What is a hazardous waste?

A waste is any solid, liquid or contained gaseous material that your business no longer uses and must either recycle, store, or dispose. A waste is considered hazardous if it causes injury, illness, or death; or pollutes the land, air, or water. For regulatory purposes, there are two categories of hazardous waste: “listed” and “characteristic” hazardous wastes.

Listed hazardous wastes

Listed hazardous wastes are substances that already have been determined to be hazardous and are listed as such in Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations. There are more than 400 listed hazardous wastes. The most common listed hazardous wastes can be identified through the special links located on this website. 40CFR Part 261.30 (PDF, 16KB), Part 261.31 (PDF, 46KB), Part 261.32 (PDF, 55KB), Part 261.33 (PDF, 88KB)

Characteristic hazardous wastes

Characteristic hazardous wastes have certain properties that make them harmful to human health and/or the environment. There are four properties of characteristic hazardous wastes.

Ignitability

A liquid is considered ignitable if it has a “flash point” below 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Examples are paint thinners, degreasers or solvents. A solid is considered hazardous if it can spontaneously catch fire through friction, absorption of moisture or spontaneous chemical change. One example is shop rags saturated with solvents. 40 CFR Part 261.21 (PDF, 14KB)

Corrosivity

Any water-based waste that is a strong acid (pH equal to or less than 2.0), such as battery acid, or a strong caustic (pH equal to or greater than 12.5), such as drain cleaner, is considered corrosive (“pH” is the unit used to describe the strength of an acid or caustic substance.) 40 CFR Part 261.22 (PDF, 13KB)

Reactivity

Unstable or explosive wastes or wastes that react violently when brought in contact with water are reactive. Wastes that release toxic vapors, such as hydrogen cyanide or hydrogen sulfide, also are reactive. One example is cyanide plating waste. 40 CFR Part 261.23 (PDF, 14KB)

Toxicity

Wastes that release certain amounts of toxic metals, solvents or other materials when subjected to a specific laboratory procedure are known as toxicity characteristic (TC) wastes. 40 CFR Part 261.24 the “D” list (PDF, 18KB)

Other ways to characterize hazardous waste

In addition to being “listed” or “hazardous,” a waste also may be designated “acute hazardous waste.”

Acute hazardous wastes

Some wastes are so dangerous in small amounts that they are regulated the same as large amounts of other hazardous wastes. The following are acute hazardous wastes: Aldicarb, Aldrin, Arsenic Pentoxide, Arsenic Trioxide, Cyanides, Dieldrin, Dinitrocresol, Dinoseb, Disulfoton,

Endosulfan, Endrin, Famphur, Heptachlor, Methyl Parathion, Nicotine, Parathion, Phorate, Strychnine, Thallium Sulfate, and Toxaphene.

Exempted wastes

Some wastes are exempted from hazardous waste regulatory compliance, even though they possess hazardous waste characteristics. The exemption depends on the type of material and how the wastes are managed.

Common wastes that are not excluded from regulation but are exempted from many hazardous waste requirements include:

• Universal Wastes
• Household hazardous waste
• Lead-acid batteries that are intact and destined for off-site recycling
• Used oil that has not been mixed with a hazardous waste and is recycled properly
• Household sewage
• Residue in empty containers
• Materials recycled on-site in a closed loop process

Universal wastes

Universal wastes are a special category of hazardous waste for which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed special handling procedures that reduce administrative requirements. These methods are referred to as ‘Alternative Management Standards’ and encourage collection and recycling programs. Alternative management standards include consolidation and segregation of materials for the purpose of recycling and/or proper reclamation.

The EPA has identified four categories of universal waste: batteries, mercury-containing thermostats, agriculture pesticides (banned from use, recalled, or managed under a collection program), and lamps that would meet the definition of hazardous waste.

Among the items that would qualify for as a universal waste are fluorescent light tubes, light bulbs with mercury, rechargeable batteries—which are usually any batteries with a mineral such as Nickel-Cadmium, Lithium ion batteries, lead acid batteries, i.e., car batteries and computer backup batteries, commonly referred to as uninterrupted power supply (UPS) batteries

Special wastes

These wastes are non-hazardous wastes that require special handling. Oil, antifreeze, non-flammable/water based paints (latex paint) and stains, non-flammable sealers and adhesives, fall into this category. These materials do not count towards your hazardous waste total, and may be excluded; however you should have a proper recycling or disposal process for them.