Introduction
This document describes the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) hazardous
waste characteristics regulations under the authority of the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA) Subtitle C
1
and includes hyperlinks to information that EPA has generated over the
years to explain the characteristics regulations. The objective of this document is to consolidate
the information on characteristics regulations to assist Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
staff, state staff, industrial facilities that generate and manage hazardous wastes, and the public to
understand the current RCRA hazardous waste characteristics regulations. The criteria for
identifying the characteristics of hazardous wastes are located in Title 40 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) at Part 261. Please note that this reference document is designed to be web-
based, so the usefulness of the document is maximized when it is viewed on a computer that is
connected to the internet.
This document is only a reference document and is not to be used as a substitute for the
CFR itself or the requirements contained in the CFR. This document is also not a rulemaking in
any way. Additionally, this reference document presents only the federal requirements for
hazardous waste characteristics. Most states are authorized to manage their hazardous waste
management regulatory program. Therefore, states may have their own set of regulations that
apply in lieu of federal regulations, and while most state hazardous waste regulations are based
on the federal requirements, some states have developed regulations that are more stringent than
the federal program. We direct you to the following website to determine if the state regulatory
program is different from the federal program: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/wyl/stateprograms.htm
This document is organized by hazardous waste characteristic (i.e., ignitable, corrosive,
reactive and toxic), in a manner similar to the way the identification of hazardous waste
regulations are presented in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at Part 261.
Therefore, following an overview of the hazardous waste characteristics regulations, this
document will present the definition of hazardous waste, criteria for identifying hazardous waste,
and the definitions of each of the four characteristics of hazardous waste. Background
information and relevant resources are also provided throughout this document.
To help stakeholders better understand specific requirements, we also have provided,
where applicable, hyperlinks to Federal Register notices, frequently asked questions (FAQs),
letters, and memoranda issued by EPA, as well as guidance and other relevant documents
developed by EPA that provide further clarification of the hazardous waste characteristic
regulations. We have attempted to identify the relevant related FAQs, letters, memoranda, etc.
on a particular subject (miscellaneous resources can also be found in this document). However,
please note that it is possible that EPA could have inadvertently overlooked a relevant document
and did not include it in this reference document. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that we
captured every relevant document in each and every instance. Additionally, once a user has
navigated to the characteristics regulation of interest, we have provided hyperlinks to the e-CFR
website when the characteristics regulations cross-reference themselves or other regulations.
1
Subtitle C of RCRA has been codified in the United States Code (U.S.C.) as the Solid Waste Disposal Act
(SDWA), Subchapter III (Hazardous Waste Management), 42 U.S.C. ยงยง 6921 through 6939e
3
