Treatment and Disposal

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.

One common method of treatment is hazardous waste combustion or incineration, which is used to destroy hazardous organic constituents and reduce the volume of waste.

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. Land disposal is subject to requirements under EPA’s Land Disposal Restrictions Program.

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.

Treatment and Disposal

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