Here are the steps to go through when determining if you have hazardous waste or non-hazardous waste.
Businesses that work with hazardous and non-hazardous wastes will always want to know which types of waste they’re handling. When you know what kind of waste you’re managing, you can determine what regulations must be followed when you work with, and dispose of, all of it. To figure out what kind of waste you have, there are many steps you have to follow. Here are the steps to go through when determining if you have hazardous waste or non-hazardous waste.
Confirm Whether or Not It’s Solid Waste
Solid waste is defined as refuse, sludge, garbage, and any other discarded material that comes from agricultural, mining, commercial, or industrial activities. You can only classify a material as hazardous waste if it satisfies the criteria for being hazardous waste as defined by the RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Acts).
See If the Material is on the List of Exclusion From the EPA
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has a list containing the solid wastes that are ruled as being “excluded”. This means that the wastes on this list have some characteristics of hazardous waste, but you still can’t label them as such. Make sure you look over all of the EPA’s regulations before you label whatever waste you have around your facility.
Determine if the Waste is Listed
There are four categories of listed wastes that the EPA identifies., and they each have their own federal regulations. Let’s take a look at all of them:
- F-Listed: These are wastes that are created from basic industrial and manufacturing procedures. You can break these wastes down into small subcategories, which can help you figure out the right way to handle and dispose of them.
- K-Listed: This category is meant to determine if wastes that come from certain industries can be considered hazardous. Such industries include steel/iron production, pesticide manufacturing, and manufacturing of organic chemicals.
- U and P-Listed: Both of these categories include commercial chemical materials that are toxic or dangerous. This category excludes waste that is made via manufacturing procedures.
Determine If the Waste is Characteristic
The RCRA states that no waste can be deemed as hazardous waste unless it falls into one of the following four categories.
- Corrosive (capable of decomposing or rusting)
- Flammable
- Toxic
- Reactive
Call AEG Environmental for Waste Management Services!
As you can see, the waste identification process can be daunting. Let AEG Environmental identify, segregate, package and dispose of the waste at your facility. You can lean on our 27 years in the environmental business to get it right every time. Call us today.