EI Estimates Hazardous Wastewater Market at 1.3 Million Tons
Research reveals 76 commercial facilities in U.S. and Canada

  Contacts: John McMurray (952) 831-2473                                                                   
             
Cary Perket       (858) 488-4760

April 4th, 2003 — For Immediate Release

Minneapolis, MN — The EI Digest: Hazardous Waste Marketplace, North America’s leading research service on hazardous waste management, announced the results of its annual hazardous aqueous waste treatment report.  The report reveals 76 facilities, operated by 44 different companies, offered commercial treatment for hazardous aqueous waste in Canada and the United States in 2001. EI estimates the annual demand for commercial hazardous aqueous waste treatment at approximately 1.3 million tons. 

As part of a comprehensive view of the sector, EI analyzed data from the submitted reports from the 1999 and 1997 Biennial Reporting System (BRS) facility and generator.  According to the submitted reports, 894,259 tons of hazardous aqueous waste were commercially treated in 1999, essentially no change from the 893,203 tons that were treated in 1997. The EI estimate of 1.3 million tons takes into consideration that the percentage of missing BRS generator and facility reports is comparable to other sectors that EI has researched.

According to EI researcher John McMurray, except for the “well publicized replacement of parts cleaning solvents with aqueous waste solutions, no significant regulatory drivers have been introduced between 1997 and 1999 that would cause one to expect a significant increase in demand. Consequently, it is not surprising there was little change in commercial hazardous wastewater demand.”

“The amount of hazardous wastewater that is treated commercially is a very small fraction of the overall amount of hazardous wastewater,” adds Senior Analyst Cary Perket “There is likely a greater opportunity for growth in this sector from capturing parts of the wastewater treated on-site than from capturing market share from competitors.”

This report appeared in the EI Digest: Hazardous Waste Marketplace, a business research report that covers hazardous waste management issues.  Further information of the EI Digest can be found on the web (www.envirobiz.com), one of the Internet’s leading sites for environmental business research.  Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Environmental Information, Ltd. (EI) specializes in research on the environmental services and technology marketplace.  For further information, contact customer service at 952/831-2473.