Sanitation of Polluted Soil Areas and Hazardous Waste Management at DSM

Hazardous waste management at DSM, a large chemical company in the Netherlands, relates to two types of activities:sanitation of areas polluted by waste or by operations in the past,management and control of waste, including hazardous waste, from existing operations. Uncontrolled landfill and operations between 1925 and 1980 at the DSM site led to the creation of several polluted soil areas. In the period from 1987 to 1990 a large controlled landfill was constructed in order to sanitate a number of these places. The costs are about $ 25 million. In order to deal in a proper way with all solid and liquid waste (except waste water) a central waste management department was established. Measures are being taken to prevent new cases of soil pollution. In accordance with the policy of the Dutch government DSM started a program to minimize waste production.