## What is hazardous waste? [Hazardous waste](/en/waste/treatment-recovery-hazardous-special-waste "Treatment and recovery of hazardous and special waste") is waste that poses **a risk to the environment, the population and the facilities where it is treated.** This may include the risk of injury, fire, biological contamination, and exposure to radioactivity or a toxic substance. [**Radioactive waste**](/en/solutions/dismantling-nuclear-facilities-management-treatment-radioactive-waste "Dismantling existing nuclear facilities, management and treatment of radioactive waste") falls into this category. It is of course produced by nuclear power plants, but also to a lesser extent by the military and even the medical sector. Veolia commits to treating 10 million tonnes of hazardous waste and pollutants by 2027. The medical sector, particularly hospitals, also produce other hazardous waste. This can be sharps waste, soiled objects, **medicines** or pressurized waste. Many industrial sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, automotive, cosmetics, coatings and cleaning also produce hazardous waste. These include **solvents**, which are usually liquid and toxic. Heavy industries also have **dismantling** needs. Trains, ships, aircraft or even oil platforms are complex structures that need to be carefully dismantled at the end of their life so as not to cause pollution. Even activities that contribute directly to the energy transition, such as electric cars, need appropriate waste treatment. [**Electric batteries**](/en/solutions/recycling-electric-car-batteries "Recycling electric car batteries"), for example, are made up of highly polluting materials (plastic, aluminum, lithium, etc.) that need to be treated. Finally, certain [**confidential or sensitive products and documents**](/en/solutions/destruction-sensitive-products-and-confidential-documents "Destruction of sensitive products and confidential documents") deserve special attention. Product recalls, medicines, bank statements, customs seizures and commercial contracts are all waste that we process. The European Union has set a target that **by 2035 all new cars on the market will be electric**. So many batteries will have to be supplied and recycled. *Source: European Parliament1* ![Decorative image](/sites/g/files/dvc4206/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/image/2025/09/veolia-recyclage-batterie-vehicule-1600.jpg.webp?h=305f9506&itok=jJnqEJb5) ## Sensitive and hazardous waste: destruction, recycling and storage Other waste, such as radioactive waste, must be treated and **stored**. It must first be characterized (depending on whether it is solid, liquid or even gaseous, more or less radioactive, and 'short' or 'long' lived), and then a strict treatment and stabilization protocol must be applied. In most cases, however, it is the circular economy and **recycling** that are used. This is the case for solvents, some of which can be recovered and then regenerated, thus becoming a competitive secondary material. Similarly, there is a strong case for recycling electric batteries so that they constitute a truly ecological alternative to fossil fuels. Today, our SARP Industries subsidiary Euro Dieuze Industries (EDI) recycles up to **80% of the batteries and electric cells** it processes. ## Our approach to hazardous waste management **We apply strict and specific protocols** [**to managing hazardous waste**](/en/blog/hazardous-waste-challenges-decontamination-risk-prevention "Hazardous waste: challenges of decontamination and risk prevention")**, depending on its nature**. This is to ensure that it no longer poses a threat to people or the environment, while recovering and recycling it where possible. ### [Radioactive waste](/en/solutions/dismantling-nuclear-facilities-management-treatment-radioactive-waste "Dismantling existing nuclear facilities, management and treatment of radioactive waste") management **We characterize, treat and stabilize radioactive waste**. We are the only company in the world that can offer a complete solution in this area. We are also developing a joint structure with EDF called Graphitech, which aims to meet the challenges of dismantling graphite technology nuclear reactors around the world. ### [Medical waste](/en/solutions/hazardous-medical-waste-treatment "Hazardous medical waste treatment") treatment **We manage waste from health establishments** presenting risks of injury, contamination, explosion or radioactivity. This good management of medical waste is promoted in particular by WHO, which in 2015 launched a global action plan with partners such as UNICEF. ### [Solvent](/en/solutions/treatment-and-recovery-spent-solvents "Treatment and recovery of spent solvents") treatment and regeneration **We treat and regenerate solvents**. Widely used in the pharmaceutical, automotive, cosmetics, coatings and cleaning industries, these substances present significant pollution risks for people and the environment. We treat them and recover as much as possible of them to provide new raw materials. ### [Dismantling and decontamination](/en/solutions/industrial-dismantling-challenging-operation "Industrial dismantling: a challenging operation") **We dismantle trains, aircraft, ships and oil platforms**. The aim is to dismantle these structures at the end of their life cycle in complete safety while protecting the environment, avoiding the risks associated with the presence of asbestos or hazardous waste, and, where necessary, cleaning up the sites concerned so that they can be reused. ### [Electric car battery recycling](/en/solutions/recycling-electric-car-batteries "Recycling electric car batteries") **We provide our expertise for treating and recycling electric batteries** from the automotive sector. While electric vehicles emit less CO2 than internal combustion engine vehicles, it is crucial to consider their entire life cycle and in particular the treatment and recycling of their batteries. We contribute to the [recovery of rare metals](/en/solutions/production-and-recovery-lithium-industries "Production and recovery of lithium for industries") such as copper, cobalt, nickel, manganese, aluminium and lithium, in order to reuse them. ### [Destruction of sensitive products and confidential documents](/en/solutions/destruction-sensitive-products-and-confidential-documents "Destruction of sensitive products and confidential documents") **We take care of the secure destruction of sensitive products and confidential documents**. They may include recalled products, medicines, bank statements, customs seizures, commercial contracts and chemical weapons. We look after collection, destruction and, in some cases, recovery where they contain recyclable materials. ## Our solutions for treating hazardous waste [ veolia\_88\_Icon/88\*88/brand/nuclear Radioactive waste management ](/en/solutions/dismantling-nuclear-facilities-management-treatment-radioactive-waste) [ veolia\_88\_Icon/88\*88/brand/healthcare\_client Medical waste treatment ](/en/solutions/hazardous-medical-waste-treatment) [ veolia\_88\_Icon/88\*88/brand/difficult\_pollution Solvent treatment and recycling ](/en/solutions/treatment-and-recovery-spent-solvents) [ veolia\_88\_Icon/88\*88/brand/dismantling Dismantling and decontamination ](/en/solutions/industrial-dismantling-challenging-operation) [ veolia\_88\_Icon/88\*88/brand/circular\_economy Electric vehicle battery recycling ](/en/solutions/recycling-electric-car-batteries) [ veolia\_88\_Icon/88\*88/brand/document Destruction of sensitive products and confidential documents ](/en/solutions/destruction-sensitive-products-and-confidential-documents) Show more - Health and environmental risk management - Energy and material recovery - Limiting the extraction of natural resources - The provision of high-quality secondary raw materials - Compliance with regulations - Confidential and secure management - Comprehensive expertise - Cost optimization and budget control ## The Veolia difference ![Decorative image](/sites/g/files/dvc4206/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/image/2025/06/background-transparent-codant-1600.png.webp?itok=RYKLRziw) ### We dit it! ![](/sites/g/files/dvc4206/files/styles/show_case_card/public/image/2023/05/Kurion%20KMPS-on-site-veolia-310x238.jpg.webp?itok=6wCI-80D) Fukushima — ### Japan Cleaning up contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant In March 2011, after the Fukushima disaster, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) entrusted us with the task of cleaning up contaminated water on the site. We were involved in removing more than 10 million curies of radioactive cesium from more than 370,000 m3 of contaminated water. At the same time, we set up a mobile technology platform to remove the radioactive strontium present in the water. ![](/sites/g/files/dvc4206/files/styles/show_case_card/public/image/2023/05/Dieuze-automobile-batterie-veolia-310x238.jpg.webp?itok=BO1csOTv) France Treating and recovering used electric vehicle batteries We have signed a partnership with Renault and Solvay to give a second life to electric car batteries. We thus guarantee the recovery of precious metals in new industrial sectors. Learn more about our solutions for… [Fighting water pollution](/en/pollution/water-pollution "Fighting water pollution") [Read more](/en/pollution/water-pollution "Fighting water pollution") *Source:* *1European Parliament: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20221019STO44572/eu-ban-on-sale-of-new-petrol-and-diesel-cars-from-2035-explained*