Under RCRA, how does hazardous waste relate to solid waste?

Under RCRA, how does hazardous waste relate to solid waste?

• A. All solid waste is hazardous.
• B. Hazardous waste is a subset of solid waste that meets RCRA hazard criteria or lists.
• C. Hazardous waste and solid waste are identical.
• D. Solid waste is a subset of hazardous waste.

Answer: (B)

RCRA distinguishes solid waste as a broad category of discarded materials, and hazardous waste is a narrower subset of that solid waste. A waste becomes hazardous only if it either appears on one of the EPA's hazardous waste lists or demonstrates a characteristic hazard (such as ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity). Once a waste meets these criteria, it is regulated as hazardous waste; wastes that don’t meet the criteria remain solid waste without the hazardous-waste regulatory requirements. This means not all solid waste is hazardous, and hazardous waste is not identical to all solid waste.

RCRA distinguishes solid waste as a broad category of discarded materials, and hazardous waste is a narrower subset of that solid waste. A waste becomes hazardous only if it either appears on one of the EPA's hazardous waste lists or demonstrates a characteristic hazard (such as ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity). Once a waste meets these criteria, it is regulated as hazardous waste; wastes that don’t meet the criteria remain solid waste without the hazardous-waste regulatory requirements. This means not all solid waste is hazardous, and hazardous waste is not identical to all solid waste.