If you’re involved in the hazardous waste industry, you may be familiar with the RCRA, or U.S. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which was created to make sure that hazardous materials are being treated, stored and disposed of correctly.
RCRA requires that any organization involved in the generation, treatment or disposal of hazardous materials requires a permit. A hazardous waste analysis plan is required as a step in applying for the RCRA permit.
A WAP is a plan to standardize required waste testing. The goal is to properly characterize all waste prior to disposal in a simple and efficient way. A WAP demonstrates your organization’s step-by-step protocol for all treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous wastes. A WAP is applicable for waste materials such as flammables, corrosives, explosives, gasses, poisons, etc.
Fundamentals for a Waste Analysis Plan for Hazardous Waste Disposal:
Whomever creates your WAP should be trained in RCRA regulatory requirements and knowledgeable in the areas of waste characterization and proper disposal. We highly recommend getting an expert in Waste Analysis Plans involved if you are thinking of creating a WAP for your organization.
There are 3 main questions that create the core of a waste analysis plan:
- What method are you using to determine the material to be hazardous waste?
- How did you determine the specific properties of the material that require hazardous waste disposal?
- What process did you use to evaluate the material and decided how to handle the hazardous material?
Once you determine the parameters and process to be used, you will also need to determine how often to re-visit, review or re-evaluate to make sure the analysis is accurate, up to date and representative of the waste material over time.
A WAP must also contain all information necessary to treat the waste(s) in accordance with the requirements of 40 CFR Part 268, including the selected testing frequency.
Benefits of creating a Waste Analysis Plan for Hazardous Waste Disposal:
While creating a waste analysis plan can be a large time commitment, there are some significant business benefits to creating a waste analysis plan.
Streamline your processes. Once you’ve taken the time to create the evaluation methods, guidelines and trained your employee in appropriate protocols, this standardization will streamline your processes.
Save employee time and resources. Streamlining your processes can save significant time and resources being used in the evaluation and disposal of hazardous materials.
Reduce errors and minimize employee exposure to hazardous materials. Streamlining your processes and reduced employee time will mean a reduction in errors, and reduced employee exposure to hazardous materials, which minimizes workplace injury, illness and any other health issues that could be caused by continual exposure to hazardous materials.
It’s crucial to get an expert’s help and advice when creating a waste analysis plan. We recommend that you start by talking to a waste analysis expert.
If you are looking for help with hazardous waste disposal, or nonhazardous waste disposal, please contact HWH Environmental at 1-877-777-6708.
