Definition of Hazardous Waste

ABSTRACT Any examination of the effectiveness of this nation's hazardous waste regulatory system must begin with a review of what types of wastes are covered and what are not; if significant amounts of materials which threaten human health and the environment are not included, then even a perfect management system will not prevent future hazardous waste problems such as Love Canal from occurring. This paper examines EPA's definition of hazardous waste and identifies the problems with it. The paper then reviews how various states have compensated for the inadequacies in the EPA system in their own regulations. Recent congressional directives to EPA on the definition of hazardous waste are presented, and a model hazardous waste definition is developed.