A new Hazardous Waste Index

Hazardous wastes, once generated, have to be stored, transported, treated, disposed off, recycled, depending upon the situation. With laws being tight ened, all of the above operations have to be done safely without causing ha rm to people and environment. Before any operation is carried out, it is vi tal to know the hazardous characteristics of the waste to be handled. Becau se waste, generally, is a mixture instead of a pure compound, its hazardous characteristics are difficult to determine and generalize because each was te is specific. A new Hazardous Waste Index (HWI) is proposed in this paper . The index measures hazards related to flammability, reactivity, toxicity and corrosivity as well as the pH value for a hazardous waste. Two examples are given for its use. The index can be modified to include radioactive or mixed waste. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.