Industrial waste management is the set of activities aimed at controlling waste generation in an industrial plant in order to minimize its production, reduce costs, and avoid possible problems originating from improper handling, storage, and disposal.
The waste management must be developed taking into account each particular case. The developed activities should be integrated and need to be treated as a whole in the management process.
During this process, the following stages may be performed:
- Identification of waste generating sources
- Waste segregation at the source
- Minimization of waste generation
- Registration of generated waste and monitoring of generated quantities
- Waste classification
- Determination of appropriate storage, treatment, or best disposal for each type of waste
All of these procedures are necessary to avoid human and environmental contamination resulting from improper waste management.