The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

To satisfy the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1977) and its amendment for hazardous and solid waste (1984), the 80(K) Series Methods have been designed to analyze solid waste, soUs, and groundwater. In particular, methods 8240/8260 require the use of a purge-and-trap device in conjunction with packed or capillary GC/MS, respectively, for the analysis of purgeable organic compounds. Methods 8250/8270 concern analyses for the less-volatile bases, neutrals, and acids by GC/MS after extraction from the matrix by an organic solvent. 

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) controls the disposal of ha2ardous waste. SARA Tide III governs the toxic iaventory and emission reporting the Clean Water Act (CWA) sets the limits for metals that can be present ia water discharge and the Clear Air Act (CAA)... 

Based on the evidence that acceptable recycled petroleum products can be produced, there is a considerable legislative record encouraging the recycling of used oil. Starting with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in 1976 (20), used oil was held apart from the normal hazardous waste system because the oil was viewed as a valuable commodity. This was followed by the Used Oil Recycling Act in 1980 (33), which removed any federal requirement that lubricants containing re-refined base oil carry special labeling. 

Solid and Hazardous Waste. Regulation of pollution resulting from soHd waste disposal was formulated at a much slower pace than regulation of air or water pollution. It was not until the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 (6) was passed that substantial controls were authorized. 

Transportation and Disposal. Only highly alkaline forms of soluble sihcates are regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) as hazardous materials for transportation. When discarded, these ate classified as hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Typical members of this class are sodium sihcate solutions having sihca-to-alkah ratios of less than 1.6 and sodium sihcate powders with ratios of less than 1.0. In the recommended treatment and disposal method, the soluble sihcates are neutralized with aqueous acid (6 Af or equivalent), and the resulting sihca gel is disposed of according to local, state, and federal regulations. The neutral hquid, a salt solution, can be flushed iato sewer systems (86). 

Thiophene and 3-methylthiophene are Hsted on the TSCA chemical substances inventory. Thiophene is regulated as a hazardous material under OSHA and also regulated under the Clean Air Act, Section 110, 40 CFR 60.489, but there are no exposure limits or controls set for 3-methylthiophene. Both materials are regulated under sections 311/312 of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act, 1986 (SARA), as materials with an acute health and fire hazard, and under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as ignitable hazardous wastes (DOOl). 

The ammonium salts of vanadic acid and vanadium pentoxide have been Hsted as toxic constituents in soHd wastes under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (27). 

Thermal treatment is used to destroy, break down, or aid in the desorption of contaminants in gases, vapors, Hquids, sludges, and soHds. There are a variety of thermal processes that destroy contaminants, most of which are classified as incineration. Incineration HteraHy means to become ash (from Medieval Latin, incinerare in or into ashes). With respect to the incineration of hazardous wastes regulated in the United States, however, there is a strict legal definition of what constitutes an incinerator. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) definition of incinerator at 40 CFR 260.10 is... 

The passage of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in 1978 and its implementation in 1980 generated an increase in the recycling of trichloroethylene, which, in turn, defined the need for specifications for recycled solvent. The ASTM is currendy working on a set of consensus specifications for recycled solvent. 

The introduction of surfactant products into the environment, after use by consumers or as part of waste disposed during manufacture, is regulated by the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. In this respect, surfactants are subject to the same regulations as chemicals in general. There are, however, two areas of specific relevance to surfactants and detergent products, ie, biodegradabiUty and eutrophication. 

LandtiUing of Hazardous Wastes In many states, the only disposal option available for most hazardous wastes is landfilling. The basis for the management of hazardous-wastes landfills is set forth in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976. In general, disposal sites for hazardous wastes shoiild be separate from sites for municipal solid wastes. If separate sites are not possible, great care must be taken to ensure that separate disposal operations are maintained. 

The atmospheric movement of pollutants from sources to receptors is only one form of translocation. A second one involves our attempt to control air pollutants at the source. The control of parhculate matter by wet or dry scrubbing techniques 3delds large quantities of waste materials—often toxic—which are subsequently taken to landfills. If these wastes are not properly stored, they can be released to soil or water systems. The prime examples involve the disposal of toxic materials in dump sites or landfills. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 and subsequent revisions are examples of legislation to ensure proper management of solid waste disposal and to minimize damage to areas near landfills (4). 

In the United States, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) is the major legislation covering the disposal of solid and hazardous wastes (2). This act provides a multifaceted approach to solving the problems associated with the generation of approximately 5 billion metric tons of solid waste each year in the United States. It places particular emphasis on the regulation of hazardous wastes. This law established the Office of Solid Waste within the Environmental Protection Agency and directed the agency to publish hazardous waste characteristics and criteria. 

Act, making it more consistent with other environmental statutes. The Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act all require permits. 

The EPA I.D. Number is a 12-digit number assigned to facilities covered by hazardous waste regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Facilities not covered by RCRA are not likely to have an assigned I.D. Number. If your facility is not required to have an I.D. Number, enter not applicable. NA, in box a. If your facility has been assigned EPA Identification Numbers, you must enter those numbers in the spaces provided in Section 3.8. 

List the major objectives of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). 

Congress, in an attempt to promote mineral development in the United States, has exempted most hazardous wastes produced at the wellsite under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle C regulations. Hazardous wastes are listed due to inherent characteristics of ... 

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) has a considerable number of regulations affecting spills in the workplace, including training of workers who might be expected to respond to them. The EPA administers RCRA. 

Ihe implementation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund) has underscored a number of the weaknesses in our capabilities to measure the chemical characteristics of wastes. We are now being called upon to identify and quantify with unprecedented sensitivity hundreds of chemicals found in many types of materials within waste sites, near discharges of hazardous contaminants, and in the surrounding environments. Extrapolations from a limited number of measurements must indicate the general environmental conditions near waste sites. The measurements have to be made faster and cheaper than ever before, with the precision and bias of each measurement fully documented. Thus, the technical challenges facing the monitoring community are substantial. 

Mineral Oil Hydraulic Fluids. Disposal of used mineral oil hydraulic fluids is regulated as used oil under the Solid Waste Disposal Act as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and as amended by the Used Oil Recycling Act (42 U.S.C. 6901, 6905, 6935, 6937-6939, and 6074, see 40 CFR parts 260, 261, 266, 271, and 279). Used mineral oil hydraulic fluids to be recycled are not listed as hazardous wastes and can be burned for energy recovery or recycled. In general, the newer mineral oil hydraulic fluids (including water-in-oil emulsion fluids) do not contain known chemicals or other materials that are listed in 40 CFR 261 (RCRA) and can be burned for energy recovery or recycled. However, this may not apply to some of the older hydraulic fluids, particularly those containing PCBs. 

In the U.S., three pieces of federal legislation that were passed from 1969 to 1980, and the implementing rules and regulations that followed, initiated a series of fundamental changes in the management of waste and byproduct materials. They presently affect the way in which regulatory agencies address waste and byproduct material use. These acts include the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA, 1969), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA, 1976, 1980), and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liabilities Act (CERCLA) or Superfund (1980). 

Proper identification of a hazardous waste can be a difficult and confusing task, as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations establish a complex definition of the term hazardous waste. To help make sense of what is and is not a hazardous waste, this chapter presents the steps involved in the process of identifying, or characterizing, a hazardous waste. 

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