Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
A waste listed in CCP and MCI can also be understood as a chemical substance
that is manufactured or formulated for commercial or manufacturing use, which
consists of the commercially pure grade of the chemical (the chemical is the only
chemical constituent in the product); any technical grades of the chemical (not 100%
pure, but recognized in general usage by chemical industries) that are produced or
marketed; and all chemical formulations in which the chemical is the sole active
ingredient (the chemical is the only ingredient serving the function of the formula-
tion).
3.2.1.3
Characteristic Wastes
The characteristic wastes can be defined as wastes that are not specifically identified
elsewhere, or exhibit properties of ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity.
They are not listed hazardous wastes under RCRA but pose sufficient threat to human
health and the environment that they deserve regulation as hazardous wastes. Obvi-
ously, the characteristic wastes are an essential supplement to the hazardous waste
listings.
If a listed waste still exhibits a characteristic that poses an additional hazard to
human health and the environment, additional regulatory precautions should be
implemented. There are four hazardous waste characteristics. A characteristic waste
has its own unique EPA hazardous waste code, beginning with a D followed by
three numbers.
3.2.2
H
AZARDOUS
W
ASTE
C
HARACTERISTICS
The EPA has established four characteristics for hazardous waste identification. Two
criteria are used in selecting these characteristics as follows:
•
The characteristics of the properties of hazardous waste should be detect-
able by using a standardized test method or by applying general knowl-
edge of the properties of the waste.
•
The characteristics must be defined in terms of physical, chemical, or
other properties that cause the waste to meet the definition of hazardous
waste in the RCRA.
The first criterion was adopted because EPA believed that unless generators were
provided with widely available and uncomplicated methods for determining whether
their wastes exhibited the characteristics, the identification system would prove
unworkable.
6
Based on the above criteria, four characteristics and their respective rationales
described in 40 CFR 261 are summarized as follows.
(a) Ignitability
The ignitability characteristic refers to wastes that can readily catch fire and sustain
combustion such as paints, cleaners, and other industrial wastes that pose such a
hazard. Most ignitable wastes are in liquid form. EPA used a flash point test as the
method for determining whether a liquid waste is combustible enough to deserve
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