment.
Many items class as COSHH waste, such as empty paint tins, oily rags, and aerosols. When it comes to COSHH waste disposal they must be separated from other waste types for safe storage on-site, before collection by licensed waste carriers. They’re then disposed of by one of various treatments depending on the material.
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Where can you collect chemical waste?
Chemical waste collection is available anywhere in the UK with Business Waste. We can provide free bins and containers to store all types and amounts of waste chemicals safely on your site whether your business is based in a city, town, village, or elsewhere in the UK. Licensed waste carriers will collect your chemical waste at a time that suits you.
Explore all locations and arrange chemical waste collection in your area today.
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What goes in a chemical waste bin?
Any waste that’s toxic, flammable, highly reactive, and/or corrosive can go in a chemical waste bin. This includes any waste that was in contact with chemicals, even if it’s not a chemical itself. Examples of what goes in a chemical waste container or bin include:
- Lead acid
- Pesticides
- Brake fluid
- Printer toner
- Used oil
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How do you dispose of empty chemical containers?
Chemical waste containers will be removed by licensed waste carriers and taken to a waste management centre where they’re emptied and the contents disposed of. The empty chemical containers will be cleaned thoroughly and dried with all labels removed. These containers can then be reused to store chemical waste in the future or may be recycled.
Get a fast chemical waste disposal quote
Get a fast FREE quote for your chemical waste removal
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of chemical waste
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK