Tech Corner: What is hazardous waste?

EPA’s hazardous waste management program uses the term solid waste to denote something that is a waste. Hazardous waste regulations define in more detail what materials are solid waste for the purposes of RCRA Subtitle C (hazardous waste) regulation.
A hazardous waste is a waste with properties that make it dangerous or capable of having a harmful effect on human health or the environment. Hazardous waste is generated from many sources, ranging from industrial manufacturing process wastes to batteries and may come in many forms, including liquids, solids gases, and sludges.

EPA developed a regulatory definition and process that identifies specific substances known to be hazardous and provides objective criteria for including other materials in the regulated hazardous waste universe.

This identification process can be very complex, so EPA encourages generators of wastes to approach the issue using the series of questions described below:

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