What Is RCRA Waste?

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA, is a law that addresses the safe and environmentally responsible management of hazardous waste in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which oversees RCRA compliance, defines waste as hazardous if it meets certain criteria. To qualify as hazardous or RCRA waste, a substance must first be a solid waste. It must then fit the EPA's definition of a "listed" or "characteristic" waste. The Code of Federal Regulations Title 40, Part 261 defines and lists the various RCRA wastes.

Solid Waste

• In accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations Title 40, Part 261.2, the EPA defines solid waste as garbage, refuse, sludge or other discarded material. Because "discarded material" may include semisolids, liquids and contained gases, these non-solid substances qualify as solid waste. RCRA hazardous wastes are a subcategory of solid waste.

Listed Wastes

• Mismanaged waste streams from certain industrial processes can have a negative impact on human and environmental health, even at low concentrations. So-called "listed wastes" are specific industrial waste streams that appear on one of four lists ("F," "K," "P" or "U") as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations Title 40, Part 261, Subpart "D."

"F" List Wastes

• Wastes on the "F" list are produced during common industrial or manufacturing processes such as degreasing. Because "F" list wastes are not specific to any particular sector of industry, they are also called "non-specific source wastes." Examples from this extensive list include wastewater treatment sludge from certain electroplating operations and spent degreasing solvents such as tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane and carbon tetrachloride.

"K List Wastes

• "K" list, or source-specific, wastes are waste streams generated by specific industrial sectors, such as ink formulators, petroleum refineries and producers of veterinary pharmaceuticals, explosives, pesticides and inorganic pigments. The Code of Federal Regulations Title 40, Part 261.32 provides a full listing of these wastes.

"P" and "U" List Wastes

• Both "P" and "U" lists involve discarded commercial chemical products, or unused pure or commercial-grade chemical products. Chemicals on the "P" list are fatal or irreversibly damaging to humans and animals at low doses. Those on the "U" list pose a hazard to human or environment health when improperly managed. Compounds appearing on these lists include pesticides and pharmaceuticals. The Code of Federal Regulations Title 40, Part 261.33 defines "P" and "U" list wastes in full.

Characteristic Wastes

• Wastes that are not on the lists above qualify as hazardous if they exhibit the characteristics of ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity or toxicity. Ignitable wastes readily catch fire, have low flash points or can spontaneously combust. Corrosive wastes are sufficiently acidic or alkaline to corrode metal drums and storage tanks. Reactive wastes include unstable materials that change violently without detonation, those that readily explode, and those that explode or emit toxic gases when they come in contact with water. Toxic wastes cause physical harm, illness or death when a person swallows, inhales or absorbs them through the skin. The Code of Federal Regulations Title 40, Part 261, Subpart "C" defines characteristic wastes.