Industrial waste is the waste produced by industrial activity which includes any material that is rendered useless during a manufacturing process such as that of factories, industries, mills, and mining operations. It has existed since the start of the Industrial Revolution. Some examples of industrial wastes are chemical solvents, paints, sandpaper, paper products, industrial by-products, metals, and radioactive wastes.

Toxic waste, chemical waste, industrial solid waste and municipal solid waste are designations of industrial wastes. Sewage treatment plants can treat some industrial wastes, i.e. those consisting of conventional pollutants such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). Industrial wastes containing toxic pollutants require specialized treatment systems. (See Industrial wastewater treatment).

Management

In Thailand

In Thailand the roles in Municipal solid waste (MSW) management and industrial waste management are organized by the Royal Thai Government which is then divided into central government, regional government, and local government. Each government is responsible for different tasks. The central government is responsible to stimulate regulation, policies, and standards. The regional governments are responsible for coordinating the central and local governments. The local governments are responsible for waste management in their governed area. However, the local governments do not dispose of the waste by themselves but instead hire private companies that have been granted the right from the Pollution Control Department (PCD) in Thailand. The main companies are Bangpoo Industrial Waste Management Center, General Environmental Conservation Public Company Limited (GENCO), SGS Thailand, Waste Management Siam LTD (WMS), and Better World Green Public Company Limited (BGW). These companies are responsible for the waste they have received from their customers before releasing it to the environment, burying it, or using it for energy.