الرئاسة العامة للأرصاد و حماية البيئة

Management of Hazardous Wastes

Introduction

The Presidency of Meteorology and Environment "PME" has attached great importance to the impact of hazardous substances and waste pollution on the environment in its bid to\ address the problem of protecting the Saudi environment and human health against the risks of such substances and waste in all their forms and no matter their sources as well as all stages of production, import, handling, storage, treatment, and final disposal in addition to banning the import, entry or transit of hazardous waste into the territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. General Environmental Regulation and Roles for Implementation in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its Executive Regulation defines means of sound environmental management of hazardous substances and waste and its requirements in conjunction with Basel Convention in 1989 controlling transboundary movement of hazardous waste and its disposal.
The above mentioned Law cites the definition of hazardous substance as material with hazardous properties harmfully affecting human health or adversely impacting on the environment such as infectious, toxic, explosive, inflammable substances or ionized radiations. Hazardous waste are the remains of different activities and processes or related ashes sustaining hazardous material properties which have no subsequent-original or substitute uses such as clinical waste from therapeutic activities, or from manufactured pharmaceutical or organic solvents, inks, dyes and paints.
In this perspective, and with a view to ascertaining the soundness of handling hazardous substances and waste, Chapter 2 of General Environmental Regulation and Roles on the protection of the environment and Chapter 2 of its Executive Regulation stated provisions governing hazardous substances and waste handling and management. Article 14 of the Regulation identifies agencies concerned with citing lists of hazardous substances and wastes and authorized to grant licenses for their handling to ensure their sound and safe management.

Sources of Generated Hazardous Wastes

1. Industrial Activities:

Considered as one of the main sources of hazardous waste quantitatively and qualitatively, mostly generated from the following industries:

a. Chemical and petrochemical industries
b. Spinning and weaving, dying and preparation and equipping processes
c. Pesticides and fertilizers
d. Steel, metal painting, melting and foundry
e. Detergents, leather tanning, paper, and pharmaceuticals
f. Asbestos industry and electronics

2. Agricultural Activities:

Pesticides and fertilizers with expired periods or ceased validity for use and their empty containers are deemed among major agricultural hazardous wastes.

3. Petroleum Activities:

By-products of oil extraction and refining as well as its transportation and use.

4. Health Care Waste:

Waste from hospitals, treatment units, private clinics as well as household waste on mixing it with these types of waste. Health care waste can be categorized as follows:
a. Infectious Waste: This type of waste is contaminated with the patient’s body fluids or secretions, with cutting (sharp) and piercing tools such as syringes and scalpels being the most hazardous.
b. Pathological Waste (Tissues): Such as amputated parts of the human body and human organs resulting from operation theater as well as delivery (placenta) wastes which are likely to be carrying infection hazards.
c. Chemical Waste: Such as waste from disinfectants and lab chemicals plus drug remains or medicines with expired dates and other chemicals used in health facilities. The most hazardous of the above mentioned wastes are drugs used for tumor therapy.
d. Radioactive Waste: Waste from radioactive isotopes used in treatment and diagnosis.
e. Explosive Waste: Such as empty packs of aerosols or those containing waste from some lab chemicals.

5. Research and Lab Activities:

Hazardous wastes from research and lab activities requiring special ways of their handling and safe disposal.

6. Service Activities:

a. Sludge resulting from mixing industrial effluent with sanitary drainage.
b. Car-service stations, photo laboratories, printing houses and different dry-cleaning shops.
c. Car tires and used batteries.

7. Military Operations:

Waste normally results from military operations in massive quantities, most importantly land and sea mines and expired ammunition.

8. Garbage:

Household garbage and that resulting from institutional and commercial activities involve some hazardous waste such as expired medicines, chemicals, paints, domestic insecticides and their empty containers, consumed dry batteries and electronics.