A detailed description and characterisation of the waste is a pre-condition for the consideration of alternatives and the basis for a decision as to whether a waste may be dumped. If a waste is so poorly characterised that a proper assessment cannot be made of its potential impacts on health and the environment, that waste may not be dumped.
Characterisation of the wastes and their constituents must take into account -
- origin, total amount, form and average composition;
- properties: physical, chemical, biochemical and biological;
- toxicity;
- persistence: physical, chemical and biological; and
- accumulation and biotransformation in biological materials or sediments.