United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5305W)
EPA530-S-97-022
PB97-181 465
August 1997
vvEPA
Executive Summary
The National Biennial RCRA
Hazardous Waste Report
(Based on 1 995 Data)
Printed on paper that contains at least
20 percent postconsumer fiber.
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ExecutivB Summary
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in cooperation with the
States,1 biennially collects information regarding the generation, management, and final
disposition of hazardous wastes regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act of 1976 (RCRA), as amended. The purpose of The National Biennial RCRA Hazardous
Waste Report (Based on 1995 Data) is to communicate the findings of EPA's 1995 Biennial
Reporting System (BRS) data collection efforts to the public, government agencies, and the
regulated community.2 The Report consists of six volumes:
o Executive Summary: An overview of national hazardous waste generation
and management practices;
o National Analysis: A detailed look at waste handling practices in the EPA
Regions, the States, and at the largest facilities in the nation, including
quantities of generation, management, shipments and receipts, and interstate
imports and exports, as well as counts of generators and managers;
o State Summary Analysis: A two-page overview of the generation and
management practices of individual States;
o State Detail Analysis: A detailed look at each State's waste handling
practices, including overall totals for generation, management, and shipments
and receipts, as well as totals for the largest fifty facilities;
o List of Large Quantity Generators: Identifies every hazardous waste generator
in the United States that reported itself to be a large quantity generator in
1995; and
o 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 1995.
'The term "State" includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Navajo Nation, the Trust Territories and the
Virgin Islands, in addition to the 50 United States.
2Some respondents from the State of Georgia have submitted Confidential Business Information (CBI) pursuant to 140
CFR 260.2(b). While not included in any public BRS database, CBI has been incorporated into the Executive Summary and
National Analysis volumes of this Report wherever possible. Where CBI has been omitted from these volumes a footnote
has been provided.
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National Biennial RCRA Hazardous Waste Report: Based on 1995 Data
RCRA HAZARDOUS WASTE
Throughout this Report, the term RCRA hazardous waste refers to solid waste
assigned a Federal hazardous waste code and regulated by RCRA, either because it was
managed in a unit subject to RCRA permitting standards or because it was shipped and
subject to RCRA transportation requirements. Individual States may choose to regulate
additional wastes not identified as hazardous by EPA. Hazardous wastes assigned only a
State hazardous waste code are not included in this Report. Similarly, hazardous wastes
managed only in units subject to State permitting standards, or wastes that are managed
only in units exempt from RCRA permitting standards, are not included in this Report.
RCRA HAZARDOUS WASTE GENERATION
RCRA hazardous waste generation information is obtained from data reported by
RCRA large quantity generators (LQGs). The RCRA hazardous waste generation quantities
in this Report are limited to generation quantities that are managed in units subject to
RCRA permitting standards. All hazardous waste generation reported to be managed
on-site in units exempt from RCRA permitting standards, such as treatment systems
permitted by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), is excluded
from the RCRA generation quantities provided in this Report. Although some off-site
shipments of hazardous waste may ultimately be managed in units exempt from RCRA
permitting standards, this determination cannot be made from information reported by the
generator. Therefore, all hazardous waste generation shipped off-site is included in the
RCRA generation quantities provided in this Report.
Hazardous waste generators are included in this Report if they identified themselves
as an LQG. It is important to note that the LQGs identified in this Report have been
included on the basis of the best available and most current information provided
electronically to EPA by the States. Both EPA and the States have made significant efforts
to ensure the accuracy of these data. However, the LQG counts may include some
generators that, when determining whether they were LQGs, used a lower State-defined
threshold for LQGs, counted wastes regulated only by their States, or counted wastes that
are exempt from Federal regulation.
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Executive Summary
A generator was defined as a Federal large quantity generator in 1995 if it met or
exceeded any one of the following Federal criteria:
o The generator generated in any single month 1,000 kg (2,200 pounds or 1.1
tons) or more of RCRA hazardous waste; or
o The generator generated in any single month, or accumulated at any time, 1
kg (2.2 pounds) of RCRA acute hazardous waste; or
o The generator generated, or accumulated at any time, more than 100 kg
(220 pounds) of spill cleanup material contaminated with RCRA acute
hazardous waste.
In 1995, 20,873 LQGs produced 214 million tons of hazardous waste regulated by
RCRA. This is a decrease of 3,489 LQGs and a decrease of 44 million tons of waste
compared to 1993. As identified in Exhibit 1, the five (5) States whose LQGs generated
the largest amount of hazardous waste were Texas (69 million tons), Tennessee (39 million
tons), Louisiana (17 million tons), Michigan (13 million tons), and Illinois (13 million tons).
Together, the LQGs in these States accounted for 70% of the national total waste
generated.
Wastewater generation is identified in BRS by the use of certain form codes, or by
waste management in units typically associated with wastewater management (i.e.,
management in aqueous treatment units, neutralization tanks, underground injection wells,
or other wastewater management systems). See Chapter 1, Waste Generation, of the
National Analysis, for a list of the form codes and system type codes used to identify
wastewater. (A complete list of system type codes can be found in Appendix A of the
National Analysis, and a complete list of form codes can be found in Appendix B of the
National Analysis.) In 1995, wastewater generation accounted for 95% of the national
generation total, while in 1993, wastewater generation accounted for 92% percent of the
national generation total.
Overall, total hazardous waste generation decreased from 258 million tons in 1993
to 214 million tons in 1995. Wastewater generation decreased from 237 million tons in
1993 to 202 million tons in 1 995, and non-wastewater generation decreased from 22
million tons in 1993 to over 11 million tons in 1995.
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National Biennial RCRA Hazardous Waste Report: Based on 1995 Data
In comparing 1995 data with those of earlier Reports, it is important to note that
many new wastes were captured by RCRA in 1990 with the promulgation of the Toxicity
Characteristic (TC) Rule. The TC Rule added 25 new hazardous waste codes (D018 to
D043) and required more stringent analytical tests for the presence of toxic constituents in
waste. For 1995, these codes captured, at a minimum, 63 million tons of wastes not
regulated before 1990. An additional 42 million tons were described by D018 to D043
when mixed with other waste codes. This suggests that, in 1995, the new toxicity
characteristic wastes captured as much as 105 million tons of wastes not regulated before
1990. In contrast, the 1993 data reported as much as 135 million tons of waste not
regulated before 1990.
RCRA HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT
RCRA hazardous waste management information is obtained from data reported by
RCRA treatment, storage, or disposal facilities (TSDs). The RCRA hazardous waste
management quantities in this Report are limited to waste that was received or generated
by a reporting TSD and managed at the reporting TSD in treatment units subject to RCRA
permitting standards. All hazardous wastes either received for transfer shipment or
managed at a reporting TSD in units exempt from RCRA permitting standards, such as
treatment systems permitted by the NPDES, are excluded from the RCRA management
quantities provided in this Report.
Note that the total quantity of RCRA hazardous waste generation does not equal the
total quantity of hazardous waste management. Some of the reasons for this variance
include: off-year generation (generation that occurred at the end of a non-biennial reporting
year, but was shipped off-site for management during a reporting year) and wastes
received for management from generators in foreign countries.
In 1995, 1,983 TSDs subject to RCRA permitting standards managed 208 million
tons of hazardous waste. This represents a 601 facility decrease in the number of TSDs
and a 27 million ton decrease in the amount of waste managed as compared to 1993. As
identified in Exhibit 2, the five (5) States whose TSDs managed the largest quantities of
hazardous wastes were Texas (75 million tons), Tennessee (39 million tons), Louisiana (18
million tons), Michigan (14 million tons), and California (14 million tons). Together, the
TSDs in these States accounted for 77% of the national total waste managed.
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Executive Summary
Wastewater management is identified in BRS by the use of certain form codes or by
waste management in units typically associated with wastewater management (i.e.,
management in aqueous treatment units, neutralization tanks, underground injection wells,
or other wastewater management systems). See Chapter 2, Waste Management, of the
National Analysis, for a list of the form codes and system type codes used to identify
wastewater. (A complete list of system type codes can be found in Appendix A of the
National Analysis, and a complete list of form codes can be found in Appendix B of the
National Analysis.) In 1995, wastewater management accounted for 95% of the national
management total, while in 1993 wastewater management accounted for 94% of the
national management total.
Overall, total hazardous waste management decreased from 235 million tons in
1993 to 208 million tons in 1995. Wastewater management decreased from 220 million
tons in 1993 to 198 million tons in 1995, and non-wastewater management decreased
from 15 million tons in 1993 to 10 million tons in 1995.
The majority (73%) of the waste managed in the nation was managed in aqueous
treatment units. Aqueous treatment units consist of:
Aqueous Organic Treatment Units
Aqueous Organic and Inorganic Treatment Units
Aqueous Inorganic Treatment Units
117 million tons
28 million tons
8 million tons
Land disposal accounted for 12.3% of the national management total. Land
disposal units include:
Deepwell/Underground Injection
Landfill
Surface Impoundment
Land Treatment/Application/Farming
24 million tons
1 million tons
575 thousand tons
11 thousand tons
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National Biennial RCRA Hazardous Waste Report: Based on 1995 Data
Exhibit 2 Quantity of RCRA Hazardous Waste Managed and Number of TSDs, by State, 1995
STATE
ALABAMA
ALASKA
ARIZONA
ARKANSAS
CALIFORNIA
COLORADO
CONNECTICUT
DELAWARE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
FLORIDA
GEORGIA
GUAM
HAWAII
IDAHO
ILLINOIS
INDIANA
IOWA
KANSAS
KENTUCKY
LOUISIANA
MAINE
MARYLAND
MASSACHUSETTS
MICHIGAN
MINNESOTA
MISSISSIPPI
MISSOURI
MONTANA
NAVAJO NATION
NEBRASKA
NEVADA
NEW HAMPSHIRE
NEW JERSEY
NEW MEXICO
NEW YORK
NORTH CAROLINA
NORTH DAKOTA
OHIO
OKLAHOMA
OREGON
PENNSYLVANIA
PUERTO RICO
RHODE ISLAND
SOUTH CAROLINA
SOUTH DAKOTA
TENNESSEE
TEXAS
TRUST TERRITORIES
UTAH
VERMONT
VIRGIN ISLANDS
VIRGINIA
WASHINGTON
WEST VIRGINIA
WISCONSIN
WYOMING
CBI DATA
HAZARDOUS WASTE QUANTITY1
RANK
16
35
43
18
5
30
33
46
54
32
26
53
49
17
9
14
42
11
37
3
47
27
44
4
34
15
25
48
56
38
20
54
6
31
23
28
22
12
21
36
8
19
40
29
51
2
1
45
24
52
50
39
13
7
41
10
N/A
TOTAL
TONS
MANAGED
1 ,247,637
141,610
1 1 ,029
1,000,465
13,631,078
191,047
1 54,729
2,004
0
161,763
348,359
0
476
1,240,434
3,274,425
1,486,318
12,061
1,761,658
123,709
17,633,877
1,780
201,744
7,288
14,381,917
153,657
1,446,886
437,962
1,368
0
113,395
650,032
0
10,979,933
1 88,444
509,446
199,439
518,043
1,754,399
563,381
1 37,302
6,314,049
836,505
29,806
191,309
1
38,675,221
75,074,857
2,980
461,970
0
20
51,995
1,577,079
8,395,116
1 7,492
1,970,452
4,088
208,272,032
PERCENTAGE
0.6
0.1
0.0
0.5
6.5
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.6
1.6
0.7
0.0
0.8
0.1
8.5
0.0
0.1
0.0
6.9
0.1
0.7
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.3
0.0
5.3
0.1
0.2
0.1
0.2
0.8
0.3
0.1
3.0
0.4
0.0
0.1
0.0
18.6
36.0
0.0
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.8
4.0
0.0
0.9
N/A
100.0
TSD FACILITIES
RANK
18
43
28
36
2
20
17
48
53
11
13
51
47
41
4
5
27
14
19
15
35
31
21
3
25
34
10
43
56
38
37
53
11
38
7
8
45
6
22
40
8
33
41
28
50
25
1
51
32
45
53
22
16
28
24
48
N/A
NUMBER
42
9
26
17
136
36
43
5
1
56
51
2
6
10
107
76
28
50
40
49
18
22
34
112
29
19
68
9
0
14
15
1
56
14
70
69
7
74
31
11
69
20
10
26
3
29
192
2
21
7
1
31
47
26
30
5
1
1,983
PERCENTAGE
2.1
0.5
1.3
0.9
6.9
1.8
2.2
0.3
0.1
2.8
2.6
0.1
0.3
0.5
5.4
3.8
1.4
2.5
2.0
2.5
0.9
1.1-
1.7
5.7
1.5
1.0
3.4
0.5
0.0
0.7
0.8
0.1
2.8
0.7
3.5
3.5
0.4
3.7
1.6
0.6
3.5
1.0
0.5
1.3
0.2
1.5
9.7
0.1
1.1
0.4
0.1
1.6
2.4
1.3
1.5
0.3
N/A
100.0
'Quantity managed only by storage is excluded.
Note: Columns may not sum due to rounding.
Percentages do not include CBI data.
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Executive Summary
WHERE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
All volumes of The National Biennial RCRA Hazardous Waste Report (Based on 1995
Data), as well as the 1995 Biennial Reporting System (BRS) database, can be obtained via
the Internet at: "http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/data/" or they can be purchased
from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) at (703) 487-4650.
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