Waste Characterization and Classification Flashcards
7 cards from real CPWM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Waste Characterization and Classification flashcards as text
What is the definition of 'mixed waste' in the context of U.S. waste classification?
Answer: Waste that is both RCRA hazardous and radioactive under the Atomic Energy Act
Mixed waste contains both RCRA-regulated hazardous constituents and radioactive material regulated under the Atomic Energy Act, falling under dual jurisdiction of EPA and NRC.
Under the Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR) program, what must generators determine before disposing of hazardous waste?
Answer: Whether the waste meets treatment standards before land disposal
LDR (40 CFR Part 268) requires that hazardous wastes meet technology-based or concentration-based treatment standards before they can be placed in land disposal units.
Which parameter is used in the RCRA reactivity characteristic to identify potentially explosive sulfide-bearing wastes?
Answer: Generation of toxic gases when exposed to water or acid
Under 40 CFR 261.23, reactivity includes wastes that react violently with water or generate toxic gases (including hydrogen sulfide from sulfides) when mixed with water or acids.
What does 'delisting' a waste mean under RCRA?
Answer: Formally petitioning EPA to remove a specific waste from a hazardous waste listing
Delisting (40 CFR 260.20-260.22) allows a facility to petition EPA to exclude a specific waste from being listed hazardous based on facility-specific sampling and analysis showing it does not pose a hazard.
Which waste category encompasses materials that are not solid wastes under RCRA because they are beneficially reused directly as raw materials?
Answer: Reclaimed materials used as raw material substitutes without prior use as waste
Materials that are reclaimed and directly reused as legitimate raw material substitutes without first being discarded are not considered solid wastes under the RCRA recycling exclusions (40 CFR 261.2).
In waste characterization for a Superfund (CERCLA) site, which analytical protocol is most commonly specified for comprehensive organic and inorganic characterization?
Answer: EPA Contract Laboratory Program (CLP) protocols
EPA's Contract Laboratory Program (CLP) protocols provide standardized, legally defensible analytical methods with rigorous QA/QC required for Superfund site characterization.
A drum of waste is labeled 'D001.' What does this designation indicate?
Answer: The waste exhibits the ignitability characteristic
D001 is the EPA hazardous waste code for the ignitability characteristic under 40 CFR 261.21, assigned to ignitable solid and liquid wastes.