Hazardous Waste Communication Regulations

All persons shipping or transporting hazardous waste as defined under RCRA should be familiar with this Part. Only the most significant Part 172 regulations are discussed below. 

Section 172.308 precludes the use of abbreviations in markings, except in rare circumstances. Section 172.332 requires that identification numbers be displayed on orange panels or placards in accordance with detailed specifications under 172.338, the carrier must replace any panels or placards lost or destroyed during transportation as soon as practicable. 

Under special EPA requirements, hazardous waste shippers must mark each shipping container of 110 gallons or less with this warning HAZARDOUS WASTE—Federal Law Prohibits Improper Disposal. If found, contact the nearest police or public safety authority or the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Placarding Requirements These are detailed at 49 C.F.R. 172.500-558. Different requirements are specified for rail and highway transport, and for freight containers and tanks. In general, a placard must be readily visible from the direction it faces securely attached to the transport vehicle, tank, or container located away from obstructions such as ladders, pipes, doors, or tarpaulins and have words horizontally displayed. Illustrations for the required shape and design of placards serving specified purposes are also included. 

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This series of prohibitions restricts how wastes subject to LDR requirements are handled. The most visible aspect of the LDR program is the disposal prohibition, which includes treatment standards, variances, alternative treatment standards (ATSs), and notification requirements. Land disposal means placement in or on the land, except in a corrective action unit, and includes, but is not limited to, placement in a landfill, surface impoundment, waste pile, injection well, land treatment facility, salt dome formation, salt bed formation, underground mine or cave, or placement in a concrete vault, or bunker intended for disposal purposes. The other two components work in tandem with the disposal prohibition to guide the regulated community in proper hazardous waste management. The dilution prohibition ensures that wastes are properly treated, and the storage prohibition ensures that waste will not be stored indefinitely to avoid treatment. 

Surface impoundment treatment exemptions Surface impoundment treatment exemptions allow the regulated community to petition U.S. EPA for permission to treat hazardous waste in surface impoundments. Under normal circumstances, owners and operators cannot place untreated hazardous waste on the land, even if it is in a land-based unit for treatment. Since many facilities use surface impoundments as a means of treating waste, the surface impoundment treatment exemption allows owners and operators to conduct such treatment under certain conditions. Surface impoundments treating waste under this exemption must comply with double liner and minimum technical requirements, and provisions for the removal of sludges and treatment residues. 

Some states (e.g., California, Washington) have defined a category of extremely hazardous waste, and extremely hazardous substances are specified by EPA under the Emergency Response and Community Right-to-Know Act. Under RCRA and state regulations, however, requirements on waste treatment and disposal generally do not distinguish between extremely hazardous waste and any other hazardous chemical waste. 

In summary, a hazardous waste classification system is needed because (1) disposal of the composite unclassified waste would be prohibitively expensive and (2) the differences in timing between waste generation (now) and the development of treatment and disposal facilities (the future) require that wastes be segregated in anticipation of cost-effective means of waste management and disposal. Waste classification also allows consistent communication of the information needed to develop adequate treatment and disposal capacity and to develop appropriate regulations. 

The European Union has been quite visible in recent years with such directives. RoHS (Restriction in the use of Hazardous Substances), WEEE (Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment), and REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemical substances). RoHS places restrictions on use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, and some polybrominated diphenylethers. WEEE targets responsible recycling of electronic equipment. REACH is a new European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use... 

Dibenz[fl, ] anthracene is listed in section 112 of the Clean Air Act listed under sections 304 and 307 of the Clean Water Act listed as an RCRA hazardous waste U063. Dibenz[a, ]anthracene is regulated under comprehensive environmental response, compensation, and liability act (CERCLA) with a reportable quantity (RQ) of 1 pound. It is listed as an emergency planning and community right-to-know act (EPCRA) superfund amendments reauthorization act (SARA) 313 reportable substance. 

Regulations, roles of individuals, and hazardous waste management team. Part of seven-volume series, Handling Hazard Waster BNA Communications Inc. 

Individual countries within the European Community handle the battery waste problem differently. For example, in Switzerland all used consumer batteries are considered hazardous waste and must be collected separately from ordinary household waste. Batteries must be recycled or stored in warehouses, not landfilled. A tax is collected on all new battery purchases to help defray the cost of recycling. In Italy, spent dry batteries are considered as hazardous waste and must be collected separately. In Sweden (10), the environmental issues relatii to waste batteries are addressed in the Control of Chemicals Bill and in the Decree on Environmentally Hazardous Batteries. All used batteries containing cadmium or mercury are collected separately under government control. The cadmium is then recycled. Regulations are in place for the manufacture of nickel/cadmium cells, limiting the exposure of workers and the emission of toxic materials. 

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