States May Impose More Stringent Regulations

The federal regulation of hazardous waste management is the subject of this course. However, keep in mind that state regulations may differ from the federal regulations. States may either regulate hazardous waste using the same guidelines set forth in the federal regulations, or they may impose more stringent regulations. States may, for example, include additional materials as universal waste, even though those materials are not specifically defined in the RCRA federal regulations for universal waste. The following items are examples of state-level universal waste regulations that are more stringent than the federal regulations:

• Paint and paint-related wastes (in Texas)
• Antifreeze (in Louisiana)
• Computers and electronics (in Arkansas and Louisiana)

For a state to add a particular type of waste to its universal waste program, the waste must meet all of the following requirements:

• It must be generated by a wide variety of generators.
• It must be used by multiple industries.
• It must be considered hazardous.

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