Project Plan, Roles and Responsibilities

 POSTING 2: Project plan, roles and responsibilities

 

Introduction:

 

We were contacted by our supervisor who asked us to rework our renovation plan. He expects us to provide a specific description for each type of waste found on the site. Therefore, we made a table (below) that gives an overview of the work we have done on each waste.

 

Tab: Renovation plan

	Safety requirement	Environmental concerns	Responsible for proper labelling?	Information need?	Which facilities?
T-shirt	Gloves	X	X	Quantities, weight	Secondhand, shop, fabric recycling plant
Metals cans	Gloves	Harmful for aquatic life	X	Quality of waste, weight	Recycling plant
Infected sharps	Puncture proof gloves and shoes, Mask	Infection	Person removing the waste	Number of sharps (boxes needed)	Specialized treatment facility with incinerator
Oil-based paints	Gloves, masks, protective clothing	Toxic to living organisms	Person removing the waste	Amount, type, ID number	Hazardous waste disposal
Wooden table	Gloves	X	X	Quantity, size	Secondhand shop, recycling centre

T-shirt: 

 

A cotton t-shirt was found on the site. However, we have several questions about the collection of this waste.

 

Why is it present on the site? Where should it have been? Does the town of Mikkeli have collection points for the reuse of the t-shirts or for recycling the material? Is it contaminated? 

Who pays to run these collection points or recycling plants? 

 

The presence of this T-shirt on the site may suggest that the person who submitted it lacks information about it. Moreover, we noticed that it was dirty but in good condition. The person who threw it away didn't want it anymore, and that's their choice, but they could have left it in a secondhand shop in Mikkeli like "Uutta elämää" or in a clothing shop because some recycle textile. In fact, this allows more modest people to buy the shirt and use it. After that, the T-shirt is given a second life instead of being thrown away and becoming a waste product that could pollute the environment. 

 

If it is in poor condition, it can be placed in the black bin. In Mikkeli, the “Metsäsairila Oy” company handles waste disposal. This specialized company collects waste and charges fees.

On the other hand, the secondhand services are mainly financed by the city and earn money from the items sold. 

 

Finally, when collecting this waste from the site, it should be checked that it is not contaminated and that it has not contaminated the soil. According to our risk assessment, it is not contaminated.

 

In our case, the T-shirt cannot be mixed with other flows because it does not have the same recycling treatment as hazardous waste, for example. After collection (with gloves for safety), it must be taken to a collection point to give it a second life. For the T-shirt, as it is not contaminated, there are no environmental requirements other than placing it in the right place after collection. There is also no labelling to be done on the t-shirt as it is not contaminated and is not considered hazardous.

 

 

Oil-based Paint:

 

Hazardous waste cannot be mixed with other waste, as outlined in the EU waste Framework Directive. This also means that the paint cannot be diluted, as dilution is seen as a form of mixing. This may only be overcome with an obtained permit.

 

The hazard code identifies the specific hazard of the material and ways to handle it. Oil-based paint is identified to have solvents and metal, which can be harmful to human health and the environment. the use of oil-based paints also releasing volatile organic compounds to the atmosphere (VOCs). 

 

As outlined in the previous blog, the paint waste will be taken to Metsäsairila Oy with proper labelling containing the type of waste and amount, the manufacturer, the name of the product, a product identification number and the chemical constituents. The cleaner of the waste is responsible for properly labelling and sorting the waste.

 

Special care should be taken not to spill any of the paint found. Any small spill can have detrimental effects on the environment. The harm to the environment can be spread through soils. Any contaminated soil must be excavated to be treated. Through the soil, groundwater can be infected, and therefore must also be assessed.

 

The impacts on human health are also harmful; low exposure can cause irritation of the eyes and nose, throat and skin, and lightheadedness, headaches and nausea. Higher levels can even cause damage to organs respiratory issues. Some paints contain carcinogens such as formaldehyde and benzene, which are especially harmful to human health. For this reason, it is particularly important to wear full PPE during removal, paying special attention to preventing inhalation with proper face mask usage. Since damage can also be caused to skin, full protective clothing and gloves must be worn.

 

 

Metal cans: 

 

As we know, we found a lot of metals cans on the site. We need to draw renovation plans for this waste, and to thinks of all the issues of the treatment of this type of waste. 

 

First, we need to know how metals cans are normally treated and sorted out by Finnish citizens. 

Here in Finland, metals can be thrown away in a special bin for metals. It's the red one. Once they have been thrown away, a waste truck comes to collect them. After they are transported to the recycling plant, they will be used as a resource to create new material. This collection of waste and their treatment are managed, in Mikkeli, by Metsäsairila Oy. And this management is available for the region. This company take care of all the waste, of their treatments, and collect fees to pay for the waste treatment.

 

On our site, we have various types of wastes; however, when the company will come to collect all the metal cans, we won't be able to mix them with other waste. Indeed, they need specific and different treatment from the other. And we can't mix different type of waste if they are not treated in the same way, as well as we can't mix non-hazardous waste such as metals can with hazardous waste. Otherwise, all the non-hazardous waste that will be mixed with the hazardous one can be contaminated and become hazardous. 

 

About the safety requirement that employees need to wear to treat our waste, I think simple and basic safety equipment will be enough. Indeed, metals cans are not hazardous waste, so wearing protective gloves to be protected for cutting is a good idea and protected from the hazardous waste hide in metals cans. They also need to wear safety boots. I tried to find Metsäsairila Oy's safety equipment, but I didn't find anything, so I assume it's like in France. And I think in France they wear glove and safety boots, a safety helmet, and an anti-noise helmet when they are in the treatment centre because it's noisy.  

We also know that metals cans can be harmful to aquatic life, and as there is a river on the site, we need to be sure that no metals can have been thrown away in this river. If there is no pollution of the rivers due to metals cans, then we don't have any problem. But if we discovered that some metals cans are in the rivers, we need to take concretes measures to remediate this river. 

About the information needed for the treatment centre, they need to know what type of waste we are giving to them. And when the truck arrived in the treatment centre, it will be weighed. And the price will be given according to the quality of the waste and the weight.

Finally, I think these metals cans will be treated in the Metsäsairila Oy centre because all the waste of the region of Mikkeli is treated here. 

 

 

Infected sharps:

 

Waste from the hospital must be sorted to be treated correctly. Sharps and sharp objects, in general, have to be placed in specific boxes, puncture-proof and definitely closed. They are collected separately and mixed with other waste only when entering the incinerator.

 

This special collecting aims to avoid risks of puncture injury and infection for patients, doctors and people collecting and treating waste but also the environment.

 

When cleaning the site by collecting waste, sharps have to be placed in specific yellow boxes, puncture-proof and labelled as waste from health care activities with potential infection risks. Protective gloves and shoes have to be worn to prevent punctures and potential infections.

 

Then sharps have to be kept separated from other waste and transported to an incinerator specialized for infectious waste. When burning, the temperature reached is above 1000°C. Every organism, bacteria and virus is killed.

 

It is not possible to take infected sharps to Metsäsairila Oy because they're not treating this kind of waste.

 

 

Wooden table:

 

The wooden table is not considered a hazardous waste, and even in a degraded and unusable state, it doesn't pose any threat to the environment or human health. Because of its size, it cannot be placed in regular recycling bins provided by the municipality. Therefore, it must be taken either to any secondhand shop/charity where it can be given second life or repurposed into something else. It can also be taken to "Metsäsairila Oy" waste management facility where wood is separated to be incinerated or taken to landfill. 

 

As of now, furniture is considered bulky waste and not separated properly from other municipal waste properly in the EU along with trees and large car parts, so there is no good system set for recycling furniture. According to the European Association of Furniture Manufacturers, only 10% of furniture is being recycled, in Finland, it goes to waste to energy. So, unfortunately, the waste hierarchy in the EU waste framework directive is not being followed in the case of furniture waste.

 

 

Conclusion

 

We have now identified the harmfulness of each waste. Our employees who take care of collecting waste on the site have to be well protected because of the presence of hazardous waste. They need to wear protective gloves and shoes to avoid being injured by metal cans and infected sharps that can transmit diseases by puncture. They also need personal protective equipment, including protective glasses and a face shield with a respiratory mask for protecting from volatile compounds of oil paint and toxic compounds that can have contact with skin and eyes.

 

After collecting waste and calculating the amount of each waste type, they can be transported to appropriate companies for being treated, such as incinerator for infected sharps or Metsäsairila Oy in Mikkeli for the other waste.

 

 

References

 

Mikkeli City, no date. Waste disposal. WWW document. Available at: https://www.mikkeli.fi/sisalto/palvelut/asuminen/jatehuolto [ Accessed 20.03.2021].

 

EU commission, May 2000. List of waste. WWW document. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02000D0532-20150601 [Accessed 20.03.2021].

 

EU council, 19 November 2008. Waste framework directive. WWW document. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32008L0098 [Accessed 20.03.2021].

 

World Health Organization (WHO), 8 February 2018. Health-care waste. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/health-care-waste [Accessed 23.03.2021].

 

New Life Group is a good factor, no date. WWW document. Available at: https://www.uuttaelamaa.fi/ [Accessed 21.03.2021].

 

 

InfoFinlande.fi, 8 October 2019.  Watse and recycling. Available at:Waste and recycling - InfoFinland [Accessed 22.03.2021]

 

Metsäsairila Oy, no date. Division of work in waste management. Available at: Jätehuollon työnjako - Metsäsairila Oy (metsasairila.fi) [Accessed 22.03.2021]

 

Metsäsairila Oy, no date. Heavy traffic. Available at: Raskas liikenne - Metsäsairila Oy (metsasairila.fi) [Accessed 22.03.2021]

 

Metsäsairila Oy, no date. Pharmaceutical waste. Available at: https://www.metsasairila.fi/lajittelu-ja-neuvonta/lajittelu/laakejatteet.html

 [Accessed 24.03.2021]

 

Hercenter.org. 2015. Healthcare Environmental Resource Center (HERC). [online] Available at: < https://www.hercenter.org/facilitiesandgrounds/paints.php#:~:text=By%20far%2C%20the%20most%20important,after%20the%20coating%20is%20applied.&text=Once%20in%20the%20atmosphere%2C%20VOCs%20participate%20in%20the%20formation%20of%20ozone> [Accessed 24 March 2021].

 

Julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi. 2017. National risk management strategy for contaminated land in Finland. [online] Available at: <https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/160375/FE_6_2017.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y> [Accessed 24 March 2021].

 

 

Environment. 2008. Waste Framework Directive. [online] Available at: <https://ec.europa.eu/environment/topics/waste-and-recycling/waste-framework-directive_en> [Accessed 24 March 2021].

 

Silas A.K., 24 April 2019. Introducing circular economy to furniture industry. PDF. Available at: https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/172514/Circular%20Economy%20Thesis%20Silas.pdf;jsessionid=9999B2C534BF59512257CFFD4B7946AA?sequence=2 [Accessed 25 March 2021].