Euralarm issues guidance on safe disposal of firefighting foam media

The new publication directly reflects the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape surrounding PFAS-containing firefighting foams and supports today’s organisations in adopting Best Practice throughout the disposal process.

The guidance has been developed for manufacturers, service companies, installers, maintenance providers, end users and waste management specialists involved in the handling of firefighting foams. It covers both fluorinated and fluorine-free foam media, including AFFF, FFFP, fluorine-free foams (F3), Class A and Class F foams as well as wetting agents and water additives.

As environmental legislation continues to tighten across Europe, the guidance explains the applicable standards and legislation governing foam disposal, including European fire protection standards, waste legislation and the latest restrictions on PFAS substances. It proceeds to outline practical measures for handling, storage, transport and disposal, thereby helping organisations to minimise environmental impact, while in parallel maintaining compliance.

A central message of the publication is that all firefighting foam should be regarded as potentially hazardous unless proven otherwise. The guidance emphasises that uncontrolled discharge to land, drains or watercourses must be avoided and that disposal should only be carried out through authorised hazardous waste routes.

Preferred disposal method

For PFAS-containing foams, high-temperature incineration at licensed facilities remains the preferred (and, in many cases, mandatory) disposal method.

The document provides practical recommendations for servicing and maintenance activities, including the containment of foam during testing, appropriate storage and transport arrangements and the recovery of waste foam from both portable extinguishers and fixed suppression systems.

Further, the new guidance encourages organisations to transition to fluorine-free foams where appropriate, remove legacy PFAS stocks and adopt closed-loop recovery systems in order to prevent environmental releases.

The guidance concludes with a simple, but important principle that underpins the entire document: all firefighting foam should be fully contained, treated as potentially hazardous and disposed of through authorised hazardous waste processes in accordance with European standards and environmental legislation.

*Euralarm’s ‘Guideline on Disposal of Firefighting Foam Media (UK and Europe)’ is available online