Order of Questions

The order of questions is efficient for the following reasons:

• Hazardous waste is a subset of solid waste, so if a particular material is not considered a solid waste, no further criteria need to be checked.
• Checking the exclusion list next is helpful because some listed wastes are excluded if they are produced in certain ways.
• Checking the listings first might create a false positive (because the waste might be excluded).
• Checking the listings before testing for characteristics saves time simply because many characteristic wastes are already listed.

If a generator (or other handler of waste) determined that a waste is hazardous, there are exclusions and restrictions that might apply to the specific type of waste involved. For example, low-level radioactive waste that meets certain criteria may qualify for conditional exemptions that we will learn about later. For more details about exclusions and restrictions, refer to 40 CFR Parts 261, 264-268, and 273.

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