Indicator: Hazardous waste| Indicator description | Complete list of Indicators | What the results tell us for TumutSee also: | Materials recycling & re-use | The Tumut Shire Council collected approximately 10 tonnes of asbestos in 1999–2000, but in general the Council does not collect hazardous waste. Occasional collections are made in the Shire by Contaminated Waste Disposal Services, however, no records are kept of these collections. Landfills in the Shire are not licensed to collect hazardous materials. About the dataData were provided by Tumut Shire Council from Council records. Description: What does 'hazardous waste' measure?Which data are collected?
Why do we report this indicator?Hazardous wastes potentially pose an immediate or long-term risk to the health of humans or the environment (Contaminated Sites Discussion Paper, March 1997, ACT), and thus generation of hazardous waste is a potential pressure on the condition of the environment. Hazardous waste can be wastes from manufacturing processes, hydrocarbon storage and some research procedures, or simply the residue from of past landuses. It is generally not suitable for disposal directly to landfills or the sewer, and thus must be disposed of using specialised procedures. A knowledge of the different types and sources of hazardous waste indicates the potential for pressure to be placed on the environment should these materials be mishandled in any way. Spills of any of these chemicals, such as oils and other hydrocarbons, can be transferred to other parts of a catchment through surface and ground water. |