hazardous waste

[haz-er-duhs weyst]

noun

1. any industrial by-product or discarded commercial product that is potentially harmful to the environment or people and other living organisms because it is ignitable, corrosive, reactive, and/or toxic.

   You can’t throw these flammable old cans of paint thinner in with your regular trash—they need to be treated as hazardous waste.

   We are in compliance with all state regulations that pertain to the containment and disposal of hazardous wastes.

hazardous waste

1. A used or discarded material that can damage the environment and be harmful to health. Hazardous wastes include heavy metals and toxic chemicals used in industrial products and processes as well as infectious medical wastes and radioactive materials such as spent nuclear fuel rods.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hazardous waste¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

The businesses were alleged to have violated a variety of state laws by improperly handling, storing and ultimately disposing of pesticides and hazardous waste in normal and ill-equipped trash bins and landfills, rather than at secure facilities.

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The companies were accused of not just dumping hazardous waste into transfer stations, landfills and bins, but the district attorneys also alleged that employees often failed to separate or determine if waste was hazardous to begin with.

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The defendants failed to maintain a program for lawful storage on-site, leading in some cases to hazardous waste leaking while in containers, according to court documents.

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Veolia said Friday that the deal would allow it to expand in the growing U.S. hazardous waste sector.

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Atlas, along with its father-and-son owners Gary and Matthew Weisenberg, were arraigned two years ago on numerous criminal charges in connection with illegal dumping and handling of hazardous waste from July 2020 and August 2022.

Read more on Los Angeles Times