Home > Gulf Coast Clean Up

Gulf of Mexico Oil Cleanup

Gulf of Mexico Oil Clean Up

A vital part of the solution

In May, Waste Management was asked by BP to assist in cleanup activities resulting from the leak at its Deepwater Horizon MC252 oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. The leaking oil and gas constitutes one of the worst environmental disasters ever to affect the United States, and oil has landed across hundreds of miles of Gulf Coast shoreline. Our work is being performed under a contract with BP, and is part of the overall recovery effort led by the Unified Command Center in Mobile, Ala.

Waste Management is currently providing the manpower, equipment and services to facilitate the ongoing shoreline cleanup effort. Specifically, Waste Management is transporting and disposing of materials collected by the various shoreline cleanup teams, and is responsible for a service area extending from the Louisiana-Mississippi border eastward to the Ecofina River, which is just southeast of Tallahassee, Florida.

We recognize that this effort is a vital one for the health and well-being of hundreds of communities along the Gulf Coast and beyond. While this effort represents a major undertaking, it’s one for which we’re well-prepared. And it’s one we’re eager to pursue to a resolution as quickly and safely as possible.

The materials being handled
We’re transporting, disposing and recycling the following materials associated with the cleanup effort:

Solid wastes generated from support operations, including trash and recyclables
Oil-impacted material, such as debris, soil, sand and vegetation collected from the shoreline, personal protective equipment, disposal equipment, sorbents and booms
Liquids, such as oil and water from skimming operations and liquids generated from decontamination of equipment and reusable booms.

These materials are classified as non-hazardous waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and additional state environmental authorities have all classified this waste type as non-hazardous. Technically, the waste belongs to a category called “non-hazardous special waste,” and all Waste Management landfills involved are constructed and permitted to accept and dispose of this waste type in a safe and environmentally protective manner.

Regulatory Authorities and Materials

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Alabama Department of Environmental Management
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)

July 22,2010 - MDEQ Waste Disposal Fact Sheet (pdf)

About non-hazardous special waste
Non-hazardous special waste is a category that includes such materials as cement kiln dust, mining waste, petroleum-contaminated soils and industrial waste products. Although they are not classified as hazardous wastes, the risks associated with them depend on the concentration. For example, chlorine by itself is hazardous; yet pool water, which contains chlorine, is not. Similarly, oil-coated sand or vegetation are classified as non-hazardous.

The WM facilities involved
Solid waste and oil-impacted materials are being disposed of at a number of strategically located Waste Management landfills. These facilities were selected because of their existing permits and capabilities for handling and disposal of this waste and their geographic proximity to the cleanup areas. To facilitate efficient transport, Waste Management has established several staging areas (typically at existing Waste Management facilities), where the collected materials are received, inspected to verify contents, and combined and packaged for transport to the landfill. Liquids from cleanup activities are transported to appropriate wastewater treatment/decontamination facilities.

Well-prepared for the job
Waste Management was selected for this job for a number of reasons:

We are the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America.
We maintain the highest standards of environmental responsibility.
We maintain comprehensive procedures to protect human health and safety, both for our employees and for the communities we serve.
We have facilities, resources and experienced personnel in close proximity to the affected shoreline.

Waste Management has the permits, processes and procedures in place to transport and dispose of these materials safely. These include:

Multiple inspections of waste materials to ensure regulatory compliance and proper handling;
Comprehensive safety procedures to protect both our employees and the communities through which wastes will be transported;
Control systems to manage storm water runoff at both landfills and staging areas;
Proven systems to collect and remove landfill gas and leachate from the landfills;
The compaction and covering of each day’s deposits at landfills with at least six inches of soil or other cover material.

Process flow
This process flow diagram (pdf) illustrates the process being used for this waste stream.

Additional precautions in place
In addition to Waste Management’s existing procedures for the transport and disposal of special waste, a number of additional safeguards are in place for this project:

Containers used for transport are lined with plastic before loading, and covered afterward to prevent leakage.
Comprehensive response procedures are in place should container leakage occur during transport.
Liquid wastes are being transported in specially designed tanks.

Waste Management is also working to identify green solutions for management of the materials associated with the cleanup. Already, we are involved directly in transport and disposition of oily liquids from which oil is being recovered. This process involves, in most instances, separation of water from oil, which can then be beneficially re-used. In addition to recycling of common materials like plastic and glass, other solutions for potential treatment or reuse of solid waste materials are currently in development.