What Is Hazardous Waste?
- Types of hazardous wastes include listed wastes, characteristics wastes, universal wastes and mixed wastes.
Listed wastes are comprised of F-List (wastes from non-specific sources such as common manufacturing and industrial processes), K-List (wastes from specific sources/processes such as petroleum refining), P-List and U-List (discarded commercial chemical products or by-products).
Characteristic wastes are comprised of wastes that are not specifically listed and exhibit any one of these characteristics: ignitability (wastes that create fire under certain conditions), toxicity (wastes that are fatal or harmful when ingested), corrosivity (wastes capable of corroding metal containers) and reactivity (wastes that are unstable under normal conditions).
Universal wastes include batteries, pesticides, bulbs and other mercury containing products or equipment. - Hazardous waste is stored for a temporary period before it is treated, disposed or stored elsewhere. Hazardous waste is stored in containers, tanks, waste piles, containment buildings and surface impoundments.
A container is a portable device in which the hazardous waste can be stored, treated, disposed or otherwise handled. Example: 55-gallon drum.
A waste pile is an open, uncontained waste pile used for storing or treating waste. The waste is placed on top of a double liner system to prevent groundwater contamination from the waste leachate.
Tanks are stationary devices made of non-earthen materials like steel, glass or concrete and are used to treat or store hazardous waste.
Containment buildings are self supported, completely enclosed structures used to treat or store non-containerized hazardous waste.
Surface impoundments are man-made excavations such as a lagoon or storage pit lined by synthetic liners. - Treatment of hazardous wastes is a process which changes the biological, chemical or physical character of the waste such that it does not pose a threat to the environment. Treatment can recover energy or materials from the waste, render the waste less dangerous or harmful, and make the waste safe to transport and dispose of. Common methods of treatment include incineration and combustion.
- Disposal is the process in which the waste is placed into or on land. Most disposal facilities are designed in such a way that the waste can be permanently contained there. Examples of disposal include landfills, surface impoundments, injection well and pyrolysis.
- The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act enacted in 1976 is a United States law that addresses all issues regarding hazardous wastes including treatment, storage and disposal.
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) enacted in 1980 provides for clean up and remediation of closed and abandoned hazardous waste sites.