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Treatment, Storage, and Disposal of Hazardous Waste
Through
the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Congress directed EPA
to create regulations to manage hazardous waste from "the cradle
to the grave." Under this mandate, EPA developed strict requirements
for all aspects of hazardous waste management including the treatment,
storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. In addition to these federal
requirements, states may add more stringent requirements or requirements
that are broader in scope than the federal regulations as they see fit.
This Web page contains information about the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste including:
- Treatment
- Storage/Storage Units
- Disposal
- Requirements for Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs)
- Recordkeeping and Reporting
- Siting
- Related Rulemakings and Information Collection Requests (ICRs)
- Additional Resources
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
Treatment
Treatment is any process that changes the physical, chemical, or biological character of a waste to make it less of an environmental threat. Treatment can neutralize the waste; recover energy or material resources from a waste; render the waste less hazardous; or make the waste safer to transport, store, or dispose.
Hazardous waste generally must be treated before it can be disposed.
The treatment standards for each specific hazardous waste (by hazardous
waste code) are outlined in 40
CFR §268.40 
.
Detailed descriptions of the appropriate treatment technologies are outlined
in 40
CFR §268.42 ,
Table 1, "Technology Codes and Description of Technology-Based Standards".
One common method of treatment is hazardous waste combustion or incineration. Combustion or incineration is used to destroy hazardous organic constituents and reduce the volume of waste. Depending upon the type of waste and its constituents, residual ash may in some cases be landfilled or may require further treatment. A brief description of several other treatment technologies is available at EPA's Waste Treatment Technologies page. Additional information on treatment technologies is also available from OSWER's Technology Innovation Office.
Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facts
-
In 2003, …
- 17,694 generators produced 30 million tons of hazardous waste in the United States.
- 1,726 RCRA treatment, storage, and disposal facilities managed 42 million tons of hazardous waste. Of these 42 million tons, 14.5 million tons (34.4 percent) were managed in underground injection wells; 7.7 million tons (18.4 percent) were managed in wastewater treatment units; 2.7 million tons (6.5 percent) were managed in combustion/incineration units; 1.7 million tons (4 percent) were managed in landfills; and the remaining 15.4 million tons (36.7 percent) were managed through some other method.
Source: National Analysis: The National RCRA Biennial Hazardous Waste Report (based on 2003 data)
Storage/Storage Units
Storage is the holding of waste for a temporary period of time prior
to the waste being treated, disposed, or stored elsewhere. Hazardous waste
is commonly stored prior to treatment or disposal, and must be stored
in containers, tanks, containment buildings, drip pads, waste piles, or
surface impoundments that comply with the RCRA regulations (see list below).
The regulatory requirements for these types of storage units are found
in 40
CFR Part 264 for permitted facilities and 40
CFR Part 265 for interim status facilities.
- Containers – A hazardous waste container is any portable
device in which a hazardous waste is stored, transported, treated, disposed,
or otherwise handled. The most common hazardous waste container is the
55-gallon drum. Other examples of containers are tanker trucks, railroad
cars, buckets, bags, and even test tubes.
- RCRA Training Module - Containers (PDF) (13 pp., 56 KB)
- Tanks – Tanks are stationary devices constructed of non-earthen
materials used to store or treat hazardous waste. Tanks can be open-topped
or completely enclosed and are constructed of a wide variety of materials
including steel, plastic, fiberglass, and concrete.
- RCRA Training Module - Tanks (PDF) (21 pp., 114 KB)
- Drip Pads – A drip pad is a wood drying structure used
by the pressure-treated wood industry to collect excess wood preservative
drippage. Drip pads are constructed of non-earthen materials with a
curbed, free-draining base that is designed to convey wood preservative
drippage to a collection system for proper management.
- RCRA Training Module - Drip Pads (PDF) (12 pp., 33 KB)
- Containment Buildings – Containment buildings are completely
enclosed, self-supporting structures (i.e., they have four walls, a
roof, and a floor) used to store or treat non-containerized hazardous
waste.
- RCRA Training Module - Containment Buildings (PDF) (14 pp., 58 KB)
- Waste Piles – A waste pile is an open, uncontained pile
used for treating or storing waste. Hazardous waste waste piles must
be placed on top of a double liner system to ensure leachate from the
waste does not contaminate surface or ground water supplies.
- RCRA Training Module - Land Disposal Units (PDF) (16 pp., 165 KB)
- Surface Impoundments – A surface impoundment is a natural
topographical depression, man-made excavation, or diked area such as
a holding pond, storage pit, or settling lagoon. Surface impoundments
are formed primarily of earthen materials and are lined with synthetic
plastic liners to prevent liquids from escaping.
- RCRA Training Module - Land Disposal Units (PDF) (16 pp., 165 KB)
Disposal
Disposal is the placement of waste into or on the land. Disposal facilities are usually designed to permanently contain the waste and prevent the release of harmful pollutants to the environment. The most common hazardous waste disposal practice is placement in a land disposal unit such as a landfill, surface impoundment, waste pile, land treatment unit, or injection well.
Underground injection wells are the most commonly used disposal method for liquid hazardous waste. Because of their potential impact upon drinking water resources, injection wells are also regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and by the Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program.
The RCRA regulations governing injection wells are found at 40
CFR Part 265 Subpart R and 40
CFR Part 264 Subpart X .
The SDWA and UIC regulations governing underground injection of liquid
hazardous waste can be found in 40
CFR Part 144 through Part 148.
Requirements for Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities
This section provides links to information and regulations specific to hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities (TSDFs). For additional information, see the RCRA Training Module - Introduction to Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities (PDF) (20 pp., 94 KB) .
- Air Emissions – RCRA regulations require TSDFs to control the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from process vents from certain hazardous waste treatment processes; hazardous waste management equipment (e.g., valves, pumps, compressors); and containers, tanks, and surface impoundments.
- RCRA Training Module - Air Emissions Standards (PDF) (19 pp., 56 KB)
- RCRA Organic Air Emission Standards for TSDFs and Generators (PDF) (8 pp., 333 KB)
- Air Characteristic Risk Study (1999) - Provides technical information on the potential risk from emissions from waste management units (WMUs) to help EPA determine the need to expand regulatory coverage in the future. The analysis presented in this report addresses specific chemicals that when managed as a waste may pose a risk through direct inhalation exposures.
- Closure – EPA established closure requirements for hazardous waste management units to ensure that once TSDFs end operations and stop managing hazardous waste that they will not pose a future threat to human health and the environment. There are general closure and post-closure care requirements applicable to all hazardous waste management units, as well as unit specific requirements for each type of unit (e.g., landfill, tank, surface impoundment).
- RCRA Training Module - Closure/Post-Closure (PDF) (16 pp., 235 KB)
- Standards
Applicable to Owners and Operators of Closed and Closing Hazardous
Waste Management Facilities: Post-Closure Permit Requirement and Closure
Process (Final Rule, October 22, 1998)
- Corrective Action/Hazardous Waste Cleanup – RCRA requires TSDF owners and operators to investigate and cleanup hazardous waste releases at hazardous waste facilities. The RCRA Corrective Action Program allows these facilities to address the investigation and cleanup of these hazardous releases themselves. Cleanup at closed or abandoned RCRA sites can also take place under the Superfund program.
- Financial Assurance – RCRA requires all TSDFs to demonstrate that they will have the financial resources to properly closed the facility or unit when its operational life is over or provide the appropriate emergency response in the case of an accidental release. The financial assurance requirements establish several mechanisms for TSDF owners to demonstrate these resources will be available when needed.
- RCRA Training Module - RCRA Financial Assurance (PDF) (15 pp., 39 KB)
- Ground Water Monitoring - RCRA requires TSDFs to monitor the ground water beneath their facilities to ensure the facility is not contaminating this valuable resource. The regulations require the installation groundwater monitoring wells and the establishment of a groundwater sampling regiment.
- RCRA Training Module - Groundwater Monitoring (PDF) (29 pp., 230 KB)
- Land Disposal Restrictions – EPA established the land
disposal restrictions (LDR) program to further protect groundwater
from hazardous waste contamination. The LDR standards require all hazardous
waste to be treated prior to being placed on the land for final disposal.
- Permits and Permitting - To closely regulate and ensure proper hazardous waste management practices, RCRA requires TSDFs to obtain permits to demonstrate compliance with all applicable hazardous waste regulations.
Recordkeeping and Reporting
To keep track of hazardous waste activities, TSDF owners and operators
must keep certain records and submit reports to EPA at regular intervals.
Operating records, for example, must be kept on site for the duration
of the facility's operation. Recordkeeping and reporting requirements
are found at 40
CFR Part 264 Subpart E (for permitted facilities) and 40
CFR Part 265 Subpart E (for interim status facilities).
- EPA
Identification Number and Part A Permit (Forms 8700-12 and 8700-23)
- All facilities that generate, transport, recycle, treat, store, or
dispose of hazardous waste are required to notify EPA (or their State
agency) of their hazardous waste activities. An EPA Identification Number
must be obtained unless the solid waste has been excluded from regulation
or their hazardous waste has been exempted.
- National
Biennial RCRA Hazardous Waste Reports - Sections 3002 and 3004 of
RCRA require that EPA collect information pertaining to hazardous waste
management from hazardous waste generators and hazardous waste treatment,
storage, or disposal facilities on a two-year cycle.
- Hazardous Waste Manifest System - The system includes a set of forms, reports, and procedures designed to seamlessly track hazardous waste from the time it leaves the generator facility where it was produced, until it reaches the off-site waste management facility that will store, treat, or dispose of the hazardous waste.
Siting
The siting and expansion of hazardous waste facilities can have significant
impacts on surrounding communities. Understanding and consistently addressing
community health, environment, and quality-of-life concerns is an important
part of the siting process.
- EPA
Guidance on Siting Hazardous Waste Facilities
- State Siting Provisions for Hazardous Waste Facilities
- Industrial
Waste Management Siting
Related Rulemakings and Information Collection Requests (ICRs)
Storage,
Treatment, Transportation, and Disposal of Mixed Waste
On May 16, 2001, EPA issued a final rule to provide increased flexibility
to generators and facilities that manage low-level mixed waste (mixed
waste is RCRA hazardous waste containing radionuclides) and technologically-enhanced,
naturally-occurring and/or accelerator-produced radioactive material (NARM)
containing hazardous waste. Low-level mixed waste is exempted from some
RCRA storage and treatment regulations, and low-level mixed waste or eligible
NARM from RCRA hazardous waste transportation and disposal regulations.
These wastes are exempt from RCRA Subtitle C requirements, including permitting,
provided they meet specific conditions. The exempt wastes must then be
managed as radioactive waste in accordance with NRC or NRC Agreement State
regulations.
RCRA
Burden Reduction Initiative
In March 2006, EPA finalized changes to the regulatory requirements
of RCRA hazardous waste program to reduce the paperwork burden these requirements
impose on the states, EPA, and the regulated community.
Information Collection Requests (ICRs)
Notification of Regulated Waste Activity and RCRA Hazardous Waste Part A Permit Application and Modification; Agency Information Collection Activities
Additional Resources
The following resources provide more information on hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal:
EPA's Hazardous Waste Page
This Web page provides comprehensive information on hazardous waste including
definitions (e.g., listed and characteristic wastes), requirements, and
additional resources. The page also provides links to regulations specific
to certain hazardous wastes and industries, as well as requirements for
generators and transporters pertaining to handling, managing, and tracking
waste.
Management
of Remediation Waste Under RCRA (PDF) (20 pp., 94 KB)
The information in this memo is provided to help federal and state officials
make protective, inclusive, and efficient site cleanup decisions. The
information is divided into three categories: information on regulations
and policies that apply to all remediation waste; information on regulations
and policies that apply only to contaminated media; and information on
regulations and policies that apply only to contaminated debris.
National
Capacity Assessment Report
Section 104(c)(9) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation,
and Liability Act (CERCLA) requires states to assure that adequate capacity
exists to manage hazardous wastes generated in their state for 20 years
before EPA can provide any Superfund Remedial Action Trust funds to the
state. Under a program the Agency has implemented to help states fulfill
this statutory mandate, states are required to submit Capacity Assurance
Plans (CAPs) as the basis for their assurance. The National Capacity Assessment
Report summarizes data contained in state Caps
RCRA
Frequent Questions Database
This database enables users to search frequently asked questions, or submit
their own question or comment, on a variety of RCRA issues and topics.
RCRA
In Focus Series
This series of publications provides an overview of the RCRA regulations
affecting specific industry sectors including dry cleaning, photo processing,
printing, and others. RCRA In Focus presents the lifecycle of a typical
waste for each industry and focuses on recycling and pollution prevention
options. Each issue contains a table of RCRA requirements for small businesses
and answers frequently asked questions.
RCRA Online
This database indexes thousands of letters, memoranda, publications, questions,
and answers issued by EPA's Office of Solid Waste (OSW). These documents
represent past EPA Headquarters interpretations of the RCRA regulations
governing the management of solid, hazardous, and medical waste.
RCRA
Orientation Manual
This multi-chapter document provides introductory information on the solid
and hazardous waste management programs under RCRA. Designed for EPA and
state staff, members of the regulated community, and the general public
who wish to better understand RCRA, this document constitutes a review
of the RCRA program and is not intended as a substitute for the RCRA statute
or its implementing regulations.
RCRA Training
Modules
The RCRA Call Center training modules provide an overview of specific
regulatory topics including air emissions standards, hazardous waste recycling,
exclusions, financial assurance, hazardous waste storage units, and many
others. These modules are useful resources for people wishing to gain
a general understanding of RCRA, however, they are not comprehensive sources
of regulatory information.
Report
on Emergency Incidents at Hazardous Waste Combustion Facilities and Other
Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs) (PDF) (47 pp.,
137 KB)
This report provides a compilation of information on reported emergency
incidents at hazardous waste combustion facilities and other TSDFs regulated
under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). It is limited
to emergency incidents such as fires, explosions, hazardous waste spills,
or unauthorized releases of hazardous waste. The information contained
in this report was obtained from Regional and State waste combustion experts
and permit writers.
