08 03 Waste from the production, preparation, supply and use of printing inks

Printing industry processes, including offset, gravure and screen printing, as well as the production of printing inks, generate complex multicomponent residues classified under code 08 03 Waste from the production, preparation, supply and use of printing inks. This category includes waste liquid inks, off-specification printing inks, paste-like residues from printing presses, cleaning washings, contaminated rags, rollers and filter materials.

Since these materials contain organic solvents, synthetic resins, pigments and heavy metals, they pose an increased fire and environmental hazard to the production environment.

Environmentally sound management of such waste requires strict compliance with fire safety and occupational health and safety regulations, as liquid inks and cleaning residues can release highly flammable vapours, create hazardous concentrations in workplace air, and contaminate soil and water resources in the event of uncontrolled leakage.

It is strictly prohibited to discharge them into municipal sewer systems, burn them in the open air, or dispose of them at ordinary municipal waste landfills. Businesses are required to arrange sealed temporary storage in specially designed metal or chemically resistant closed containers and transfer these hazardous wastes exclusively to licensed waste operators.

The most appropriate approach to managing this waste is regeneration, recycling or high-temperature treatment rather than direct landfilling.

Certain types of waste solvents and liquid inks with acceptable purity levels may undergo filtration or distillation for reuse in technological processes, while off-specification paste-like mixtures and contaminated consumables are sent to specialized facilities for controlled thermal destruction with energy recovery and multistage flue-gas treatment.