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What Are the Categories of Hazardous Waste?

Hazardous waste is a major concern for a technologically advanced society. The machines, tools and electronic devices that make our daily life easier also generate many forms of potentially dangerous waste that must be disposed of with care. Hazardous waste is any waste that is ignitable, corrosive, explosive or reactive, toxic or radioactive. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) divides hazardous waste into four broad categories based on type and source.

  1. Listed Waste

    • Listed wastes are waste products specifically defined by the EPA as hazardous wastes. They are divided into three categories according to their origins. Wastes on the the F-list are generated by several common industrial processes in many sectors of the economy and are referred to as non-specific source wastes. F-List waste includes solvents, waste water, waste water treatment sludges and several industrial cleaners and degreasers. The K-list is composed of wastes from specific industries including pesticide manufacture and petroleum processing. They are referred to as source-specific wastes and include waste water and sludges from production and treatment processes specific to those industries. The P-list and U-list are composed of discarded chemical products that have been left unused, such as pharmaceuticals or pesticides.

    Universal Wastes

    • Universal wastes are widely used products including batteries, pesticides, light bulbs and products containing mercury. The EPA has special regulations for products in these categories, designed to facilitate proper collection, recycling and treatment of these products. They also make it easier for retail stores to collect these products and encourage the creation of programs to recycle and otherwise limit the amount of this type of waste entering landfills.

    Characteristic Wastes

    • Under EPA regulations, a waste product that hasn't been specifically listed is classified as hazardous waste if it exhibits any one of these characteristics: toxicity, reactivity, corrosivity and ignitability. Toxic wastes can be harmful or fatal when swallowed or absorbed. Improperly stored toxic waste can leach into the water supply and cause detrimental effects away from the immediate area. Reactive wastes are unstable wastes that cause explosions or release toxic gases, fumes or vapors when they are mixed with water, heated or compressed. Corrosive wastes include acids and bases that can corrode metal storage containers. Ignitable waste is any form of waste that can cause a fire, spontaneously combust or has a low flash point (below 140 degrees).

    Mixed Waste

    • Mixed waste contains both radioactive and hazardous components. It includes mixed transuranic waste (MTRU), high-level mixed waste (HLW) and low-level mixed waste (LLMW). Created by spent fuel reprocessing, plutonium reactor fuel fabrication and nuclear weapons manufacture, MTRU contains elements heavier than uranium and hazardous waste component. High-level mixed waste is the byproduct of reprocessing irradiated targets from reactors and spent nuclear fuel. It contains heavy metals, organics and corrosive components. Low-level mixed waste is generated by the research, development and manufacture of nuclear weapons.

      Mixed waste is regulated under the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). In most cases the laws are compatible. When they do come in conflict, the AEA takes precedence. The EPA is responsible for the hazardous components of mixed waste while the radioactive components are under the charge of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy.

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