Solid Waste

The first step in identifying whether a waste is hazardous is to determine whether it is a solid waste. RCRA states that "solid waste" includes garbage or refuse, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility. Solid waste can also be discarded material from industrial operations, commercial operations, mining, and agricultural operations, and certain community activities.

The term "solid waste" can be deceiving, as not all solid wastes are physically solid. As mentioned previously, these wastes may be liquids, sludge, or gases. The EPA defines a solid waste as any material that has been discarded that meets the following criteria:

• Abandoned: The term "abandoned" means thrown away. A material is considered to be abandoned if it is disposed of, burned, incinerated, or sham recycled (thrown away because the material is ineffective or only partially effective).
• Inherently waste-like: Some materials pose such a threat to human health and the environment that they are always considered solid wastes. These materials are considered to be inherently waste-like. Examples of inherently waste-like materials include certain dioxin-containing wastes.
• A discarded military munition: Military munitions are all ammunition products and components produced for or used by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) or the U.S. Armed Services for national defense and security. Unused or defective munitions are solid wastes when they are abandoned, treated prior to disposal, rendered non-recyclable or unusable through deterioration, or declared a waste by an authorized military official. Used munitions may also be solid wastes if they are collected for storage, recycling, treatment, or disposal.
• Recycled in certain ways: A material is considered to be recycled if it is used or reused (for example, reused as an ingredient in a process), reclaimed, or used in certain ways (such as used in or on the land in a manner constituting disposal, burned for energy recovery, or accumulated in a manner that is subject to speculation).

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