Sorting
Small hazardous waste

Packaging with a child-resistant cap: in the blue bag or not?

 

Child-resistant caps, such as the press-and-twist cap, are an essential part of packaging for potentially hazardous products, such as chemicals and corrosives. It is very important to understand why this particular packaging should not go in a PMD bag, but instead is classified as small hazardous waste (or in Brussels called small chemical waste).

Verpakkingen met kindveilige dop: wel of niet PMD?

Why don’t press-and-twist caps go in the PMD bag?

Packaging with press-and-twist caps is often used for products that are harmful if they come into contact with skin or are ingested. Many toilet unblockers and other caustic products such as white spirit and ammonia come in packaging of this type. Even when these containers appear empty, residues of the hazardous substance may still be present. Putting a package with a child-resistant press-and-twist cap in the blue bag poses unnecessary risks to employees in the sorting centres. People often forget that PMD sorting centres still employ people who check packaging by hand. This kind of packaging is always small hazardous waste, even when it is empty. Small hazardous waste should always be taken to the recycling centre. It is then sorted and collected by specialist companies that can process it safely without endangering employees.

Kindveilige dop - bouchon sécurité enfants
gevarensymbolen KGA

Check the CLP symbols
 

Do you have an empty container that doesn’t have one of the child-resistant closures that are not allowed in the blue bag, but you still wonder if it might be small hazardous waste? Make sure you check the symbols on the packaging. These are the so-called CLP (classification, labelling and packaging) symbols.  In particular, check if the packaging has the 'Harmful to health' or 'Toxic' symbols on it. If it has at least one of these, even if it doesn’t have a child-resistant cap, it is small hazardous waste. There are some packaging types that are small hazardous waste but do not display either of these two symbols, but those containers either have a child-resistant press-and-twist cap or they are in one of the other categories that are not allowed in the blue bag: containers for motor oil, lubricants, pesticides, glues, paints, varnishes, silicone sealants and gas bottles. You already know that these packaging types don’t go in the blue bag.

Various child-resistant closures

Some types of packaging have a different type of child-resistant cap, such as squeeze-and-twist caps on mouthwashes or sometimes also descalers. Once they are empty, these containers are not classified as HHW and you can put them in the blue bag. There is often confusion around child-resistant closures on plastic boxes containing laundry pods. These boxes pose no danger to employees in the sorting centres and they are not HHW. They mainly pose a risk to children when they still contain the capsules. 

 

Verpakkingen van waspods en wc-ontkalkers hebben geen druk-draaidop

Packaging from laundry pods and toilet descalers can go in the blue bag

Conclusion: sort waste safely for a sustainable future

Although child-resistant caps are a necessary safety feature, they require special attention when sorting. If we sort packaging correctly, we can help to make the future safe and sustainable for consumers and also for those involved in the sorting and recycling process. Safety always comes first! Still have specific doubts? Go ahead and enter the packaging item in betersorteren.be to find the instructions on where it should go. You can also download this handy PMD sorting guide, which is perfect to put up near your bins.

 

Something you are not sure about? Enter the packaging type at the top of this page and you will immediately see where it should go!