Hazardous Waste Management Flashcards
6 cards from real ETC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Hazardous Waste Management flashcards as text
What is 'universal waste' under EPA regulations, and which of the following is an example?
Answer: A streamlined category of common hazardous wastes; example is fluorescent lamps
Universal wastes are widely generated hazardous wastes (batteries, pesticides, mercury-containing equipment, lamps) subject to simplified management standards to encourage proper recycling.
What does the 'cradle-to-grave' principle in RCRA mean for hazardous waste generators?
Answer: Generators bear responsibility for waste from generation through final disposal
The cradle-to-grave system holds generators legally responsible for their hazardous waste from the point of generation through ultimate disposal, even after transfer to a transporter or TSDF.
Which of the following wastes is explicitly excluded from RCRA hazardous waste regulation?
Answer: Household hazardous waste
Household hazardous waste is exempt from RCRA Subtitle C regulations under the household hazardous waste exclusion, though it may be managed under state programs.
A container of hazardous waste is considered 'empty' under RCRA after removing all material using standard unloading practices and the inner liner no longer exceeds how much residue?
Answer: 0.3% of the container's total capacity
Under 40 CFR 261.7, a container is RCRA-empty when no more than 0.3% (by weight) of the container's total capacity remains after standard unloading.
A facility conducting in-situ treatment of contaminated soil using injected reagents — without excavating the material — is typically regulated under which framework?
Answer: RCRA corrective action or CERCLA remediation authority
In-situ soil treatment at contaminated sites typically falls under RCRA corrective action (for RCRA-permitted facilities) or CERCLA remedial action authority, depending on the site's regulatory history.
Under the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest system, how long must generators retain signed copies of completed manifests?
Answer: 3 years
RCRA requires generators to retain copies of all signed manifests for at least 3 years from the date the waste was accepted by the initial transporter.