IES LA UNIT 7:

FLOTA SELECTIVE WASTE COLLECTION.

Quality management and food safety

IES LA
FLOTA
UNIT 7: SELECTIVE WASTE
COLLECTION.
UNIT 7: SELECTIVE WASTE COLLECTION.

INTRODUCTION

In the past, hardly any waste was generated; those of organic origin went to feed the
animals or were composted for fertilizers. With the appearance of plastic, new materials and
technological devices, the problem of what to do with them appears. In recent years, recycling
systems have been developed for the waste, which contributes to improving the environment,
avoiding polluting the environment.

1. ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION

Since 1973, the European Union has successively adopted six community
environmental programs in which the guidelines for environmental policy within the European
Union have been set out.

In December 1994, the Directive 94/62 on waste and packaging aims to harmonize
national measures on packaging and waste management in order to prevent their
environmental impact. It applies to all packaging and packaging waste placed on the market
and generated within the Community, so that a high percentage of packaging can be used for
recycling and even for incineration to obtain energy.

Packaging must be made of in such a way that their weight and volume are the
minimum adequate to maintain the necessary level of safety, hygiene and acceptance.

They will be designed, manufactured and marketed in such a way that they can be
reused or recovered. They will be manufactured in such a way that the presence of harmful
substances and other hazardous substances and materials in the packaging material and in any
of its components has been reduced to a minimum. As for reusable containers, they will have
properties and physical characteristics that allow various recycling circuits or rotations. , they
will be treated in such a way that they comply with workers' health and safety requirements.
The directive will decide the symbols used to indicate the nature of the packaging (reusable
and recyclable) and the nature of the materials used.

2. WASTE

The definition of residue is very broad. Waste is understood as «any substance or

object that its owner disposes of or has the intention or obligation to dispose of». As we will
see there are many types of waste.

 Product outside the specifications or standards that has been returned or does not
comply with the quality standards.

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UNIT 7: SELECTIVE WASTE
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 Product outside the specifications or standards that has been returned or does not
meet quality standards.
 Expired products because they have exceeded the date of use or consumption.
 Deteriorated or damaged materials or products.
 Materials contaminated by industrial processes, waste from cleaning operations, etc.
 Unusable elements that have exhausted their useful life: batteries, catalytic
converters, etc.
 Substances that have lost their characteristic properties due to wear, deterioration or
contamination.
 Industrial production waste.
 Waste from pollution control processes: waste originating from pollution control
elements, such as sludge from the gas washing process, used filters, etc.
 Waste from machining processes, such as shavings, etc.
 Waste from extraction processes and preparation of raw materials: waste generated in
the first transformations of raw materials.
 Adulterated or contaminated materials due to causes beyond the control itself
production process, such as accidents, breakages, breakdowns, etc.
 Products unused: those materials that are not used because they are obsolete or
changes produced in them.
 Materials, substances or products resulting from processes of regeneration or recovery
of contaminated land

Many of these residues seem distant to us, something that has nothing to do with our
activity, but nothing more inaccurate. The sector that generates the greatest production of
waste is the food sector, with approximately 15% of the total production of waste generated.

2.1. Waste classification

The classification of waste is carried out based on the following concepts:

 Physical state.
 Origin.
 Potential risk.

Due to their physical state, they can be:

 Solid waste: ranging from sludge from distillation treatment plants and filter particles,
to resins, tar, waste from slaughterhouses or food industries, etc.
 Liquid waste: water from streams or wells collection, wastewater, solvents, oils, etc.
 Gaseous waste.

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UNIT 7: SELECTIVE WASTE
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By their origin they can be classified into:

 Municipal waste (RSU): solid urban waste, from domestic use, shops, offices and
services, as well as other waste from urban life activities, pruning, food waste,
packaging, etc.
 Industrial waste: is that which, due to its toxic or dangerous characteristics or its
degree of concentration, requires specific treatment and control of its potential
harmful effects, such as oils, paints, sanitary waste, etc.

Due to their potential risk, they are classified as:

 Inert waste: those that, once deposited in a landfill, do not undergo chemical, physical
or biological transformations that make them harmful or dangerous.
 Non-special waste: they are unclassified waste as special or inert and that do not
exceed a certain level of inflammation.
 Special waste: this is waste included in tables with hazardous material content, such as
arsenic, cadmium, copper, mercury, chromium, lead, zinc, dangerous volatile
substances or a possible flash point.

Each type of waste requires a study of impact, management and special treatment so that
they do not pose a danger to the environment. Hazardous waste has special legislation and
must be managed by specialized and authorized companies.

In Spain, the three integrated waste management systems are:

 ECOEMBES: treats all the materials present in the containers.
 ECOVIDRIO: manages only the glass.
 SIGRE: manages the remains of medicines and their containers.

3. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IN RESTORATION.

Technological development, the use of resources, the great demand for energy in the most
developed countries and those same needs that are increasing in those developing areas,
mean that the planet's resources are increasingly scarce. They must be consumed rationally,
and those that can be reused must follow the appropriate channels for reuse.

Any industry generates waste, whether from combustion, organic waste, packaging, paper,
etc. Of these, most can be recycled, others can be used as fertilizers, fertilizers or biofuels, and
the most polluting must be adequately treated to avoid their impact on the environment. The
management of this waste is not only a commitment to the company, it is a commitment to
others, with the planet on which we live and in this way we will avoid overexploitation of
resources.

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COLLECTION.
Environmental awareness is something of our time and we are morally obliged to make
use of it in our activity. The ISO 14001 standard for the implementation of the Environmental
Management System and the EMAS Regulation (European Eco-management and Eco-audit
System) are the most important instruments that have been developed to contribute to the
improvement of the environment.

To reduce the environmental impact caused by our activity, a first study of the
establishment is required in all its aspects:
 Impact of the establishment on the environment: effect on flora and fauna, noise,
odours, visual and social impact, etc.
 State in which the facilities and own equipment are found. The good condition of
combustion boilers, air conditioning circuits and natural lighting, means a reduction in
harmful emissions, savings in consumption and an improvement in natural resources.
 Products and raw materials not recommended: abrasive cleaning products ,
indiscriminate dosage, abuse of fungicides and pesticides on terraces and gardens,
inappropriate packaging, etc.
 Selective collection of waste for recycling.
 Control of water, electricity and fuel consumption: using water-saving devices,
irrigation by drip, low consumption lamps, thermostats for temperature control;
ventilating only what is necessary to avoid variations in interior temperature; using
thermal insulation that contributes to energy savings.
 Management and recycling of cooking oils.
 Healing elements from responsible production (wood from authorized felling, etc.)

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4. FOOD PRODUCT WASTE

Regarding food product waste, companies must abide by the following:

 Food product waste and other types of waste must be removed as quickly as possible
from the rooms where the food is stored for prevent their accumulation.
 Food product waste and other types of waste must be deposited in containers
provided with closures, unless food business operators can convince the competent
authorities of the suitability of other containers or systems of evacuation. These
containers must present adequate construction characteristics, be in good condition
and be easy to clean and, if necessary, easy to disinfect.
 Adequate measures must be taken for the storage and disposal of food product waste.
 All waste must be disposed of hygienically and without harming the environment in
accordance with the applicable community regulations for this purpose, and must not
constitute a source of direct or indirect contamination.

5. WASTE MANAGEMENT

A restoration company generates a multitude and variety of waste on a daily basis.

Studying the type of waste that is generated will allow us to propose a strategy for its selective
collection. Since most of them are included under the category of what is considered "urban
solid waste", RSU, we are going to use the means and collection services that the
municipalities provide to companies and citizens.

Town halls provide us with containers and waste collection services, waste for
subsequent treatment or recycling, but it is also our responsibility to carry out this separation
so that the recycling chain works. The most common waste is collected in these containers;
other more specialized waste, such as tires, batteries, etc., require taking them to the so-called
"clean points", or go to authorized companies specialized in the management of some type of
waste, as in the case of cooking oils. The wastes from these oils is used to make soaps and
biofuels.

The separation is divided into four types of containers with distinctive colours: blue,
green and yellow for recycling, and those for organic waste are usually grey, olive green or
brown. This waste is intended for incineration or other treatments.
 Yellow container: plastics, cans and bricks
 Green container: glass.
 Blue container: paper and cardboard.
 Grey, olive green or brown container: organic

5.1 The recycling cycles of the different types of waste

The selective collection of waste is more advanced in some regions than in others.
Most of them provide us with containers for the most common urban waste: plastics, cans and
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cartons, glass, paper and cardboard, organic waste and cooking oils. In other regions, in
addition to those mentioned, we find containers for special waste that will save us going to
clean points.

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