Question

The love canal scandal (seen in the video) led to a massive awareness for hazardous waste. This led to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in 1976. (https://youtu.be/kzwacZZe5yk?t=279) (https://youtu.be/Kjobz14i8kM)

Describe the type of system they used?

How were these wastes classified according to the RCRA?

What is the use of the manifest system?

Describe the General regulatory standards and the Technical regulatory standards under RCRA?

Answer 1

A waste is determined to be a hazardous waste if it is specifically listed on one of four lists (the F, K, P and U lists) found in title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) in section 261.In 1978, Love Canal, located near Niagara Falls in upstate New York, was a nice little working-class enclave with hundreds of houses and a school. It just happened to sit atop 21,000 tons of toxic industrial waste that had been buried underground in the 1940s and '50s by a local company. Over the years, the waste began to bubble up into backyards and cellars. By 1978, the problem was unavoidable, and hundreds of families sold their houses to the federal government and evacuated the area. The disaster led to the formation in 1980 of the Superfund program, which helps pay for the cleanup of toxic sites.

1. Types of system used by RCRA

Hazardous waste management facilities receive hazardous wastes for treatment, storage or disposal. These facilities are often referred to as treatment, storage and disposal facilities, or TSDFs, and their activities are described in more detail below:

• Treatment – Using various processes, such as incineration or oxidation, to alter the character or composition of hazardous wastes. Some treatment processes enable waste to be recovered and reused in manufacturing settings, while other treatment processes dramatically reduce the amount of hazardous waste.
• Storage - Temporarily holding hazardous wastes until they are treated or disposed. Hazardous waste is commonly stored prior to treatment or disposal, and must be stored in containers, tanks, containment buildings, drip pads, waste piles, or surface impoundments that comply with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations.
• Disposal - Permanently containing hazardous wastes. The most common type of disposal facility is a landfill, where hazardous wastes are disposed of in carefully constructed units designed to protect groundwater and surface water resources.
• Listed Wastes
• A waste is determined to be a hazardous waste if it is specifically listed on one of four lists (the F, K, P and U lists) found in title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) in section 261.
  • The F and K Lists
  • The F-list, found at 40 CFR section 261.31, identifies wastes from common manufacturing and industrial processes as hazardous. Because the processes generating these wastes can occur in different sectors of industry, the F list wastes are known as wastes from non-specific sources.
  • The K-list identifies hazardous wastes from specific sectors of industry and manufacturing and are considered source-specific wastes. To qualify as a K-listed hazardous waste, a waste must fit into one of the 13 categories on the list and the waste must match one of the detailed K list waste descriptions in 40 CFR section 261.32.
  • The P and U Lists

  • The P and U lists designate as hazardous waste pure and commercial grade formulations of certain unused chemicals that are being disposed. For a waste to be considered a P- or U-listed waste it must meeting the following three criteria:

  • The waste must contain one of the chemicals listed on the P or U list;
  • The chemical in the waste must be unused; and
  • The chemical in the waste must be in the form of a commercial chemical product.

  • EPA defines a commercial chemical product for P and U list purposes as a chemical that is either 100 percent pure, technical (e.g., commercial) grade or the sole active ingredient in a chemical formulation.

    The P-list identifies acute hazardous wastes from discarded commercial chemical products. The P-list can be found at 40 CFR section 261.33. The U-list identifies hazardous wastes from discarded commercial chemical products. The U-list wastes can be found at 40 CFR section 261.33.

• Characteristic Wastes
  • Ignitability
  • Corrosivity
  • Reactivity
  • Toxicity
• Mixed Radiological and Hazardous Wastes

3. EPA’s hazardous waste manifest system is designed to track hazardous waste from the time it leaes the generator facility where it was produced, until it reaches the off-site waste management facility that will store, treat or dispose of the hazardous waste.

The key component of this tracking system is the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest, a form required by EPA and the Department of Transportation for all generators who transport, or offer for transport, hazardous waste for off-site treatment, recycling, storage or disposal. Currently, the manifest is a paper document containing multiple copies of a single form. When completed, the form contains information on the type and quantity of the waste being transported, instructions for handling the waste, and signature lines for all parties involved in the disposal process. Each party that handles the waste signs the manifest and retains a copy for themselves. This ensures critical accountability in the transportation and disposal processes. Once the waste reaches its destination, the receiving facility returns a signed copy of the manifest to the generator, confirming that the waste has been received by the designated facility.