United States Solid Waste and
Environmental Protection Emergency Response EPA530-F-92-011
Agency (OS-305) June 1992
Office of Solid Waste
&EPA Environmental
Fact Sheet
Treatment Standards Finalized
For 20 Newly Listed Hazardous
Wastes and Hazardous Debris
Background
The Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) to the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) enacted in 1984 prohibit
the land disposal of untreated hazardous wastes. HSWA requires
EPA to set levels or methods of treatment for hazardous wastes to
substantially diminish the short-term and long-term threats to human
health and the environment. Wastes that meet the treatment
standards established by EPA may be land disposed (i.e., placed in a
landfill, surface impoundment waste pile, injection well, land
treatment facility, salt dome formation, salt bed formation, or
underground mine or cave).
The statutory schedule for land disposal restriction (LDR) rules
covered by HSWA was completed on May 8, 1990. However, a number
of hazardous wastes have been newly listed or identified since 1984 for
which LDR treatment standards are needed.
As part of the LDR rulemakings, EPA has made a number of
modifications to the rules. Several of these modifications are part of
the RCRA Reform Initiative—a broad set of regulatory reforms which
will yield significant cost savings without sacrificing environmental
protection. This rule is the second major piece of this initiative.
Encompassed in this final rule are specific actions to eliminate
unnecessary burdens and stimulate technological innovation.
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Action
s Debris
With this rule, EPA is implementing an innovative approach to
regulating hazardous debris under the LDR program. EPA is finalizing
amendments to the existing treatment standards for debris
contaminated with prohibited listed or prohibited characteristic
hazardous wastes. Under the final rule, debris must be treated prior to
land disposal using specific technologies from one or more of the
following families of debris treatment technologies: extraction,
destruction, or immobilization. In addition, hazardous debris that is
treated by extraction or destruction technologies and no longer exhibits
a hazardous characteristic will no longer be subject to regulation as a
hazardous waste.
Buildins
EPA is establishing a new waste management unit— a containment
building— which will allow certain types of waste to be treated and/or
stored in buildings without being considered land disposal.
Generic Exclusion and Paperwork Reduction
Alternate treatment standards for F006 and K062 wastes have been
promulgated, as well as extending the K061 generic exclusion to F006
and K062 wastes treated by high temperature metal recovery. Further,
EPA is significantly reducing and simplifying the notification and
certification rules for characteristic wastes.
20 Newly Listed Wastes
EPA is also finalizing LDR treatment standards for 20 newly listed
wastes that are based on identified best demonstrated available
technologies for the treatment of these wastes. The 20 newly listed
wastes are:
• Recent petroleum refining wastes (F037 and F038)
• Wastes from the production of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine
(K107-K110)
• Wastes from the production of dinitrotoluene and toluenediamine
(Kill and Kl 12)
• Wastes from the production of ethyiene dibromide (Kl 17, Kl 18,
and K136)
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• Wastes from the production of ethylenebisdithiocarbamic
acid (K123 - K126)
• Wastes from the production of methyl bromide (K131 and K132)
• Additional organic U wastes (U328, U353, and U359)
Revisions to Existing LPfi Regulations
In addition, E^PA is revising a number of current LDR treatment
standards, including: organic constituents of F001- F005 wastes;
wastewaters for certain listed hazardous wastes, basing the new
treatments standards on actual wastewater treatment technologies,
rather than incineration scrubber waters.
LDR Surface Impoundment Retrofitting Requirements
This rule harmonizes the conflicting provisions of Sections 3004(h)(4),
3005(J)(6), and 3005(j)(l 1). All surface impoundments brought into the
Subtitle C regulatory system through the identification or listing of a
new hazardous waste now have four years from that date of
identification to meet the minimum technological requirements (double
liner with a leak detection system, and a ground water monitoring
system).
Contact
For further information, or to order a copy of the Federal Register
notice, please: call the RCRA Hotline Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.
to 7:30 p.m., EST. The national toll-free number is (800) 424-9346; for
the hearing impaired, it is fTDD) (800) 553-7672. In Arlington. VA, the
number is (703) 920-9810 or fTOD) (703) 486-3323. Or write to the
RCRA Information Center (OS-305). US EPA, 401 M Street SW.
Washington. DC 20460.
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