Amendments to the RCRA Law

In 1984, public concern about the health and environmental impacts of certain methods of hazardous waste management (for example, landfills) led Congress to enact the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) to the RCRA law. These amendments significantly expanded the scope and requirements of RCRA. The EPA's authority to enforce RCRA was strengthened in 1992 with the passage of the Federal Facilities Compliance Act. In 1996, the Land Disposal Program Flexibility Act provided regulatory flexibility for certain waste disposed of on land.

On November 28, 2016 a Final Rule was published in the Federal Register to update regulations relating to hazardous waste generators. The goals of the Generator Improvements rule are as follows:

• Reorganize the regulations to make them more user-friendly and enable improved compliance by the regulated community
• Provide greater flexibility for hazardous waste generators to manage waste in a cost-effective manner through the consolidation provisions for episodic generation and very small quantity generators (VSQGs) and large quantity generators (LQGs)
• Strengthen environmental protection by addressing identified gaps in the regulations
• Clarify certain components of the hazardous waste generator program to address ambiguities and foster improved compliance

With each new set of regulations, requirements are subject to change. Since ongoing legislation has changed in the recent past, it is wise to assume that future changes will again impact the regulations for people and facilities that handle hazardous waste.

To learn more about RCRA visit our RCRA Hazardous Waste Safety Online Training web page.