Introduction

Certain hazardous materials have unique qualities that single them out for special handling in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations. These hazardous materials are referred to as "specific wastes," and include the following:

• Recyclable materials that contain precious metals
• Spent lead-acid batteries
• Solid waste military munitions

The Specific Wastes unit of the course is designed to help you achieve a general awareness of the RCRA requirements for handling the foregoing categories of specific wastes - precious metals, spent lead-acid batteries, and spent waste military munitions. We will examine each category of these specific wastes and the regulations that apply to them (refer to 40 CFR 266). We will also provide background information to help you make sense of the regulations.

Other Areas of Specific Waste Regulation: Two other areas of the management of hazardous wastes fall into the "specific waste" category. In Units 9 and 10, we will look at the waste management practices and special regulations for the following two categories of specific waste (which are also covered in 40 CFR 266):

• Combustion of hazardous wastes for energy recovery
• The management of radioactive low-level mixed waste (LLMW)

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