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#1 Posted : 14 February 2006 09:46:00(UTC)
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Posted By Paul Price As part of our manufacturing process we use a copolymer acrylic acid .Because of the nature of this chemical we are unable to flush it away. the shape of the drum prohibits complete emptying of the chemical . The cost to keep 100s of drums for disposal would cost £00s .Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Regards Paul Price
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#2 Posted : 14 February 2006 10:52:00(UTC)
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Posted By Neil Koskie Paul Would your supplier consider changing the shape of the drums so that you can completely empty them - this must be costing your company a fortune in itself! If they can be completely emptied, the drums will be classed as 'nominally empty', which should reduce the cost to dispose of them. Hope this is of some help. Neil
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#3 Posted : 14 February 2006 11:06:00(UTC)
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Posted By Frank Hallett Hi Paul How do you currently decant the contents? There a range of devices and equipment available designed to remove all but the smallest amount of residue - these may be quicker and easier than getting the containers modified [certainly in the short-term]. Frank Hallett
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#4 Posted : 14 February 2006 11:23:00(UTC)
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Posted By Robert K Lewis Paul Even with nominally empty drums this is a problem for disposal. My first approach has to be to the manufacturers to get the drums sent back to them. I am not to sure on the niceties of the Waste Packaging Directive but it might be a place to start. They ought to be now looking to make the drums recyclable and they are best equipped to deal with the product seeing as they are selling it! Unless this is one of those on-suppliers who split up bulk purchase to smaller sizes. This begs the question as to whether drum delivery is best in the long term. The cost of disposal at a Hazardous Waste site is going to be expensive in the long run so permanent tanks could become viable. The other option is to ask if it can be neutralised to a non hazardous form. Without detailed information this is out of my court, and even in an esterised form or similar it may still not reduce the hazards sufficiently. Go for the manufacturer/supplier then the storage option and finally bite the bullet and pay the cost! Hopefully the first two could resolve the issues. Bob
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#5 Posted : 14 February 2006 11:38:00(UTC)
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Posted By Paul Price Thanks to everyone who replied .I used the word drum a bit losely Im afraid they are actually 25ltr plastic containers to, send them back to the supplier would not be viable as it is BASF in Germany!!!this problem came to light as a result of a worker disposing of the containers in a compactor and sufferd minor burns as a result so you can understand my concerns on this. Regards Paul
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#6 Posted : 14 February 2006 12:28:00(UTC)
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Posted By Frank Hallett Hi Paul, given your latest additional observation, could you consider inerting the contents and then flogging the cleaned containers to recoup the loss if BASF really won't arrange return/disposal? I'm sure that if someone sat down and worked out the relative costs they could well become a lot more responsive - they have major duties under the EU Waste Directives to address this. Frank Hallett
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#7 Posted : 14 February 2006 12:36:00(UTC)
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Posted By Robert K Lewis Paul Even better that they are German - they may be more amenable to assisting you. In any case there is a supplier here to take a handle on. Get them involved or you are likely to pick up some hefty bills. Bob
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