Waste Identification
Related Links
Universal Wastes are wastes that do meet the regulatory definition of hazardous waste, but are managed under special, tailored regulations.
Key Documents
RCRA Orientation Manual: Hazardous Waste Identification (PDF, 26 pp., 400 KB)
Definition of Solid Waste Identification and Hazardous Waste Recycling
(PDF, 23 pp., 69 KB)
Solid and Hazardous Waste Exclusions (PDF, 29 pp., 87 KB)
Hazardous Waste Identification (PDF, 30 pp., 437 KB)
RCRA Hazardous Waste Delisting: The First 20 Years (PDF) (32 pp, 112K, About PDF )
Scoping Study (PDF) (278 pp, 1.3MB, About PDF)
Solvents Study (PDF) (52 pp, 545K, About PDF)
The HWID process consists of four questions:
1. Is the material a solid waste? (See: 40 CFR Part 261.2)
2. Is the waste specifically excluded form RCRA? (See: 40 CFR Part 261.4)
3. Is the waste a listed hazardous waste? (See: 40 CFR Part 261.30)
4. Does the waste exhibit a characteristic of hazardous waste? (See: 40 CFR Part 261.20)
Delisting
RCRA provides a process to remove, or "delist", a waste generated at a facility from the list of hazardous wastes. This delisting process is initiated by the generator (the person who creates the waste) who prepares a petition for delisting the waste. These regulations are codified in 40 CFR 260.22.
For more information about the national Hazardous Waste Delisting Program, visit RCRA Hazardous Waste Delisting: The First 20 Years.
Hazardous Waste Identification and Characterization Studies
Hazardous
Waste Characterization Scoping Study
EPA conducted this study under a consent agreement with the Environmental
Defense Fund (now Environmental Defense) to investigate if there are gaps
in coverage in the existing hazardous waste characteristics under RCRA,
and the nature and extent of such gaps. The study presents EPA's methodology
for identifying potential gaps, as well as, the results of the analyses
conducted. (November 1996)
Hazardous
Waste Identification Studies - Solvents and Selected Petroleum Refining
Residuals
EPA conducted these studies under a consent agreement with the Environmental
Defense Fund (now Environmental Defense). The first study discusses the
wastes associated with the use of certain materials as solvents (including
diethylamine, aniline, ethylene oxide, allyl chloride, 1,4-dioxane, 1,1-dichloroethylene,
and bromoform), the toxicity of the wastes, and the management practices
for the wastes. The second study was conducted to determine whether to
list, as hazardous, a number of different waste residuals generated by
the petroleum refining industry. (August 1996)
Report to Congress on RCRA Hazardous Waste Identification of Methamphetamine Production Process By-products (PDF) (22 pp, 271K, about PDF)
This Report to Congress examines whether any of the by-products from the methamphetamine (meth) production process could be a hazardous waste under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The report identifies a list of of by-products that would likely meet the hazardous waste requirements of the regulatory definition of solid waste.
EPA prepared this report to comply with the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005.
Laws & Regulations
EPA has promulgated a number of laws & regulations relating to Hazardous Waste Identification.