Here’s a fact: you have ultimate responsibility for your waste, from cradle to grave. So you want to be certain that your waste management provider’s experience and capabilities are top notch. Unfortunately, not all waste cleaning and treatment providers are created equal. Do you know if your selected service provider is actually the best qualified to handle your cleaning and waste needs? And how much do qualifications matter, anyway?
Actually, qualifications matter a lot. And with a quick bit of homework, you can determine if your service provider can expertly handle your types of waste. Here are questions to get answered:
- Are the facility’s waste treatment operations, procedures, and systems suitable for your waste? What kinds of waste does the facility treat? Does it have its own laboratory to ensure complete compliance with regulations? Does it QC every load – both inbound and outbound – as part of a waste acceptance plan? Is it a full-service facility?
- Does the provider follow environmentally sound practices? Are prequalification samples and waste profiles required? Does the company perform regular, documented site audits of its providers?
- Is the facility permitted to take your waste? Just because a plant has a permit doesn’t mean it is permitted to take YOUR waste. The permit might be limited to certain types of waste. Would you want a septic waste treatment plant treating your industrial waste? The EPA doesn’t and says that’s a “no-no.”
- What about insurance levels? Non-hazardous waste treatment plant permits usually don’t require special insurance. But fully qualified, responsible waste treatment facilities will carry pollution liability insurance that covers their own facility and yours when they’re doing work on your site. Look for contractor pollution insurance.
- Have you checked your provider’s EPA, state (EPD, ADEM, etc.), and municipal records?This is a good idea just to make sure they are in full compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations. You want a compliant provider who is committed to staying on top of regulations so you don’t have to worry about them.
- If your provider operates a wastewater treatment plant, is the facility a CWT plant (centralized wastewater treatment plant)? A CWT facility retains a permit to accept industrial wastewater from offsite companies and must treat the waste to limits set by the EPA. After thoroughly treating those wastes, the CWT can discharge the effluent to a publicly owned sewage treatment plant or surface waterways. CWT plants are held to rigorous compliance standards.
- How qualified are your provider’s personnel? Are the on-site technicians HAZWOPR trained? Are they experts in the specific policies and procedures for confined space entry, lockout-tagout, and respiratory protection?
Lastly, consider conducting an audit of your waste services provider. Although audits take some time to plan and conduct, the effort is worth your peace of mind. Waiting until there’s a problem is never a good idea for your business, as you could be held responsible for your provider’s mistakes and non-compliance.
When you select a waste services provider, you expect your job to be handled in a conscientious manner every step of the way. At Environmental Remedies, we will make sure you’re completely satisfied. Call us today at (404) 627-5931 or visit our website, www.Envremedies.com, for more information.