United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of
Public Awareness (A-107)
Washington DC 20460
February 1980
Reprinted March 1980
SW-737, 2d MfRion
&EPA
Hazardous Waste
Information
Hazardous
Waste Facts*
* Sources for the data in this
fact sheet are EPA's 1975-
73 industry studies and the
1979 draft Environmental
Impact Statement and Envi-
ronmental Impact Analysis
Unavoidably generated in the production of many common materials (metals,
paints, plastics, pesticides, clothing, fertilizers, medicines, etc.), hazardous
waste emerged in the late 1970's as a national health and environmental
concern^ Agriculture, hospitals*,' laboratories, and governmental activities
also generate hazardous wastes..
The news media have frequently reported on how the mismanagement
of hazardous waste has damaged our land, water, and air. Just beginning, to
surface is an awareness of the financial burden the nation must bear.for cleanup
after those mistakes of the past. EPA studies indicate that total cleanup
of potentially dangerous abandoned or uncontrolled disposal sites could cost
as much as $44 billion. More important, but more difficult to quantify, are
the personal costs to people exposed to these wastes, directly or indirectly.
Congress has provided an effective tool to help avoid repeating our
past mistakes in managing hazardous waste—the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA), Public Law 94-580. Subtitle C of RCRA
gave EPA authority to develop a nationwide program to regulate hazardous
waste practices from "cradle to grave"—that is; from the time the waste
is generated to its final disposal. Each State is encouraged to develop its
own program', following EPA's guidelines. .If the program meets. RCRA's
requirements,.it receives EPA approval. EPA is directed to carry out a
hazardous waste program in any State that has not received such approval
or chooses not to develop and operate its own program.
The major provisions under RCRA for controlling hazardous waste are:
• definition of hazardous waste
• a manifest system to track hazardous waste from its generation to its final
disposal
• standards for generators and transporters of hazardous waste
• permit requirements for facilities that treat, store, or dispose of hazardous
waste
it requirements for State hazardous waste programs
Specific regulations for carrying out RCRA are set forth in the Code
of Federal Regulations (40 CFR 260 and succeeding Parts). The program
becomes effective 6 months following promulgation of Part 261, the regulation
identifying hazardous waste. This regulation has been proposed and is planned
for final promulgation in April 1980. A waste is identified as hazardous
in Part 261 if it is included in a comprehensive list of waste sources and
was.te streams or if it is ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic.
The control system starts when anyone engaged in hazardous waste
activities notifies EPA, as required by section 3010 of RCRA. After receiving
notification, EPA assigns an identification number to the notifier. Anyone
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engaged in hazardous waste activities svho does not notify EPA during the
90-day period following promulgation of Part 261 may not begin or continue
operation until an identification number is assigned.
Quantities
EPA estimates that in 1980 U.S. industry will generate about 57 million
metric tons (wet) of hazardous waste. About 35 million metric tons will
come from the chemical and allied products industry.
Industrial Hazardous Waste
Generator
Percent
Chemicals and allied products
Machinery (except electrical)
Primary metals
Paper and allied products
Fabricated.metal products
Stone, clay, and glass^ products
All others-
60
10
8
6
4
3
9
About 60 percent of hazardous waste is in the form of liquid or sludge.
Quantities of hazardous waste are expected to increase by about 3.5?
percent .annually. Much of this increase is attributed to sludge from equipment
Tequireo^for air and water pollution controls.
Ten States generate 60 percent of all the hazardous waste. They are (in
order by volume): New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio, California, Pennsylvania,
Texas, New York, Michigan, Tennessee, and Indiana.
EPA estimates that 90 percent of hazardous waste is currently managed
by practices which will not meet new Federal standards.
EPA studies of industries that generate the major portion of hazardous
waste in the United States indicated that about 80 percent of these wastes
were disposed of on the generator's property, with generators using the
following disposal methods:
• nonsecure pits, ponds, lagoons, or landfills
• "incinerated without proper controls
• managed acceptably as compared to proposed Federal
standards—that is, by controlled incineration, treatment
to render the waste nonhazardous or less hazardous,
secure, landfills, and recovery
80%
10%
10%
Environmental
Damage
and Cleanup
Major routes for environmental damage are:
1. ground-water contamination via leachate
2. surface-water contamination via runoff or overflow
3. air pollution via open burning, evaporation, sublimation, and wind erosion
4. fire, and explosion
5. poison via the food chain
6. human contact
Extent of damage
A 1979 study by an EPA contractor indicated that 32,000 to 50,000
disposal sites may contain hazardous waste, and that from 1,200 to
2,000 of these sites could pose potential danger to health or the environment.
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Legal authorities
Under section 7003 of RCRA, EPA can initiate legal action to require
responsible parties to clean up a site that presents an "imminent and
substantial" danger to health or the environment.
EPA is also using authorities under other acts it administers to respond
to immediate hazardous waste problems. These include the Clean
Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Toxic Substances Control
Act, and the Refuse Act.
federal
Regulations
'The U.S. Department of
Transportation also pro-
posed amendments to its
hazardous materials trans-
portation regulations, which - ,-
were published in the Federal'
Register. May25,J978.
2 The regulations covering
permits for facilities and
State hazardous waste pro-
grams are integrated with
proposed rules under the
Clean Water Act the Safe
Drinking Water Act. and the
Clean Air Act.
EPA has prepared six regulations under Subtitle C of the Resource Conserva-
tion and Recovery Act:
RCRA
Section
3001
3002
3003
3004
3005
3006
Subject of Regulation
Proposed in
Federal Register
Final
Regulation
Definition of
Hazardous Waste
Standards for Generators
of Hazardous Waste1
Standards for Trans-
porters of Hazardous
Waste1
Standards for Hazardous
Waste Facilities
(2 phases): Preliminary
facility standards
Technical design
standards
Permits for Treatment,
Storage, or Disposal
Facilities2
Guidelines for Develop-
ment of State Hazardous
Waste Programs2
December 1978
Amended: August
ind September 1979
December 1978
April 1978
December 1978
December 1978
June 1979
February 1978;
reproposed June
1979
April 1980
February 1980
February 1980
April 1980
Fall 1980
April 1980
April 1980
Cradle-to-grave control of hazardous waste via manifests and reporting
is the keystone of the Federal regulatory program; only facilities with permits
may treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste.
The Federal program begins when all persons who generate, transport, treat
store, or dispose of hazardous waste notify EPA of their activities. Notifica-
tion is required within 90 days of final publication of the section 3001 regula-
tions identifying hazardous waste.
EPA anticipates receiving as many as 300,000 notifications between April
and July 1980.
EPA and the States will issue an estimated 30,000 permits over the next
5 to 6 years to those who store, treat, or dispose of hazardous waste.
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Technology
Other EPA Acts related to hazardous waste controls:
• Clean Air Act—sets standards for hazardous air pollutants.
• Clean Water Act—prohibits discharge of pollutants in significant amounts
into navigable waters of the United States.
• Safe Drinking Water Act—authorizes EPA to set maximum contaminant levels
for public drinking water systems.
• Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act—authorizes EPA
to regulate registration, treatment, disposal, and storage of all pesticides,
including labeling requirements.
• Tpxic. Substances Control Act'—authorizes TSPA to obtain data on health
effects of chemical substances~and to regulate'the'manufacture, use, and
disposal of a chemical substance or mixture where warranted.
Environmentally adequate technology is available for treatment and disposal
of hazardous waste. Costs vary widely among the different methods and
also according to type and volume of waste handled (reducing comparably
with larger quantities).
Disposal Method
Cost/Metric Ton
Secure chemical landfill $50-400
Incineration (land based) $75-2,000
Land treatment $2-25
Chemical fixation $5-500
Surface impoundment $14-180
Physical, chemical, biological treatment variable
Administrative and technical requirements under the Federal hazardous
waste, regulations will lead-to-increased direct costs for controlling these
wastes; however, these costs will balance favorably against the astronomical
costs of cleaning up damage caused by mismanagement of hazardous waste.
EPA is just completing studies to determine the full economic impact of
the new.controls; some results will be available in April 1980.
Waste exchanges help to diminish disposal costs. At least 20 industrial waste
exchanges are in operation in the United States. There are two types: the
materials exchange, which handles, treats, and physically exchanges waste,
and the information exchange, which serves only as a clearinghouse for
generators and potential purchasers.
State
Hazardous Waste
Programs
At the beginning of 1980, solid waste legislation in 40 States included at
least partial authority to control hazardous waste; many of these States
are upgrading their authority and are in the process of planning specific
hazardous waste legislation.
EPA anticipates that many of the 40 States having authority-will apply
and may qualify for "interim authorization." With interim authorization,
States can operate their own programs for 2 years after the effective date
of the Federal regulations while upgrading their programs.
Within 2 years of promulgation of the final hazardous waste regulations,
States with interim authorization must apply for and secure "full authori-
zation." The three main criteria for "full authorization" are: (1) equiva-
lence to Federal program (2) consistency with other Federal and State programs,
and (3) adequacy of enforcement.
Fiscal year 1980 grants specifically for hazardous waste program develop-
ment total $18.6 million. The President's budget for FY 81 requests $30 million.
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