Waste Handling, Transportation, and Disposal
This domain tests how asbestos waste is wetted, packaged, labeled, transported, and disposed of, and what records must be kept.
Packaging and labeling
Asbestos waste must be kept wet and placed in leak-tight containers, commonly double 6-mil polyethylene bags or drums. Bags are goosenecked, sealed, and labeled with the generator’s name, waste description, and date. Containers must not be overfilled or compacted in a way that could rupture them. Sharp debris is placed in rigid containers. Visible dust on the exterior is not acceptable.
Transportation and disposal
Waste is transported in covered or enclosed vehicles to an approved landfill that accepts asbestos waste. Shipping papers or waste-shipment records identify the generator, transporter, and disposal site. Massachusetts requirements and the disposal facility’s approval conditions must be followed. Manifest and disposal records are retained and made available for inspection.
Worked example
A job generates 40 bags weighing about 50 pounds each, or roughly one ton. The bags are wetted, double-bagged, goosenecked, labeled, and loaded without compaction. The transporter uses a covered vehicle and carries a waste-shipment record listing the generator, the asbestos waste, and the approved disposal facility. If a bag tears during loading, work stops; the area is wetted and HEPA-vacuumed, and the waste is repackaged and relabeled before shipment.
Traps
Do not dry-pack waste. Do not reuse torn or contaminated bags. Do not send asbestos waste to an unapproved construction-and-demolition landfill. Do not omit labels or shipment records. Do not compact bags until they rupture.