&ER&
Unitad States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Solid Waste
and Emergency Response
(5305) .
Office of Solid Waste
Environmental
Fact Sheet
EPA Releases The Biennial
RCRA Hazardous Waste Report
(Based on 1991 Data)
EPA530-F-94-039
November 1994
Background
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, in cooperation
with the states, biennially
collects information regarding the
generation, management, and
final disposition of hazardous
wastes regulated under the
Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA). The
findings of EPA1 s 1991 Biennial
Reporting System (BRS) data
collection efforts have been
compiled in the newly published
National Biennial RCRA
Hazardous Waste Report (Based
on 1991 Data). The Report
consists of six documents: the
"Executive Summary"; the
"National Analysis"; the "State
Summary Analysis"; the "State
Detail Analysis"; the "List of
Large Quantity Generators"; and
the "List of Treatment, Storage,
and Disposal Facilities."
The "Executive Summary" gives
an overview of national
hazardous waste generation and
management practices. The
"National Analysis'* provides a
detailed look at waste handling
practices in the EPA regions, the
states and at the largest
facilities in the nation. The
"State Summary Analysis" gives
two-page overviews of the
generation and management
practices of individual states.
The "State Detail Analysis"
details each state's waste
handling practices. The"Ustof
Large Quantity Generators"
identifies every hazardous waste
generator in the United States
that reported itself to be a large
quantity generator (LQG) in
1991. (In previous reports, EPA
listed the top 40 in each state.)
The "List of Treatment Storage
and Disposal Facilities'*
identifies every hazardous waste
manager in the United States
that reported itself to be a
treatment, storage or disposal
facility in 1991.
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Highlights of the 1991
Data on Hazardous
Waste Generation and
Management
23,426 LQGs generated 306
million tons of hazardous waste
regulated by RCRA with the
largest 50 generators accounting
for 81% (about 249 million tons)
of the total. This is an increase
of 3,000 generators and 108
million tons of waste compared
to 1989. It is important to note
that many new wastes were
regulated by RCRA due to the
promulgation of the Toxlcity
Characteristics (TC) Rule in
1990. Excluding these newly
regulated wastes, the amount of
hazardous waste generated in
1991 was between 29 and 54
million tons less than the 198
million tons reported in 1989.
This continues a trend of reduced
RCRA hazardous waste
generation that was first reflected
in data for 1987. These
reductions have continued
through the reporting year 1991.
EPA believes that these
reductions are due to waste
minimization programs and
changes in waste management
techniques. 3,862 treatment
storage, or disposal facilities
reported handling the waste in
waste management units subject
to RCRA permitting
requirements.
Highlights of the 1991 Data
on Hazardous Waste
Shipping and Receiving
24,000 generators and
treatment storage, and
disposal facilities reported
shipping a total of 13 million
tons, of which five million tons
were shipped interstate.
The states that shipped (in or
out of state) the largest
quantities of wastes were *
Texas, Connecticut and
Michigan. The states that
received the largest quantities
of waste (from in or out of state)
were California, Ohio and
Michigan.
Availability of the Report
The "Executive Summary"
and the "List of Large Quantity
Generators" (on paper or disk)
is available free by calling the
RCRA/Superfund Hotline at
(800) 424-9346. The "National
Analysis", "State Summary
Analysis", "State Detail
Analysis", and "List of
Treatment Storage, and
Disposal Facilities" can be
obtained for a fee by contacting
the National Technical
Information Service at (703)
487-4650. The entire six-
volume report and the
database from which these
volumes are drawn, are also
available via the Internet
at: gopher, epa.gov,
or http:\\ www.epa.gov.
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