WASTE MANAGEMENT

 

Nova Scotia adopts federal regulations for managing wastes that are dangerous goods.

 

Click on any of the following links for detailed information.

 

·       LIQUID WASTE TO DRAIN

·       WASTE AS A DANGEROUS GOOD

Ø    Definition

Ø    Storage

Ø    Shipping Documents

Ø    Containers

Ø    Training

Ø    Labeling

 

LIQUID WASTE TO DRAIN

Municipalities are responsible for regulating liquid waste that is discharged to the drain. These regulations are in the form of bylaws. For a copy of the local sewer use bylaw, contact the municipality in which your business is located.

 

Generally, no flammable liquids, no corrosive liquids and no effluent that will interfere with the operation of the sewerage control plant may be discharged into the sewer.

 

WASTE AS A DANGEROUS GOOD

The federal transportation of dangerous goods regulation applies to all products, regardless of whether they are new products or wastes.

 

Definition

A substance is dangerous goods when it meets the criteria for inclusion in at least one of the 9 classes of dangerous goods.

 

The definitions of the nine classes of dangerous goods are as follows:

 

Class 1 Explosives

Substances are included in Class 1 if they are capable, by chemical reaction, of producing gas at a temperature, pressure and speed that would damage the surroundings, or are designed to produce an explosive or pyrotechnic effect. 

 

Class 2 Gases A substance is included in Class 2 if it is a gas, an article charged with a gas, or an aerosol.
Class 3 Flammable Liquids Substances are included in Class 3 if they have a flash point less than or equal to 60.5°C.
Class 4 Flammable Solids Substances are included in Class 4 if they are flammable solids, substances liable to spontaneous combustion or substances that on contact with water emit flammable gases (water-reactive substances).
Class 5 Oxidizing Substances and Organic Peroxides Substances are included in Class 5 if they are oxidizing substances or organic peroxides.
Class 6 Toxic and Infectious Substances Substances are included in Class 6 if they are liable to cause death or serious injury or to harm human health if swallowed or inhaled or if they come into contact with human skin, or are infectious substances.
Class 7 Radioactive Substances Substances with a specific activity greater than 70 kBq/kg are included in Class 7, Radioactive Materials.
Class 8 Corrosives Substances are included in Class if they are known to cause destruction of human skin, or exhibit a corrosion rate that exceeds 6.25 mm per year at a test temperature of 55°C, as determined in accordance with the ASTM Corrosion Test.
Class 9  Miscellaneous Products, Substances or Organisms

A substance is included in Class 9,if

(a)  it is included in Class 9 in column 3 of Schedule 1,

(b)  it does not meet the criteria for inclusion in any of Classes 1 to 8 and is intended for disposal, is in a form that can release toxic substances through leaching (For a liquid, the UN number and shipping name are UN3082, ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE, LIQUID, N.O.S. For a solid, the UN number and shipping name are UN3077, ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE, SOLID, N.O.S.)

(c)  it does not meet the criteria for inclusion in any of Classes 1 to 8 and is intended for disposal and is a mixture that includes an environmentally hazardous substance listed in Appendix 5, Environmentally Hazardous Substances Intended for Disposal (For a liquid, the UN number and shipping name are UN3082, ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE, LIQUID, N.O.S. For a solid, the UN number and shipping name are UN3077, ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE, SOLID, N.O.S.)

 

(Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, Part 2)

 

 

Storage

Waste, like all dangerous goods, must be stored in containers that are appropriate for the material. All containers in the workplace must be labeled according to WHMIS requirements and there must be an MSDS for each waste that is a WHMIS controlled product. (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System regulations 88-221, 7 – 15)

 

Shipping Documents

All wastes that are dangerous goods must be accompanied by a shipping document. A shipping document may be in any form, including a waste manifest or a company-designed form, as long as it contains all the information required by the regulation. 

 

The information required on a shipping document must be easy to identify, legible, in indelible print and in English or French.

 

When the information related to dangerous goods is on the same shipping document with information related to non-dangerous goods, the dangerous goods information must be shown in one of the following ways:

·       before the information related to the non-dangerous goods and under the heading "Dangerous Goods"

·       printed or highlighted in a colour that contrasts with the print or highlight used for the information related to the non-dangerous goods

·       by placing the letter "X" opposite the shipping name in a column headed "DG" or "MD". 

 

The following information must be included on a shipping document:

(a) the name and address of the consignor 

(b) the date the shipping document was prepared

(c) the description of each of the dangerous goods, in the following order:

     (i)  the shipping name and, immediately after the shipping name unless it is already part of it, the technical name, in parentheses, of the most dangerous substance related to the primary class

     (ii) the primary class

     (iii) the subsidiary class or classes, in parentheses, where they exist

     (iv) the UN number 

     (vi) the packing group roman numeral, which may be preceded by the letters "PG" or the words "Packing Group"

 

An example of the description of dangerous goods is:

GASOLINE, 3, UN1203, PG II

 

(d) for each shipping name, the quantity of dangerous goods and the unit of measure used to express the quantity, which must be in metric units

(e) for dangerous goods included in any of Classes 2 to 9, the number of small means of containment (<450 litres) for each shipping name

(f) the words "24-Hour Number", or an abbreviation of these words, followed by a telephone number, including the area code, at which the shipper (consignor) can be reached immediately for technical information about the dangerous goods in transport, without breaking the telephone connection made by the caller.

(g)The telephone number of a person who is not the consignor, such as CANUTEC, but who is competent to give technical information

 

(Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, Part 3)

 

Containers

Wastes that are dangerous goods must be contained in UN-approved containers during handling and transportation. At all times during the transportation, the container must meet the requirements of the UN standard. (Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, 5.1)

 

Containers must be marked to show compliance with the UN standard. The safety marks must be visible at all times.

(Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, 5.2-5.3)

 

Training

Any employee who handles waste that is a dangerous good for the purposes of transportation,( i.e. a shipper), must be trained and have a valid training certificate. Certificates are valid for three years. The employee need only be trained in those parts of the regulation that pertain to his or her job. (Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, 6.1-6.2)

 

Labeling

All containers of waste that are dangerous goods must be labeled. The labels must be visible and legible, and in colour where required. Each container must display the label for the primary class of dangerous good, and a label for the secondary class if there is one. Next to the label for the primary class must be displayed the shipping name and the UN number of the dangerous good.

 

Trucks that pick up waste that is dangerous goods must be placarded. The truck must display the placard of the primary class of the dangerous good. (Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, Part 4)

 

All containers of controlled products must be labeled in accordance with federal and provincial WHMIS regulations.

 

 

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