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TONS OF TEXAS
HAZARDOUS WASTE RECYCLED, 1999
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TYPE OF REUSE
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TOTAL TONS
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On-Site Recovery (Metals, Solvent and Other)
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237,215
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Captive Metals and Other Recovery
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11,715
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Commercial Metals Recovery
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11,320
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Commercial Zinc Recovery
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35,875
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Commercial Solvent Recovery
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38,559
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Total
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334,684
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Note: Solvent, zinc, and other metals recovery are accomplished at commercial
facilities both in-state and out-of-state. The chart does not include waste products that are sold or exchanged to another company for use in their production
process. Waste that is recycled at captive facilities out of state is not represented above.
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Source: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Trends in Texas
Hazardous Waste Management: 1999 Update (2002), Table 5 and TCEQ, "Hazardous Waste Management by County," Hazardous Waste STEERS Database, 2002.
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A variety of industrial wastes can be recycled for use as products.
There are three ways in which industrial waste recycling occurs: at the facility itself (on-site recycling), at commercial facilities that
gather waste streams from several companies (off-site recycling), and at a company that uses as inputs in its production process the
waste products of another company. In 1995, for example, about 20 percent of all Texas-generated hazardous wastes treated at commercial facilities was recycled.*
Off-site recycling of some hazardous materials is difficult because
of the dangerous nature of the chemicals themselves. Unlike some municipal wastes (such as aluminum) that are fairly easy to recycle, some hazardous chemicals are prone to ignite and can be
reactive. In addition, industries' fears of accidents and spills during transportation or recycling operations—and the resulting
liability—can sometimes present an obstacle to the recycling of hazardous materials off site.* For example, in Texas, only one
facility recyles zinc, and it is a "captive" facility which recycles zinc waste from its own facility, rather than accept waste from far
away. For many products, it is far simpler to dispose of the waste on-site than to exchange it with another company or recycle it.
There is considerable debate about just what recycling is. Under
Texas's Waste Reduction Policy Act, companies that burn their hazardous wastes for energy recovery in boilers and
industrial furnaces can count the waste as "recycled."This approach has been criticized by some citizens living near
facilities, as well as by environmental groups who argue that using waste as fuel is really a method of disposal and that air pollution is often created in the burning of hazardous wastes.
There are several key aspects of the Texas program for recycling of hazardous waste:
- In 1987 the legislature created the Resource Exchange Network for Eliminating Waste (RENEW). This program
aids in the recycling of waste by matching companies that have commodities, by-products, surplus materials, or
wastes with other businesses that can use these same materials as process inputs. RENEW, run by the TNRCC,
serves as an information clearinghouse, classifying wastes by categories. Between 1988 and 1997, RENEW
helped transfer 350,000 tons of hazardous and nonhazardous materials from those industries disposing the
waste to those using them for production. These transfers helped companies save about $2.2 million in disposal costs and $1.6 million in direct sales.*
- In addition, the Office of Pollution Prevention and Recycling at TCEQ has assisted companies with on-site visits
and workshops to push for recycling as well as source reduction. A special focus has been helping businesses develop in-house recycling programs.
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