Key Terms

CESQGs refers to a conditionally exempt small quantity generator. Under new regulations, this term has been replaced by "very small quantity generators" (VSQGs).

Director, or administrator, refers to the head of the EPA, a position appointed by the President of the United States.

EPA refers to the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is a U.S. federal government agency that was created to protect human health and the environment.

Generator refers to a person, business, or other entity that creates hazardous waste.

Hazardous materials are substances (gas, liquids, or solids) that may harm people or the environment (for example, chlorine gas, solvents, pigments, and lead).

Hazardous waste refers generally to waste that has properties that may harm people or the environment. We will discuss how the RCRA regulations specifically define hazardous waste.

HAZWOPER refers to the OSHA Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard that protects the health and safety of workers who work at hazardous wastes operations and in emergency services.

LQG refers to a large quantity generator.

OSHA refers to the Occupation Safety and Health Act that is designed to protect the health and wellbeing of employees in the workplace. For example, the HAZWOPER standards are interpreted and enforced by OSHA.

SQG refers to a small quantity generator.

RCRA refers to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. This federal law is the basis for EPA regulations that regulate the management of hazardous wastes, used oil, and underground storage tanks.

Regional administrator refers to one of the ten regional administrators who report to the Director of the EPA.

Remediation refers to the process of removing contaminants from the environment cleaning up or restoring a contaminated site to a point where it no longer endangers human health or the environment.

Solid waste is material that, as defined by RCRA, has been discarded by being any of the following: abandoned (for example, disposed of, incinerated), inherently waste-like, military munition, or recycled. Solid wastes may be solid, semisolid, liquid, or contained gaseous material.

Specific wastes are wastes or waste management practices that have unique qualities that the RCRA has singled out for special handling. Specific wastes include recyclable materials that contain precious metals, spent lead-acid batteries, solid waste military munitions, combustible hazardous wastes, and hazardous wastes mixed with low-level radioactive material.

Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, or CERCLA. This act addresses the cleanup and remediation of accidental releases and improperly managed hazardous wastes on abandoned or bankrupt sites, or those with multiple responsible parties.

TSDF is the acronym for "treatment, storage, and disposal facility." TSDFs handle hazardous waste.

Universal wastes are commonly recycled hazardous wastes that are generated in many different settings. To encourage recycling, the RCRA established special management regulations for these wastes which include batteries, recalled or unused pesticides, mercury-containing equipment (such as thermostats), and lamps (such as fluorescent bulbs).

Used oil is any refined crude or synthetic oil that is contaminated by physical particles or chemicals as a result of use.

VSQG refers to a very small quantity generator and, under new regulations, replaces the term "conditionally exempt small quantity generator" (CESQG).

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