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Demonstrate knowledge of treatment methods for hazardous waste

Level / 5
Credits / 30

PurposeThis unit standard is for people working in the specialist area of hazardous resource recovery and disposal.

People credited with this unit standard are able to: explain criteria for treating and disposing of hazardous waste; demonstrate knowledge of processes for treating hazardous waste; and evaluate the suitability of a hazardous waste treatment process for use in New Zealand.

Subfield / Solid Waste
Domain / Hazardous and Special Waste Management
Status / Registered
Status date / 25 October 2007
Date version published / 25 October 2007
Planned review date / 31 December 2012
Entry information / Open.
Accreditation / Evaluation of documentation and visit by NZQA and industry.
Standard setting body (SSB) / NZ Motor Industry Training Organisation (Incorporated) (MITO)
Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP) reference / 0114

This AMAP can be accessed at

Special notes

1References relevant to this unit standard include:

Resource Management Act 1991;

local authority bylaws;

Management of Hazardous Waste, 2000, Centre for Advanced Engineering, available at

Landfill Acceptance Criteria for Wastes with Hazardous Properties: Issues and Options, available at

2Definitions

Company procedures means the documented methods for performing work activities and include health and safety, environmental, and quality management requirements. They may refer to manuals, codes of practice, or policy statements.

Hazardous waste refers to waste that:

Contains hazardous substances at sufficient concentrations to exceed the minimum degrees of hazard specified by Hazardous Substances (Minimum Degrees of Hazard) Regulations 2000, or

Meets the definition for infectious substances included in the Land Transport Rule: Dangerous Goods 2005 and NZS 5433: 1999 Transport of Dangerous Goods on Land, or

Meets the definition for radioactive material included in the Radiation Protection Act 1965 and Radiation Protection Regulations 1982.

PCB means polychlorinated biphenyls classified as UN 2315.

PCP refers to pentachlorophenol, a chemical historically used as an anti-sapstain fungicide for short-term surface protection of sawn timber, often in conjunction with boron treatment.

Elements and performance criteria

Element 1

Explain criteria for treating and disposing of hazardous waste.

Performance criteria

1.1Criteria for treating and disposing of hazardous waste are explained in accordance with Management of Hazardous Waste.

Rangecriteria – constituents, quantity, oxidation state.

1.2Legislative requirements for treating and disposing of hazardous waste are explained in accordance with the Resource Management Act and bylaws.

Rangebylaws of at least two local authorities.

1.3Criteria for treating and disposing of hazardous waste are explained in terms of company requirements.

Rangeemployee competence, staffing levels, standard operating procedures.

1.4Explanation for treating and disposing of hazardous waste identifies disposal methods recommended by the government in accordance with Management of Hazardous Waste.

Rangeincludes but is not limited to – asbestos, PCBs, pesticides, PCP waste, radioactive waste, clinical wastes.

Element 2

Demonstrate knowledge of processes for treating hazardous waste.

Performance criteria

2.1Treatment processes are defined in terms of types of change effected.

Rangechange – physical, chemical, biological;

excludes waste minimisation techniques;

at least two of each change.

2.2Physical processes are described in terms of method and waste substances suitable for each method are identified.

Rangesedimentation, centrifugation, flocculation, heavy metal separation, soil washing, chelation, filtration, ion exchange, encapsulation, one other.

2.3Stabilisation processes are described in terms of method and waste substances suitable for each method are identified.

RangePozzolan, vitrification, thermoplastic microencapsulation, polymerisation, solidification.

2.4Chemical processes are described in terms of method and waste substances suitable for each method are identified.

Rangeneutralisation, precipitation, hydrolysis, oxidation, reduction, catalytic oxidation, catalytic dehydrochlorination, alkali metal dechlorination.

2.5Biological processes are described in terms of method and waste substances suitable for each method are identified.

Rangeaerobic, activate sludge, bioreclamation, white rot fungus.

2.6Thermal processes are described in terms of method and waste substances suitable for each method are identified.

Rangeincineration, autoclave.

Element 3

Evaluate the suitability of a hazardous waste treatment process for use in New Zealand.

Rangeany one of the processes in the range statements in element 2, excluding incineration.

Performance criteria

3.1The process is evaluated in terms of location and volume of hazardous waste and proximity to treatment facility.

3.2The health and safety impacts of the process are identified and evaluated in terms of compliance with legislation.

3.3The process is evaluated terms of surveyed community aspirations, local authority bylaws, and compliance with the Resource Management Act.

3.4The business prospects of the process are evaluated in accordance with investor specified profit requirements.

Rangeprospects – short term, long term.

Please note

Providers must be accredited by NZQA, or an inter-institutional body with delegated authority for quality assurance, before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.

Industry Training Organisations must be accredited by NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.

Accredited providers and Industry Training Organisations assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.

Accreditation requirements and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this standard are outlined in the Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP). The AMAP also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.

Comments on this unit standard

Please contact the NZ Motor Industry Training Organisation (MITO) if you wish to suggest changes to the content of this unit standard.

 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2018