Treatment Alternatives for Debris

Certain manufactured items and naturally occurring materials are referred to as "debris." The following are examples of this debris:

• Dismantled construction materials (such as used lumber and concrete blocks)
• Industrial equipment that is no longer in use (such as dismantled machinery, old tires, or steel pipes)
• Other discarded manufactured items (such as safety gloves or cigarette lighters)
• Large, naturally occurring objects (such as tree limbs and boulders)

Under various circumstances, this debris may become contaminated with hazardous materials. A waste handler may choose from among several different treatment technologies to handle such contaminated debris. These technologies, and the standards associated with them, fall into one of the following three categories:

• Extraction or removal of hazardous components (for example, by sandblasting)
• Destruction of hazardous components (for example, by incineration)
• Immobilization of hazardous components (for example, by encasement)

Once the waste handler has treated hazardous debris according to the specification of either the extraction or destruction technologies, the debris may be disposed of by using land disposal methods. When a handler uses the immobilization technology method for dealing with the debris, EPA or other qualified authorities must verify the effectiveness of the treatment before the debris can be disposed of by land.

To learn more about RCRA safety standards visit our RCRA Refresher Online Training web page.