Key Terms

Aggregation points are places where oil that is generated by the owner of the aggregation point is collected and stored. Sometimes aggregation points accept oil from private citizens.

Characteristic waste refers to solid waste that exhibits one of the following four characteristics: corrosivity, ignitability, toxicity, or reactivity.

DIY used oil is short for "do-it-yourself" used oil and refers to people who change the oil in their vehicles themselves.

Energy recovery refers to the process of generating electricity or heat through the treatment (for example, combustion or fermentation) of hazardous waste. For example, the heat from a combustion unit burning hazardous waste converts water to steam which is then sent to a turbine generator to produce electricity.

EPA identification number, or EPA ID, refers to an identification number issued by the Environmental Protection Agency that must be obtained by generators (and other handlers) of hazardous waste.

Halogens are a group of chemically related elements that include: fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine.

Listed wastes are wastes that meet the specific criteria to be on one of the four Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists: The F-, K-, P-, and U- lists. These listings can be found in the regulations at 40 CFR 261 Subpart D.

Off-specification used oils are used oil in which the allowable levels of contaminants established by the EPA are exceeded.

PCBs refer to polychlorinated biphenyls which are a group of manufactured chemicals that were once widely used in industrial products. Studies show that exposure to PCBs leads to increased rates of cancer and other health issues for humans.

Rebuttable presumption refers to an assumption made by a court requiring compliance with a regulation unless someone comes forward and provides proof that he or she is not subject to the regulations.

Tolling agreements are contracts in which one company, the "toller," pays another company a fee to convert fuel into a different form. The toller retains ownership of the fuel throughout the arrangement.

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

Used oil burners are facilities that burn off-specification used oil for energy recovery.

Waste oils are oils that have never been used but are contaminated or oils mixed with residue in the bottom of an oil storage tank.

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