Hazardous Waste Containers
As evident by the diversity of the containers, hazardous waste containers are utilized in wide range of industries including: chemical processing, for handling and storage of the numerous potentially hazardous chemical being processed; industrial manufacturing, for applications such as residue from electroplating, cleaning and degreasing processes; medical and pharmaceutical, for use in leftover drug chemicals such as hormones or hallucinatory substances as well as contaminated blood or other fluids; and petroleum, for proper transport and storage of fuels, such as gas, diesel and oil. The most important feature of a hazardous waste container is that the material that it is constructed from is not reactive to the waste being contained; thus avoiding potential catastrophes such as a violent reaction, a fire, explosion or excessive heat generation.
Hazardous waste containers are typically formed from metals or heavy-duty plastic due to the requirement for a thick layer of material between the waste and the environment as well as the person handling the waste. The most common materials used to construct hazardous waste containers are steel, stainless steel and high density polyethylene (HDPE); all of which are highly chemically-inert materials. Metal hazardous waste containers are roll formed. The roll forming process involves calenders and die punches that are used to shape metal sheets into a ring-form. Plastic hazardous waste containers are formed through the blow molding process, in which the plastic must be pre-formed through injection molding then softened and expanding to the desirable height. Next, air pressure is introduced through the inside of the pre-formed plastic, forcing it to balloon out and assume the shape of the mold cavity. The types of materials classified as hazardous waste are sorted into two main categories: characteristically hazardous and listed hazardous. Characteristically hazardous materials mean that the waste can be classified under one of the four major characteristics of hazardous waste, which are ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity. Listed hazardous waste is named on one the four hazardous wastes lists: F-list, meaning that they come from common industrial processes; K-list, meaning that they common from specific industries; P-list, are acutely hazardous; and U-list, which are also considered highly hazardous, but less so than P-list chemicals.
