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 Executive Summary
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), hazardous waste is solid, liquid, or gaseous waste (including sludge) that is ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic and poses a potential hazard to human health or to the environment. The petroleum, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries are examples of industries widely known to produce hazardous waste.
Hazardous waste management is not limited to industries that produce the waste, however; many industries and businesses routinely use wastes that are considered hazardous, such as pesticides, solvents, paints, and motor oils. Hazardous waste is also common in most homes; common examples include mercury in fluorescent light bulbs and flat-panel computer monitors and televisions; lead in computer monitors and television sets using cathode ray tube (CRT) technology and in lead acid batteries; and hydrochlorofluorcarbons in many refrigerators and air conditioning systems.
The EPA has designated several types of hazardous wastes. Listed wastes have been determined to be hazardous; the list includes F-list hazardous wastes (wastes from common manufacturing and industrial processes); K-list wastes (waste produced by specific industries, including petroleum refining, pesticide manufacturing, and some types of waste water); and P-list and U-list wastes (wastes from discarded commercial chemical products, including some pesticides and pharmaceutical products). Characteristic wastes do not meet any of the
listings above but exhibit ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity. Universal wastes include batteries, pesticides, mercury-containing equipment (e.g., thermostats) and lamps (e.g., fluorescent bulbs). Mixed wastes contain both radioactive and hazardous waste components.
There are a number of options to manage hazardous waste so that it harms neither humans nor the environment. One of the best ways is to minimize hazardous waste; many less hazardous products are being developed that can be used in place of more hazardous ones. Another alternative to the disposal of hazardous waste is to recycle it; this can be as simple as donating a usable computer or piece of electronic equipment to a school or charity when an upgraded model is purchased, or recycling glass, metals, or other recyclable products rather than producing them from raw materials.
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