What is Hazardous Waste? 

Hazardous waste is a solid waste that is ignitable, corrosive, reactive, toxic or acutely toxic. A waste can be a hazardous waste because it exhibits a characteristic of hazardous waste, or because that waste has been specifically listed in the regulations as a hazardous waste. It is a generator’s responsibility to determine if his waste is hazardous, and to manage that hazardous waste from “cradle to grave.”

How Do I Know if I Generate Hazardous Waste?

Businesses and other facilities in Virginia are required to determine if they generate hazardous waste through the use of chemical analysis or generator knowledge. For instructions on making this HW determination, see the “Defining Hazardous Waste” and the DEQ Webinar “Making Hazardous Waste Determinations” 

Who Regulates Hazardous Waste? 

Hazardous waste is regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle C federally by the Environmental Protection agency. At the state level, it is regulated under the Virginia Hazardous Waste Management Regulations (VHWMR) by the DEQ.

What Do I Do if I Generate Hazardous Waste? 

Facilities that generate, accumulate, transport, treat, store and/or dispose of hazardous waste must comply with the requirements found in the VHWMR. These requirements are summarized under the Generator Requirements tab at the left.

Certain wastes, including batteries, lamps (bulbs), some pesticides and mercury-containing equipment have streamlined requirements. See the Universal Waste tab at the left

Do I Need A Permit to Generate Hazardous Waste? 

Only facilities that store, treat, and/or dispose of hazardous wastes may require a permit. For more information regarding hazardous waste permits, permit renewals, or permit modifications, please see the Hazardous Waste Management Facility Permit in the Permitting section of this website.

Are Waste Pharmaceuticals Managed the Same as Hazardous Waste? 

Hazardous waste pharmaceuticals generated by healthcare facilities have their own requirements. Click on Pharmaceuticals Rule box on the left.

What If I Am A Homeowner Who Generates Hazardous Waste? 

Household hazardous waste is exempt from the requirements of the hazardous waste regulations in most cases. It is regulated as a solid waste. See Specialty Wastes

Note: Virginia is an EPA-authorized state, so changes in regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) do not become effective in Virginia until they are approved by the Virginia Waste Management Board and incorporated into the Virginia Hazardous Waste Management Regulations advertised for public comment, and become effective on a designated date. In some cases, rules that are finalized by EPA are less stringent than existing regulations, and are not required to be adopted by Virginia.

To stay abreast of upcoming regulatory changes in Virginia, consider signing up for email notification of actions at the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall website.

Hazardous Waste Site Inventory

The Hazardous Waste Site Inventory  contains a listing  ( See Resources on the Right) of all current hazardous waste disposal sites in Virginia that either have an active hazardous waste permit or are subject to investigation and cleanup of hazardous releases under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action Program. In addition to providing location information for these sites, the inventory provides links to site-specific webpages maintained by EPA that contain a site overview, list of site contaminants, and clean-up status.