There are no legitimate reasons why companies illegally dump waste. However, every day, corporations leave their chemicals in places where they do not belong. It takes a great deal of mental gymnastics for business leaders to convince themselves that the rules do not apply to them. But people should try to understand their reasoning so we can all work toward solutions together.
Avoid Fees
The proper disposal of chemical lab waste requires the work of trained professionals. Whenever professionals are involved, there are going to be fees. While this is an expected and more or less welcome nuisance for some business owners, others wish to circumvent these fees by dumping their waste illegally. Often, businesses looking to avoid fees will dump late at night, hoping not to be caught in the act by police officers or anyone else nearby.
Untrained Workforce
Sometimes, a company would responsibly dump their waste if they only had the training to know how to do it properly. Proper waste management procedures are not known intuitively. It could be that what an employee thinks is a perfectly safe item to chuck in the trash is actually a piece of solid chemical waste that needs to be disposed of using other methods.
Laziness
Maybe the least forgivable of the reasons why companies illegally dump waste is that sometimes people just do not feel properly motivated to do the right thing. Finding the right partners and preparing your waste for disposal are time-consuming and, at times, frustrating endeavors. People who do not have the patience for this task may just forget the process altogether. This is a mistake, of course, as the United States government takes protecting the environment from waste seriously, and laziness is not an adequate legal defense.
The Correct Approach
Companies that dump chemical waste should accept their important responsibilities to the planet. When dealing with chemical waste, an acceptable method of disposal is to work with a lab pack provider to bring everything to a legal, regulated site. If a company continues to dump its chemical waste illegally, it will eventually get caught and face the penalties.
Not only is dumping waste illegal and costly, it is extremely dangerous. To learn more on the dangers of radiation in waste and recycling, please see the resource below.
Infographic provided by truck weight scales experts, Kanawha Scales & Systems