25-08-2017, 09:32 PM
Defining Hazardous Waste
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What is a Hazardous Waste?
Hazardous waste is a waste with properties that make it potentially dangerous or harmful to human health or the environment. The universe of hazardous wastes is large and diverse. Hazardous wastes can be liquids, solids, or contained gases. They can be the by-products of manufacturing processes, discarded used materials, or discarded unused commercial products, such as cleaning fluids (solvents) or pesticides. In regulatory terms, a hazardous waste is a waste that appears on one of the four RCRA1 hazardous wastes lists (the F-list, K-list, P-list, or U-list) or that exhibits one of the four characteristics of a hazardous waste - ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity. However, materials can be hazardous wastes even if they are not specifically listed or don't exhibit any characteristic of a hazardous waste. For example, "used oil," products which contain materials on California's M-list, materials regulated pursuant to the mixture or derived-from rules, and contaminated soil generated from a "clean up" can also be hazardous wastes.
Additional Information and Resources:
Hazardous Waste Determination: As described above, the hazardous waste regulations set forth criteria that identify wastes as hazardous wastes. Although they may meet the definition of hazardous waste, some wastes are specifically excluded or exempted from regulation as hazardous waste (e.g., chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants that are reclaimed for reuse). The process of determining if a waste is a hazardous waste is called the "hazardous waste determination”. To ensure an exclusion or exemption is not overlooked, generators should always follow the Hazardous Waste Determination procedure provided in section 66262.11 of the hazardous waste regulations when evaluating their wastes.