Toxic waste
 Norwegian

 
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Toxic waste (Driving forces)

The large economic growth we have experienced the last generations has led to a higher consumption of articles and services. The amounts of garbage have increased proportionally. There is generated approx. 23,5 million tons of rubbish in Norway every year, mainly from mining, building and construction, industry and households. Pressure)

Garbage is a source to different environment problems. In addition deposit of waste transfer pollution to the next generations. Discharge from deposed rubbish can create big nature problems centuries later. Deposed garbage and old deposits with special waste, polluted ground, polluted sediments and pollution from closed mines, are important sources to discharge of gases, which disturb the climate. Such methane discharges are responsible for 12% of Norway’s total discharge of climate gases.

Effluents which cause damage on health and environment, dust and acidic components from combustion of garbage contribute to the air contamination in the cities. Depositing causes effluents of nourishment salts and other substances, which contribute to a lower quality of the local water resources and affect the possibilities of bathing and fishing.

Garbage is very often out of control. In 1993 many changes in the pollution law were carried through to make it easier to handle it in a sensible way. For instance has the reduction of waste become one of the aims of this law. Polluters shall pay for their crimes. So it says in the contamination law.

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(State)

National purposes for separate waste

In preposition no. 111 (1989-1990) from the Norwegian parliament on further work with separate garbage, this was said:

"Towards year 2000 the contamination problem connected to separate garbage shall be reduced to a level where health and environment are not being damaged. The waste shall be used in a way that is justifiable for our resources."

In report no. 44 (1991-1992) from the government the main strategy to handle with this problem is:

  • To prevent that garbage originates and reduce the amount of dangerous substances in it.
  • To improve recycling and exploit the energy more efficiently.
  • To secure an environmental justifiable treatment of the garbage.


Collection, reception

In 1993 Vennesla and 422 (out of 435) municipalities had an arrangement for reception of separate garbage. This means that 98% of the people could use it.

There are approx. 40 collectors of such waste. In about. 160 municipalities the garbage can be delivered to a served reception. about. 80 of them have an "environment bus", which is a mobile reception driving a firm route. About. 250 municipalities have "environment stations" for separate rubbish from the households. In addition to the collectors, bat. 50 businesses have been allowed to empty and clean tanks which contain separate garbage. Some of them have permission to receive garbage from their own customers.

 

How to establish routines for reception of dangerous garbage?

Preface

Recent decisions from the Norwegian authorities about dangerous garbage will make it easier to establish such routines. They will also put focus on the treating of poisonous waste both in the health service and among the scavengers.

The responsibility for handling with dangerous garbage is divided between the Norwegian health- and pollution authorities. There is very little concrete information on how the scavengers are supposed to handle such garbage.

Generally on risk garbage

Dangerous rubbish comes from hospitals, homes for old and sick, birth clinics, doctor- and dentist clinics, health and social centers, medicinal labs, vet institutions and hospitals for animals. Some risk garbage also comes from households.

Risk waste is biological or pathological rubbish, which requires special treatment because of danger of infection, toxicity, consistence, or simply by regard to ethical views. Some examples:

  • Garbage from patients in isolation
  • Sharp/cutting objects, like needles, knives and others which can lead to sticks, wounds and pollution in blood or tissue liquid.

Yellow packing is used for dangerous garbage. This color is a symbol of infection.

The establishing phase

Attitudes, co-operation and information are three head words when discussing this issue.

Possibilities of infection

There are a lot of myths about risk waste. The word itself makes us on guard about the risk we expect is connect with waste from health service. It is therefore important that renovation men get the information and possible training in how to act with risk waste. Uncertainty often leads to fear and when we are afraid we do often not act rational. It is therefor as important to know what does not lead to infection, as knowing what leads to infection.

  • Information about sorting arrangement to the people responsible to the waste.
  • Information and any training of renovation men must begin.

Both in the ADR rules and in the directories from the supervision there is more or less an identical classification of infectious diseases. Both are divided into 4 categories.

  • Category 4 in ADR represent highest risk and can lead to serious illnesses with human. It can be danger of spreading to the community and there are usually no effective treatments against them. Examples are the "Ebola virus" and the "Congo – crime fever virus". We do not bump into any of these diseases here in Norway.
  • Category 3 in ADR also represents a high risk of a serious illness but less of a risk of spreading to the community. There is usually effective treatments. In this category we find diseases like HIV, Rabies, Hepatit B, C and E and Creusfeldt Jacobs disease. Most people know the HIV, and the risk of infection is not great through garbage. Rabies and Hepatitt (with one exeption) there is treatment for. It has been written a lot about Creusfeldt Jackobs disease in the media and scientists are working with if humans is infected through lamb meat.
  • Category 2 in ADR can cause disease with humans. It will probably spread to the community. But there is usually effective treatments. Examples are diseases like measles, mumps, German measles, hepatic A, and the salmonella. stafylicocs and streptococcus is also in category 2. If the last is resistant against antibiotics, they will probably come under category 3.
  • Category 1 in ADR contains micro-organisms that probably do not cause disease with humans.

If these illnesses is in the community, it probably is in the regular trash too. It is not until the patient is going to be treated the trash is seen in the health service. But when you come that far, the risk is well known. In the health service there is a greater concentration of people which can infect you.

But if you see the total garbage from a hospital, the risk trash that can infect you is a little piece of the total. The "Danish guide about thrash from health service" has that view that risk trash in most cases with treatment of patients with illnesses in category 1 and 2 with exeption of special laboratories.

The problems arises if risk trash is delivered together with regular trash. This can cause some of infective liquid at compression. The renovation personnel can exposed to injuries when needles and sharp objects is caught in the machines. Animals can bring infective materials out of the garbage place. We can reduce these problems by setting up regular arrangements for receiving risk trash.

Working environment and handling of risk trash

Following rules is central for transporters and receivers of risk trash.

  • The Law about Working Environment (AML)
  • The Intern Control rule (IK)

 

All packing which is used when transporting dangerous goods shall, with a few exceptions, have a type which is accepted and wear the symbol UN followed by production specifications. In Norway this job is handed over to The Norwegian Veritas on behalf of the authority of protection against fire and explosions.

Risk garbage that belongs to the ADR ruling shall be marked with a danger mark , and with its UN number.

The containers shall not be too heavy, so that the workers handle them. They shall be chosen with regard to loading, unloading and final destruction. If the rubbish shall be burned, one has to be aware of the mechanisms of the combustion plant.

  • Equipment used for transport of risk garbage should be cleaned regularly.

Reception routines

More and more municipalities introduce routines of subscription or regular systems for dangerous rubbish. When there is no such offer, the dangerous objects could be mixed with other household waste. That is a big problem, and we can conclude that:

  • There should be established agreements with transport firms and construction for reception.
  • We should make sure that there are alternative treatment receivers if the ordinary reception breaks down.

Reception for deponing

Risk garbage, which is no longer a source to infection after warmth treatment, can in most cases be delivered and treated like normal household garbage.

Some health institutions clean potential infectious waste before they send it to the public garbage reception or burn it. In the USA this system has been developed.

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