Types of waste
Our aim is to find an economically justified solution for waste based on the best available technology (BAT). There are different treatments available for each waste stream.
R- treatment & D-treatment
There’s an important difference between an R treatment meaning revalorization or recovery of the waste and a D treatment which stands for destruction or disposal. Considering the impact on the environment, it is better to apply an R treatment which means the waste will be re-used, recycled or incinerated for a useful purpose.
Destruction means the waste is incinerated with no proper use or is dumped. A destructive treatment (D treatment) is not a good alternative for the environment and brings along higher environmental taxes.
The priority sequence found in the ladder of Lansink (see below) illustrates in order of hierarchy which application is most recommended regarding the environmental impact. The top of the ladder shows prevention of waste followed by material re-use. The lowest rung of the ladder is dumping which is a last resort option.
The following lists give you an idea of the different types of R- treatments and D-treatments.
Recovery operations
*R1 - Use principally as a fuel or other means to generate energy
R2 - Solvent reclamation/regeneration
Recycling/reclamation of organic substances which are not used as solvents
R3
(including composting and other biological transformation processes)
R4 - Recycling/reclamation of metals and metal compounds
R5 - Recycling/reclamation of other inorganic materials
R6 - Regeneration of acids or bases
R7 - Recovery of components used for pollution abatement
R8 - Recovery of components from catalysts
R9 - Oil re-refining or other reuses of oil
R10 - Land treatment resulting in benefit to agriculture or ecological improvement
R11 - Use of wastes obtained from any of the operations numbered R1 to R10
*R12 - Exchange of wastes for submission to any of the operations numbered R1 to R11
*R13 - Storage of wastes pending any of the operations numbered R1 to R12 (excluding temporary storage, pending collection, on the site where it is produced)
*not considered recovery to a final product
Disposal operations
D1 - Deposit into or onto land, e.g. landfill
D2 - Land treatment, e.g. biodegradation of liquid or sludgy discards in soils
D3 - Deep injection, e.g. injection of pumpable discards into wells, salt domes or naturally occurring repositories
D4 - Surface impoundment, e.g. placement of liquid or sludgy discards into pits, ponds or lagoons
D5 - Specially engineered landfill, e.g. placement into lined discrete cells which are capped and isolated from one another and the environment
D6 - Release into a water body, except seas/oceans
D7 - Release into seas/oceans, including sea-bed insertion
D8 - Biological treatment resulting in final compounds or mixtures which are discarded by any of the operations numbered D1 to D12
D9 - Physico-chemical treatment resulting in final compounds or mixtures which are discarded by any of the operations numbered D1 to D12, e.g. evaporation, drying, calcination
D10 - Incineration on land
D11 - Incineration at sea
D12 - Permanent storage, e.g. emplacement of containers in a mine
D13 - Blending or mixing prior to submission to any of the operations numbered D1 to D12
D14 - Repackaging prior to submission to any of the operations numbered D1 to D13
D15 - Storage pending any of the operations numbered D1 to D14 (excluding temporary storage, pending collection, on the site where it is produced)
