Small businesses which generate hazardous waste are eligible to participate in the Salt Lake Valley Health Department’s Small Business Hazardous Waste program.

To participate in this program the businesses pay the same to get rid of their hazardous waste as the county pays to dispose of household hazardous waste it collects from homeowners.

To receive a price quote on waste disposal and information on how to transport waste to a Household Hazardous Waste facility please call (801) 541-4078.

Small businesses which generate hazardous waste are eligible to participate in this program, provided the businesses fall within the Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator (CESQG) classification.

A CESQG refers to businesses which produce hazardous wastes that are exempt from certain state and federal hazardous waste regulation.

A CESQG is a facility or person that:

Generates no more than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of hazardous waste in a calendar month.
Generates no more than one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of acute hazardous waste in a calendar month and…
Accumulates no more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of hazardous waste at any one time.

Remember: It is a business’ responsibility to know their generator category.

What businesses qualify?

Many different businesses can be Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generators (CESQG). Some of the most common varieties are listed below, along with the waste they many generate:

Dentist Offices: Silver
Auto Repair Shops: Oils, Coolants and Solvents
Print Shops: Cleaning Solvents and Inks
Painters: Paints and Solvents
Funeral Homes: Preservatives
Exterminators: Pesticides
Photo Shops: Developing and Fixing Solutions
Other small businesses that use paint, solvents, thinners, preservatives, pesticides, caustics, or produces used oil and chemicals.

A waste is considered hazardous if it has one or more of the following characteristics:

Flammable/Ignitable: Easily set on fire and highly volatile.
Corrosive/Caustic: Can burn or destroy human tissue.
Toxic/Poisonous: Capable of causing injury or death through ingestion, inhalation, or absorption. Some toxins can cause cancer (carcinogens), genetic damage and mutation (mutagens) or fetal harm.
Reactive: May generate excessive heat, noxious fumes, violent reaction or explosion when missed with other substances.

Dangers and Penalties of Improper Disposal of Hazardous Waste

CESQG businesses may be described as exempt- do not be misled! Many businesses that fall into this category assume that exempt means they can dispose of their hazardous waste in the same way they dispose of their solid waste. This is incorrect!

The exempt status simply refers to a category of business that is not required to manifest (a Department of Transportation tracking law) and comply with storage requirements; it does not permit them to dispose of their hazardous waste as solid waste.

Exempt generators cannot dispose of their hazardous waste in storm drains, landfills and dumpsters. Federal, state and local laws prohibit these actions since it may cause environmental and public health problems. The landfills in Salt Lake County are prohibited from accepting hazardous or liquid waste. Violators of these laws can face both civil and criminal penalties.

If you are unsure of the generator status of your business or have additional questions about this program, please call the Salt Lake Valley Health Department’s Water Quality and Hazardous Waste Bureau at (801) 313-6670.