Waste Classification

The single most important part of waste classification is accuracy because all other waste management requirements hinge on this one decision.

• If the waste meets the criteria and is classified as a hazardous waste, all the requirements for hazardous waste management must be met to ensure safe and protective handling, including: storage, transportation, treatment and disposal.

• If the waste does not meet the definition of a hazardous waste, hazardous waste management is not required. However, the waste management falls within the purview of non-hazardous waste agencies, such as the local municipal waste agencies.

Accurate identification is the key to defining the generator’s responsibilities and the regulator’s authority (and response) with respect to the waste.

For generators, misclassifying a hazardous as non-hazardous can have serious legal repercussions. When a hazardous waste is managed as a non-hazardous waste, it has been illegally managed or disposed of and regulators can impose hefty fines (as high as $25,000 a day) for as long as the hazardous waste is managed as non-hazardous.

For regulators, misclassifying hazardous wastes can result is waste mismanagement. Worse yet, misclassification can prolong conditions that endanger public health and the environment.