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The terrible oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is certainly an ongoing environmental disaster. And now it's also becoming a huge waste problem.

The continuing attempts to contain the Deepwater Horizon well break, which is emptying at least 5,000 barrels of oil a day into the water, still haven't succeeded. The oil is coming up on shore and in marshes. So now it's also become a dredging issue, with a lot of contaminated soil that will have to be removed and dealt with.

Clean Harbors Inc., which specializes in hazardous waste, is already on the scene and providing an array of help, from staffing to equipment to training for residents.

It's a massive job. And the experience and expertise of Clean Harbors -- and the waste industry in general -- will be crucial in the coming months and possibly years as companies and individuals work to fix this calamity.

Often with an environmental incident of this scale we think more of water and air damage, and that is certainly often the case. But in many instances there are huge amounts of solid and hazardous waste that need to be removed and disposed of. Clean Harbors will have to balance a lot of variables, such as the amount of oil, weather and tidal conditions, as well as making sure its existing customers don't suffer as a result. Clean Harbors stated that they won't.

And while we're all in favor in principle of keeping our planet in the best shape possible, we often are willing to make it a lower priority when the damage isn't so obvious. Problems of this scope remind us of how much damage can be done to the environment -- by nature and by us. And I hope they remind us all how important it is to take enormous precautions to minimize these events.

And they remind us of the critical challenges and skills that sometimes face environmental managers to take care of these problems. That includes the waste industry.

The oil spill also will mean a huge spike in revenue for Clean Harbors, and potentially for other waste companies involved in the cleanup. Given the task before these companies, it certainly seems worth it.

Allan Gerlat is editor of Waste & Recycling News. Past installments of this column are collected in the Inbox archive.

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