A hazardous waste generator is any person or site whose
processes and actions create hazardous waste (see
40 CFR 260.10). Generators are divided into three categories based upon
the quantity of waste they produce:
-
Large Quantity Generators (LQGs)
generate 1,000 kilograms per month or more of hazardous waste, more than 1
kilogram per month of acutely hazardous waste, or more than 100 kilograms
per month of acute spill residue or soil.
-
Small Quantity Generators (SQGs)
generate more than 100 kilograms, but less than 1,000 kilograms, of
hazardous waste per month.
-
Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generators (CESQGs)
generate 100 kilograms or less per month of hazardous waste, or 1 kilogram
or less per month of acutely hazardous waste, or less than 100 kilograms per
month of acute spill residue or soil.
Each class of generator must comply with its own set of
requirements. For more information these requirements, please see the
Generator
Summary Chart.
Laws, Regulations, and
Information on the Regulatory Development Process
Academic Laboratories Rulemaking
This final rule applies to laboratories at eligible academic entities that are
LQGs, SQGs, and CESQGs.
Federal Register Environmental Documents -- Wastes
This Web site allows users to search and review all Federal Register notices
and documents pertaining to wastes back to 1994.
Hazardous Waste Manifest System
This Web site details the forms, reports, and procedures designed to
seamlessly track hazardous waste from the time it leaves the generator
facility where it was produced, until it reaches the off-site waste management
facility that will store, treat, or dispose of the hazardous waste.
Hazardous Waste Generator Standards — Information Collection
Requests
Presentations from a Public Meeting on Development and
Implementation of Electronic Manifests to Accompany Hazardous Waste Shipments
RCRA Burden Reduction Initiative
Notification of Regulated Waste Activity and RCRA Hazardous
Waste Part A Permit Application and Modification — Information Collection
Requests
Criteria for Classification of Solid Waste Disposal Facilities
and Practices, Record Keeping and Reporting Requirements — Information
Collection Requests
For more information, see
40 CFR 262 or review a
list of
generator guidance documents and resources.
Hazardous waste transporters are individuals or entities
that move hazardous waste from one site to another by highway, rail, water, or
air (see
40 CFR 260.10). This includes transporting hazardous waste from a
generator's site to a facility that can
recycle,
treat, store, or
dispose of the waste. It can also include transporting treated hazardous
waste to a site for further treatment or disposal.
Requirements for transporters include (see also
40 CFR 263):
Note that some states may have additional requirements for
transporters. You should contact your
state
environmental office if you are not familiar with the requirements that
may apply to you.
Other Resources
Part 261 of the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR Part 261) –
Federal Standards for Identifying Hazardous Waste)
Part 263 of the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR Part 263) –
Federal Standards for Transporting Hazardous Waste)
Through the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA), Congress directed EPA to regulate all aspects of hazardous waste. As a
result, EPA developed strict regulations for the treatment, storage, and
disposal of hazardous waste. States may implement stricter requirements than
the Federal regulations as needed.
-
Treatment and Disposal: Any process
that changes the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of a
waste to minimize its threat to the environment.
-
Storage: The temporary holding of
waste before the waste is treated, disposed of, or stored somewhere else.
-
Requirements for TSDFs: Regulations
specific to hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities cover
topics such as:
- Air emissions
- Closure
- Corrective action/hazardous waste cleanup
- Financial assurance
- Ground water monitoring
- Land disposal restrictions
- Permits and permitting
Congress enacted the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA) (Public Law 94-580) on October 21, 1976. RCRA required EPA to
“promulgate regulations identifying characteristics of hazardous waste and
listing particular hazardous waste” that would be subject to hazardous waste
management standards. EPA also was required to develop standards for the
owners and operators of hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal
facilities.In response to this mandate, EPA proposed
regulations for managing hazardous waste under Subtitle C of RCRA on December
18, 1978 (43 FR 58946). Included in these proposed regulations was a deferral
of hazardous waste requirements for six categories of waste—which EPA termed
“special wastes”—until further study and assessment could be completed to
determine their risk to human health and the environment. The six categories
of special wastes included:
