Understanding Hazardous Waste Limits: EPA Regulations & Environmental Protection

Hazardous waste limits are the boundaries necessary for toxic and chemical wastes from entering into a nontoxic environment. For example, a landfill cannot have too much hazardous waste loaded into it; otherwise, there could be a chance that after a certain level, waste could enter into neighboring ecosystems.

Identification

• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) utilizes the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) to measure hazardous waste limits. The TCLP declares certain chemicals to be harmful at specific levels. If hazardous products go above any level for any chemical, then the waste limit has been reached.

Examples

• Arsenic is an example of a harmful chemical that may be found in some hazardous waste. According to the TCLP, arsenic levels that are more than 5 mg per liter in a hazardous chemical go above the TCLP limit. The EPA suggests that such a hazardous waste needs to be safely and sustainably disposed of instead of stored at a landfill.

Considerations

• The potency of chemicals varies, so if a business is not sure if a chemical can simply be disposed of in conventional ways, the business should contact the EPA. Laboratory tests can determine if the hazardous waste goes above TCLP limits.