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Hazardous waste is divided into different
classes based on the type of risk involved. The SABS 0228 Code of
Practice for the identification and Classification of Dangerous
Substances and Goods (SABS, 1995) recognises nine broad classes of
hazardous
waste:
-
Explosives;
-
Gases;
-
Flammable
liquids;
-
Flammable solids, substances liable to
spontaneous combustion, substances that on contact with water emit
flammable
gases;
-
Oxidising substances and organic
pesticides;
-
Toxic and infectious
substances;
-
Radioactive
material;
-
Corrosives;
and
-
Miscellaneous dangerous substances and
goods.
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| Assessment of
Data |
As the largest producer of hazardous waste in
the country, Mpumalanga is responsible for just over a third of all
hazardous waste produced in South Africa. Of the 3 416 873
m3 of hazardous waste generated in this province every
year, less than 0.1% (2 923 m3
) actually reaches a hazardous waste site and the
remainder is disposed of on-site or in some other way (DWAF,
1998). It is also important to note that the volume of class 9.00
hazardous waste is much greater than any of the other classes and
contributes over 99% to the total hazardous waste stream in
Mpumalanga, primarily due to the fertiliser manufacturing sector.
The graph below shows the sectoral contributions to the three
different hazardous waste classes in Mpumalanga.
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