Define storage versus treatment under RCRA.

Define storage versus treatment under RCRA.

• A. Storage is holding waste before treatment or disposal; treatment is a process that alters the waste's physical or chemical properties to reduce hazard.
• B. Storage is disposal of waste; treatment is moving waste to storage.
• C. Storage and treatment mean the same thing.
• D. Storage is only for liquids; treatment is only for solids.

Answer: (D)

In RCRA, the main idea is to distinguish between simply holding waste and actively changing it. Storage means holding hazardous waste after generation and before it’s treated or disposed of, kept in containment to prevent releases without changing the waste’s hazard. Treatment means any process that alters the waste’s physical or chemical properties to reduce its hazard, immobilize contaminants, or prepare it for disposal or recycling—for example, neutralizing an acid, solidifying a liquid, or removing contaminants. The notion that storage is limited to liquids and treatment to solids isn’t accurate; both liquids and solids can be stored, and both can undergo treatment as needed.

In RCRA, the main idea is to distinguish between simply holding waste and actively changing it. Storage means holding hazardous waste after generation and before it’s treated or disposed of, kept in containment to prevent releases without changing the waste’s hazard. Treatment means any process that alters the waste’s physical or chemical properties to reduce its hazard, immobilize contaminants, or prepare it for disposal or recycling—for example, neutralizing an acid, solidifying a liquid, or removing contaminants.

The notion that storage is limited to liquids and treatment to solids isn’t accurate; both liquids and solids can be stored, and both can undergo treatment as needed.