Hexachlorobenzene.

It's a tricky word to say, and an even trickier thing to get rid of.

But that's just what Botany-based chemical giant Orica is trying to do.

The company lodged an application on Thursday to export over 6000 tonnes of the toxic waste to Denmark, a year after its unsuccessful bid to ship the waste to Germany.

If Environment Minister Peter Garrett and the Danes sign off on Orica's export application this time around, the waste could be leaving our shores in just two months.

But environmentalists say that quite apart from the risks associated with transporting the waste, Australia has a moral duty to clean up after itself.

John Fetter is Orica's spokesman for the Hexachlorobenzene, or HCB, project.

He told 2SER's Sophie Tarr that disposing of the waste here in Australia just isn't an option.

Also featured in this story: Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith from the National Toxics Network.