Exemptions, existing chemical waste

The waste classification system presented in this Report would apply to all radioactive and hazardous chemical wastes from any source, and it would be based on considerations of health risks to the public that arise from waste disposal. The recommended classification system differs from the existing waste classification systems in three respects radioactive and hazardous chemical wastes would be included in the same classification system all waste would be classified based on its properties, rather than its source and the classification system would include a general class of exempt waste. 

Previous sections have presented technical and historical information on radiation and chemical risk assessment and on classification of radioactive and hazardous chemical wastes. This information provides important perspectives for establishing the foundations of a new hazardous waste classification system. Before establishing these foundations, it is useful to specify the attributes that an ideal waste classification system should possess. The following sections identify the desirable attributes of a waste classification system including that the system should be risk-based, it should allow for exemption of waste, and it should be comprehensive, consistent, intrinsic, comprehensible, quantitative, compatible with existing systems, and flexible. These attributes should be recognized as goals that are not all likely to be fully realized in a practical waste classification system. 

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