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 Waste
Management activities, if improperly carried out, can result
in leakage of hazardous materials and possible contamination of
the underlying soil and groundwater. Another
area of significant concern is abandoned industrial or commercial
sites where waste materials have been abandoned by previous owners
or occupants. In many cases the wastes are not readily identifiable.
Services
offered by DCS in the area of waste management include:
- assessment
of a facility for waste management activities;
- identification
of waste inventories and methods of disposal;
- characterization
of abandoned waste inventories using specialized contractor
services;
- assisting
clients in registration and disposal of waste inventories; and
- supervision
of specialized contractors during pickup and disposal of wastes,
 Significant
quantities of PCBs are still present in a variety of electrical
equipment in wide-spread use in Ontario. This equipment can
include transformers, switchgear, electrical cable, high intensity
discharge (HID) light ballasts and fluorescent light ballasts. Large
inventories of low and high concentration PCB waste are also being
stored in PCB storage sites across the province. The presence
of PCBs in operating equipment and in waste storage sites represents
a potential liability to a property owner, particularly if leakage
occurs.
 In Ontario
existing PCB storage sites and new inventories
of PCB waste are governed by O. Reg. 362, Waste Management - PCBs.
The Ontario Ministry of Environment has proposed amendments
to current regulation that would require the phase-out of PCB waste
storage sites over a period of three years commencing on the date the regulation is amended.
The Federal government has also introduced the PCBs Regulations, effective 5 September 2008, that establish end-of-use deadlines for in-service equipment containing PCBs at concentrations greater than 50 ppm. For sensitive locations such as day care centres, schools, hospitals and food processing plants (including land within 100 metres of the above sites) an end-of-use date of 31 December 2009 has been specified. For all other sites end-of-use dates have been set as 31 December 2009 for equipment containing > 500 ppm and 31 December 2025 for equipment containing > 50 ppm PCBs. A summary of key requirements of the PCBs Regulations can be obtained by contacting DCS by phone or e-mail.
DCS
has extensive experience in assessment of PCB-containing equipment
and management of PCB waste. Services offered by DCS in this
area include:
- facility
assessments for the presence of PCBs;
- assessment
of options for disposal of PCB waste, including budget estimates;
- development
of contract specifications and work plans;
- arrangement
for and supervision of specialized contractors for removal and
disposal of PCB-containing equipment; and
- assisting
clients in the decommissioning and de-registration of existing
storage sites.
Contact
DCS for more information on PCB and Waste Management services
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