U.S. Code of Federal Regulations

Regulations most recently checked for updates: Dec 07, 2024

§ 260.10 - Definitions.

When used in parts 260 through 273 of this chapter, the following terms have the meanings given below:

Above ground tank means a device meeting the definition of “tank” in § 260.10 and that is situated in such a way that the entire surface area of the tank is completely above the plane of the adjacent surrounding surface and the entire surface area of the tank (including the tank bottom) is able to be visually inspected.

Act or RCRA means the Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended, 42 U.S.C. section 6901 et seq.

Active life of a facility means the period from the initial receipt of hazardous waste at the facility until the Regional Administrator receives certification of final closure.

Active portion means that portion of a facility where treatment, storage, or disposal operations are being or have been conducted after the effective date of part 261 of this chapter and which is not a closed portion. (See also “closed portion” and “inactive portion”.)

Acute hazardous waste means hazardous wastes that meet the listing criteria in § 261.11(a)(2) and therefore are either listed in § 261.31 of this chapter with the assigned hazard code of (H) or are listed in § 261.33(e) of this chapter.

Administrator means the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, or his designee.

Aerosol can means a non-refillable receptacle containing a gas compressed, liquefied, or dissolved under pressure, the sole purpose of which is to expel a liquid, paste, or powder and fitted with a self-closing release device allowing the contents to be ejected by the gas.

AES filing compliance date means the date that EPA announces in the Federal Register, on or after which exporters of hazardous waste and exporters of cathode ray tubes for recycling are required to file EPA information in the Automated Export System or its successor system, under the International Trade Data System (ITDS) platform.

Airbag waste means any hazardous waste airbag modules or hazardous waste airbag inflators.

Airbag waste collection facility means any facility that receives airbag waste from airbag handlers subject to regulation under § 261.4(j) of this chapter, and accumulates the waste for more than ten days.

Airbag waste handler means any person, by site, who generates airbag waste that is subject to regulation under this chapter.

Ancillary equipment means any device including, but not limited to, such devices as piping, fittings, flanges, valves, and pumps, that is used to distribute, meter, or control the flow of hazardous waste from its point of generation to a storage or treatment tank(s), between hazardous waste storage and treatment tanks to a point of disposal onsite, or to a point of shipment for disposal off-site.

Aquifer means a geologic formation, group of formations, or part of a formation capable of yielding a significant amount of ground water to wells or springs.

Authorized representative means the person responsible for the overall operation of a facility or an operational unit (i.e., part of a facility), e.g., the plant manager, superintendent or person of equivalent responsibility.

Battery means a device consisting of one or more electrically connected electrochemical cells which is designed to receive, store, and deliver electric energy. An electrochemical cell is a system consisting of an anode, cathode, and an electrolyte, plus such connections (electrical and mechanical) as may be needed to allow the cell to deliver or receive electrical energy. The term battery also includes an intact, unbroken battery from which the electrolyte has been removed.

Boiler means an enclosed device using controlled flame combustion and having the following characteristics:

(1)(i) The unit must have physical provisions for recovering and exporting thermal energy in the form of steam, heated fluids, or heated gases; and

(ii) The unit's combustion chamber and primary energy recovery sections(s) must be of integral design. To be of integral design, the combustion chamber and the primary energy recovery section(s) (such as waterwalls and superheaters) must be physically formed into one manufactured or assembled unit. A unit in which the combustion chamber and the primary energy recovery section(s) are joined only by ducts or connections carrying flue gas is not integrally designed; however, secondary energy recovery equipment (such as economizers or air preheaters) need not be physically formed into the same unit as the combustion chamber and the primary energy recovery section. The following units are not precluded from being boilers solely because they are not of integral design: process heaters (units that transfer energy directly to a process stream), and fluidized bed combustion units; and

(iii) While in operation, the unit must maintain a thermal energy recovery efficiency of at least 60 percent, calculated in terms of the recovered energy compared with the thermal value of the fuel; and

(iv) The unit must export and utilize at least 75 percent of the recovered energy, calculated on an annual basis. In this calculation, no credit shall be given for recovered heat used internally in the same unit. (Examples of internal use are the preheating of fuel or combustion air, and the driving of induced or forced draft fans or feedwater pumps); or

(2) The unit is one which the Regional Administrator has determined, on a case-by-case basis, to be a boiler, after considering the standards in § 260.32.

Carbon dioxide stream means carbon dioxide that has been captured from an emission source (e.g., power plant), plus incidental associated substances derived from the source materials and the capture process, and any substances added to the stream to enable or improve the injection process.

Carbon regeneration unit means any enclosed thermal treatment device used to regenerate spent activated carbon.

Cathode ray tube or CRT means a vacuum tube, composed primarily of glass, which is the visual or video display component of an electronic device. A used, intact CRT means a CRT whose vacuum has not been released. A used, broken CRT means glass removed from its housing or casing whose vacuum has been released.

Central accumulation area means any on-site hazardous waste accumulation area with hazardous waste accumulating in units subject to either § 262.16 (for small quantity generators) or § 262.17 of this chapter (for large quantity generators). A central accumulation area at an eligible academic entity that chooses to operate under 40 CFR part 262 subpart K is also subject to § 262.211 when accumulating unwanted material and/or hazardous waste.

Certification means a statement of professional opinion based upon knowledge and belief.

Closed portion means that portion of a facility which an owner or operator has closed in accordance with the approved facility closure plan and all applicable closure requirements. (See also “active portion” and “inactive portion”.)

Component means either the tank or ancillary equipment of a tank system.

Confined aquifer means an aquifer bounded above and below by impermeable beds or by beds of distinctly lower permeability than that of the aquifer itself; an aquifer containing confined ground water.

Contained means held in a unit (including a land-based unit as defined in this subpart) that meets the following criteria:

(1) The unit is in good condition, with no leaks or other continuing or intermittent unpermitted releases of the hazardous secondary materials to the environment, and is designed, as appropriate for the hazardous secondary materials, to prevent releases of hazardous secondary materials to the environment. Unpermitted releases are releases that are not covered by a permit (such as a permit to discharge to water or air) and may include, but are not limited to, releases through surface transport by precipitation runoff, releases to soil and groundwater, wind-blown dust, fugitive air emissions, and catastrophic unit failures;

(2) The unit is properly labeled or otherwise has a system (such as a log) to immediately identify the hazardous secondary materials in the unit; and

(3) The unit holds hazardous secondary materials that are compatible with other hazardous secondary materials placed in the unit and is compatible with the materials used to construct the unit and addresses any potential risks of fires or explosions.

(4) Hazardous secondary materials in units that meet the applicable requirements of 40 CFR parts 264 or 265 are presumptively contained.

Container means any portable device in which a material is stored, transported, treated, disposed of, or otherwise handled.

Containment building means a hazardous waste management unit that is used to store or treat hazardous waste under the provisions of subpart DD of parts 264 or 265 of this chapter.

Contingency plan means a document setting out an organized, planned, and coordinated course of action to be followed in case of a fire, explosion, or release of hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents which could threaten human health or the environment.

Corrosion expert means a person who, by reason of his knowledge of the physical sciences and the principles of engineering and mathematics, acquired by a professional education and related practical experience, is qualified to engage in the practice of corrosion control on buried or submerged metal piping systems and metal tanks. Such a person must be certified as being qualified by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) or be a registered professional engineer who has certification or licensing that includes education and experience in corrosion control on buried or submerged metal piping systems and metal tanks.

CRT collector means a person who receives used, intact CRTs for recycling, repair, resale, or donation.

CRT exporter means any person in the United States who initiates a transaction to send used CRTs outside the United States or its territories for recycling or reuse, or any intermediary in the United States arranging for such export.

CRT glass manufacturer means an operation or part of an operation that uses a furnace to manufacture CRT glass.

CRT processing means conducting all of the following activities:

(1) Receiving broken or intact CRTs; and

(2) Intentionally breaking intact CRTs or further breaking or separating broken CRTs; and

(3) Sorting or otherwise managing glass removed from CRT monitors.

Designated facility means:

(1) A hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facility which:

(i) Has received a permit (or interim status) in accordance with the requirements of parts 270 and 124 of this chapter;

(ii) Has received a permit (or interim status) from a State authorized in accordance with part 271 of this chapter; or

(iii) Is regulated under § 261.6(c)(2) or subpart F of part 266 of this chapter; and

(iv) That has been designated on the manifest by the generator pursuant to § 262.20.

(2) Designated facility also means a generator site designated on the manifest to receive its waste as a return shipment from a facility that has rejected the waste in accordance with § 264.72(f) or § 265.72(f) of this chapter.

(3) If a waste is destined to a facility in an authorized State which has not yet obtained authorization to regulate that particular waste as hazardous, then the designated facility must be a facility allowed by the receiving State to accept such waste.

Destination facility means a facility that treats, disposes of, or recycles a particular category of universal waste, except those management activities described in paragraphs (a) and (c) of §§ 273.13 and 273.33 of this chapter. A facility at which a particular category of universal waste is only accumulated, is not a destination facility for purposes of managing that category of universal waste.

Dike means an embankment or ridge of either natural or man-made materials used to prevent the movement of liquids, sludges, solids, or other materials.

Dioxins and furans (D/F) means tetra, penta, hexa, hepta, and octa-chlorinated dibenzo dioxins and furans.

Discharge or hazardous waste discharge means the accidental or intentional spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, or dumping of hazardous waste into or on any land or water.

Disposal means the discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking, or placing of any solid waste or hazardous waste into or on any land or water so that such solid waste or hazardous waste or any constituent thereof may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including ground waters.

Disposal facility means a facility or part of a facility at which hazardous waste is intentionally placed into or on any land or water, and at which waste will remain after closure. The term disposal facility does not include a corrective action management unit into which remediation wastes are placed.

Drip pad is an engineered structure consisting of a curbed, free-draining base, constructed of non-earthen materials and designed to convey preservative kick-back or drippage from treated wood, precipitation, and surface water run-on to an associated collection system at wood preserving plants.

Electronic import-export reporting compliance date means the date that EPA announces in the Federal Register, on or after which exporters, importers, and receiving facilities are required to submit certain export and import related documents to EPA using EPA's Waste Import Export Tracking System, or its successor system.

Electronic manifest (or e-Manifest) means the electronic format of the hazardous waste manifest that is obtained from EPA's national e-Manifest system and transmitted electronically to the system, and that is the legal equivalent of EPA Forms 8700-22 (Manifest) and 8700-22A (Continuation Sheet).

Electronic Manifest System (or e-Manifest System) means EPA's national information technology system through which the electronic manifest may be obtained, completed, transmitted, and distributed to users of the electronic manifest and to regulatory agencies.

Elementary neutralization unit means a device which:

(1) Is used for neutralizing wastes that are hazardous only because they exhibit the corrosivity characteristic defined in § 261.22 of this chapter, or they are listed in subpart D of part 261 of the chapter only for this reason; and

(2) Meets the definition of tank, tank system, container, transport vehicle, or vessel in § 260.10 of this chapter.

EPA hazardous waste number means the number assigned by EPA to each hazardous waste listed in part 261, subpart D, of this chapter and to each characteristic identified in part 261, subpart C, of this chapter.

EPA identification number means the number assigned by EPA to each generator, transporter, and treatment, storage, or disposal facility.

EPA region means the states and territories found in any one of the following ten regions:

Region I—Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Region II—New York, New Jersey, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Region III—Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Region IV—Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. Region V—Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Region VI—New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. Region VII—Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa. Region VIII—Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Colorado. Region IX—California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Region X—Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska.

Equivalent method means any testing or analytical method approved by the Administrator under §§ 260.20 and 260.21.

Existing hazardous waste management (HWM) facility or existing facility means a facility which was in operation or for which construction commenced on or before November 19, 1980. A facility has commenced construction if:

(1) The owner or operator has obtained the Federal, State and local approvals or permits necessary to begin physical construction; and either

(2)(i) A continuous on-site, physical construction program has begun; or

(ii) The owner or operator has entered into contractual obligations—which cannot be cancelled or modified without substantial loss—for physical construction of the facility to be completed within a reasonable time.

Existing portion means that land surface area of an existing waste management unit, included in the original Part A permit application, on which wastes have been placed prior to the issuance of a permit.

Existing tank system or existing component means a tank system or component that is used for the storage or treatment of hazardous waste and that is in operation, or for which installation has commenced on or prior to July 14, 1986. Installation will be considered to have commenced if the owner or operator has obtained all Federal, State, and local approvals or permits necessary to begin physical construction of the site or installation of the tank system and if either (1) a continuous on-site physical construction or installation program has begun, or (2) the owner or operator has entered into contractual obligations—which cannot be canceled or modified without substantial loss—for physical construction of the site or installation of the tank system to be completed within a reasonable time.

Explosives or munitions emergency means a situation involving the suspected or detected presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO), damaged or deteriorated explosives or munitions, an improvised explosive device (IED), other potentially explosive material or device, or other potentially harmful military chemical munitions or device, that creates an actual or potential imminent threat to human health, including safety, or the environment, including property, as determined by an explosives or munitions emergency response specialist. Such situations may require immediate and expeditious action by an explosives or munitions emergency response specialist to control, mitigate, or eliminate the threat.

Explosives or munitions emergency response means all immediate response activities by an explosives and munitions emergency response specialist to control, mitigate, or eliminate the actual or potential threat encountered during an explosives or munitions emergency. An explosives or munitions emergency response may include in-place render-safe procedures, treatment or destruction of the explosives or munitions and/or transporting those items to another location to be rendered safe, treated, or destroyed. Any reasonable delay in the completion of an explosives or munitions emergency response caused by a necessary, unforeseen, or uncontrollable circumstance will not terminate the explosives or munitions emergency. Explosives and munitions emergency responses can occur on either public or private lands and are not limited to responses at RCRA facilities.

Explosives or munitions emergency response specialist means an individual trained in chemical or conventional munitions or explosives handling, transportation, render-safe procedures, or destruction techniques. Explosives or munitions emergency response specialists include Department of Defense (DOD) emergency explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), technical escort unit (TEU), and DOD-certified civilian or contractor personnel; and other Federal, State, or local government, or civilian personnel similarly trained in explosives or munitions emergency responses.

Facility means:

(1) All contiguous land, and structures, other appurtenances, and improvements on the land, used for treating, storing, or disposing of hazardous waste, or for managing hazardous secondary materials prior to reclamation. A facility may consist of several treatment, storage, or disposal operational units (e.g., one or more landfills, surface impoundments, or combinations of them).

(2) For the purpose of implementing corrective action under 40 CFR 264.101 or 267.101, all contiguous property under the control of the owner or operator seeking a permit under Subtitle C of RCRA. This definition also applies to facilities implementing corrective action under RCRA Section 3008(h).

(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (2) of this definition, a remediation waste management site is not a facility that is subject to 40 CFR 264.101, but is subject to corrective action requirements if the site is located within such a facility.

Federal agency means any department, agency, or other instrumentality of the Federal Government, any independent agency or establishment of the Federal Government including any Government corporation, and the Government Printing Office.

Federal, State and local approvals or permits necessary to begin physical construction means permits and approvals required under Federal, State or local hazardous waste control statutes, regulations or ordinances.

Final closure means the closure of all hazardous waste management units at the facility in accordance with all applicable closure requirements so that hazardous waste management activities under parts 264 and 265 of this chapter are no longer conducted at the facility unless subject to the provisions in §§ 262.16 and 262.17.

Food-chain crops means tobacco, crops grown for human consumption, and crops grown for feed for animals whose products are consumed by humans.

Free liquids means liquids which readily separate from the solid portion of a waste under ambient temperature and pressure.

Freeboard means the vertical distance between the top of a tank or surface impoundment dike, and the surface of the waste contained therein.

Generator means any person, by site, whose act or process produces hazardous waste identified or listed in part 261 of this chapter or whose act first causes a hazardous waste to become subject to regulation.

Ground water means water below the land surface in a zone of saturation.

Hazardous secondary material means a secondary material (e.g., spent material, by-product, or sludge) that, when discarded, would be identified as hazardous waste under part 261 of this chapter.

Hazardous secondary material generator means any person whose act or process produces hazardous secondary materials at the generating facility. For purposes of this paragraph, “generating facility” means all contiguous property owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by the hazardous secondary material generator. For the purposes of § 261.2(a)(2)(ii) and § 261.4(a)(23), a facility that collects hazardous secondary materials from other persons is not the hazardous secondary material generator.

Hazardous waste means a hazardous waste as defined in § 261.3 of this chapter.

Hazardous waste constituent means a constituent that caused the Administrator to list the hazardous waste in part 261, subpart D, of this chapter, or a constituent listed in table 1 of § 261.24 of this chapter.

Hazardous waste management unit is a contiguous area of land on or in which hazardous waste is placed, or the largest area in which there is significant likelihood of mixing hazardous waste constituents in the same area. Examples of hazardous waste management units include a surface impoundment, a waste pile, a land treatment area, a landfill cell, an incinerator, a tank and its associated piping and underlying containment system and a container storage area. A container alone does not constitute a unit; the unit includes containers and the land or pad upon which they are placed.

In operation refers to a facility which is treating, storing, or disposing of hazardous waste.

Inactive portion means that portion of a facility which is not operated after the effective date of part 261 of this chapter. (See also “active portion” and “closed portion”.)

Incinerator means any enclosed device that:

(1) Uses controlled flame combustion and neither meets the criteria for classification as a boiler, sludge dryer, or carbon regeneration unit, nor is listed as an industrial furnace; or

(2) Meets the definition of infrared incinerator or plasma arc incinerator.

Incompatible waste means a hazardous waste which is unsuitable for:

(1) Placement in a particular device or facility because it may cause corrosion or decay of containment materials (e.g., container inner liners or tank walls); or

(2) Commingling with another waste or material under uncontrolled conditions because the commingling might produce heat or pressure, fire or explosion, violent reaction, toxic dusts, mists, fumes, or gases, or flammable fumes or gases.

(See appendix V of parts 264 and 265 of this chapter for examples.)

Individual generation site means the contiguous site at or on which one or more hazardous wastes are generated. An individual generation site, such as a large manufacturing plant, may have one or more sources of hazardous waste but is considered a single or individual generation site if the site or property is contiguous.

Industrial furnace means any of the following enclosed devices that are integral components of manufacturing processes and that use thermal treatment to accomplish recovery of materials or energy:

(1) Cement kilns

(2) Lime kilns

(3) Aggregate kilns

(4) Phosphate kilns

(5) Coke ovens

(6) Blast furnaces

(7) Smelting, melting and refining furnaces (including pyrometallurgical devices such as cupolas, reverberator furnaces, sintering machine, roasters, and foundry furnaces)

(8) Titanium dioxide chloride process oxidation reactors

(9) Methane reforming furnaces

(10) Pulping liquor recovery furnaces

(11) Combustion devices used in the recovery of sulfur values from spent sulfuric acid

(12) Halogen acid furnaces (HAFs) for the production of acid from halogenated hazardous waste generated by chemical production facilities where the furnace is located on the site of a chemical production facility, the acid product has a halogen acid content of at least 3%, the acid product is used in a manufacturing process, and, except for hazardous waste burned as fuel, hazardous waste fed to the furnace has a minimum halogen content of 20% as-generated.

(13) Such other devices as the Administrator may, after notice and comment, add to this list on the basis of one or more of the following factors:

(i) The design and use of the device primarily to accomplish recovery of material products;

(ii) The use of the device to burn or reduce raw materials to make a material product;

(iii) The use of the device to burn or reduce secondary materials as effective substitutes for raw materials, in processes using raw materials as principal feedstocks;

(iv) The use of the device to burn or reduce secondary materials as ingredients in an industrial process to make a material product;

(v) The use of the device in common industrial practice to produce a material product; and

(vi) Other factors, as appropriate.

Infrared incinerator means any enclosed device that uses electric powered resistance heaters as a source of radiant heat followed by an afterburner using controlled flame combustion and which is not listed as an industrial furnace.

Inground tank means a device meeting the definition of “tank” in § 260.10 whereby a portion of the tank wall is situated to any degree within the ground, thereby preventing visual inspection of that external surface area of the tank that is in the ground.

Injection well means a well into which fluids are injected. (See also “underground injection”.)

Inner liner means a continuous layer of material placed inside a tank or container which protects the construction materials of the tank or container from the contained waste or reagents used to treat the waste.

Installation inspector means a person who, by reason of his knowledge of the physical sciences and the principles of engineering, acquired by a professional education and related practical experience, is qualified to supervise the installation of tank systems.

Intermediate facility means any facility that stores hazardous secondary materials for more than 10 days, other than a hazardous secondary material generator or reclaimer of such material.

International shipment means the transportation of hazardous waste into or out of the jurisdiction of the United States.

Lamp, also referred to as “universal waste lamp”, is defined as the bulb or tube portion of an electric lighting device. A lamp is specifically designed to produce radiant energy, most often in the ultraviolet, visible, and infra-red regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Examples of common universal waste electric lamps include, but are not limited to, fluorescent, high intensity discharge, neon, mercury vapor, high pressure sodium, and metal halide lamps.

Land-based unit means an area where hazardous secondary materials are placed in or on the land before recycling. This definition does not include land-based production units.

Landfill means a disposal facility or part of a facility where hazardous waste is placed in or on land and which is not a pile, a land treatment facility, a surface impoundment, an underground injection well, a salt dome formation, a salt bed formation, an underground mine, a cave, or a corrective action management unit.

Landfill cell means a discrete volume of a hazardous waste landfill which uses a liner to provide isolation of wastes from adjacent cells or wastes. Examples of landfill cells are trenches and pits.

Land treatment facility means a facility or part of a facility at which hazardous waste is applied onto or incorporated into the soil surface; such facilities are disposal facilities if the waste will remain after closure.

Large quantity generator is a generator who generates any of the following amounts in a calendar month:

(1) Greater than or equal to 1,000 kilograms (2200 lbs) of non-acute hazardous waste; or

(2) Greater than 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) of acute hazardous waste listed in § 261.31 or § 261.33(e) of this chapter; or

(3) Greater than 100 kilograms (220 lbs) of any residue or contaminated soil, water, or other debris resulting from the cleanup of a spill, into or on any land or water, of any acute hazardous waste listed in § 261.31 or § 261.33(e) of this chapter.

Leachate means any liquid, including any suspended components in the liquid, that has percolated through or drained from hazardous waste.

Leak-detection system means a system capable of detecting the failure of either the primary or secondary containment structure or the presence of a release of hazardous waste or accumulated liquid in the secondary containment structure. Such a system must employ operational controls (e.g., daily visual inspections for releases into the secondary containment system of aboveground tanks) or consist of an interstitial monitoring device designed to detect continuously and automatically the failure of the primary or secondary containment structure or the presence of a release of hazardous waste into the secondary containment structure.

Liner means a continuous layer of natural or man-made materials, beneath or on the sides of a surface impoundment, landfill, or landfill cell, which restricts the downward or lateral escape of hazardous waste, hazardous waste constituents, or leachate.

Management or hazardous waste management means the systematic control of the collection, source separation, storage, transportation, processing, treatment, recovery, and disposal of hazardous waste.

Manifest means the shipping document EPA Form 8700-22 (including, if necessary, EPA Form 8700-22A), or the electronic manifest, originated and signed in accordance with the applicable requirements of parts 262 through 265 of this chapter.

Manifest tracking number means: The alphanumeric identification number (i.e., a unique three letter suffix preceded by nine numerical digits), which is pre-printed in Item 4 of the Manifest by a registered source.

Mercury-containing equipment means a device or part of a device (including thermostats, but excluding batteries and lamps) that contains elemental mercury integral to its function.

Military munitions means all ammunition products and components produced or used by or for the U.S. Department of Defense or the U.S. Armed Services for national defense and security, including military munitions under the control of the Department of Defense, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and National Guard personnel. The term military munitions includes: confined gaseous, liquid, and solid propellants, explosives, pyrotechnics, chemical and riot control agents, smokes, and incendiaries used by DOD components, including bulk explosives and chemical warfare agents, chemical munitions, rockets, guided and ballistic missiles, bombs, warheads, mortar rounds, artillery ammunition, small arms ammunition, grenades, mines, torpedoes, depth charges, cluster munitions and dispensers, demolition charges, and devices and components thereof. Military munitions do not include wholly inert items, improvised explosive devices, and nuclear weapons, nuclear devices, and nuclear components thereof. However, the term does include non-nuclear components of nuclear devices, managed under DOE's nuclear weapons program after all required sanitization operations under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, have been completed.

Mining overburden returned to the mine site means any material overlying an economic mineral deposit which is removed to gain access to that deposit and is then used for reclamation of a surface mine.

Miscellaneous unit means a hazardous waste management unit where hazardous waste is treated, stored, or disposed of and that is not a container, tank, surface impoundment, pile, land treatment unit, landfill, incinerator, boiler, industrial furnace, underground injection well with appropriate technical standards under part 146 of this chapter, containment building, corrective action management unit, unit eligible for a research, development, and demonstration permit under 40 CFR 270.65, or staging pile.

Movement means that hazardous waste transported to a facility in an individual vehicle.

New hazardous waste management facility or new facility means a facility which began operation, or for which construction commenced after November 19, 1980. (See also “Existing hazardous waste management facility”.)

New tank system or new tank component means a tank system or component that will be used for the storage or treatment of hazardous waste and for which installation has commenced after July 14, 1986; except, however, for purposes of § 264.193(g)(2) and § 265.193(g)(2), a new tank system is one for which construction commences after July 14, 1986. (See also “existing tank system.”)

No free liquids, as used in 40 CFR 261.4(a)(26) and 40 CFR 261.4(b)(18), means that solvent-contaminated wipes may not contain free liquids as determined by Method 9095B (Paint Filter Liquids Test), included in “Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods” (EPA Publication SW-846), which is incorporated by reference, and that there is no free liquid in the container holding the wipes. No free liquids may also be determined using another standard or test method as defined by an authorized state.

Non-acute hazardous waste means all hazardous wastes that are not acute hazardous waste, as defined in this section.

On ground tank means a device meeting the definition of “tank” in § 260.10 and that is situated in such a way that the bottom of the tank is on the same level as the adjacent surrounding surface so that the external tank bottom cannot be visually inspected.

On-site means the same or geographically contiguous property which may be divided by public or private right-of-way, provided the entrance and exit between the properties is at a cross-roads intersection, and access is by crossing as opposed to going along, the right-of-way. Non-contiguous properties owned by the same person but connected by a right-of-way which he controls and to which the public does not have access, is also considered on-site property.

Open burning means the combustion of any material without the following characteristics:

(1) Control of combustion air to maintain adequate temperature for efficient combustion,

(2) Containment of the combustion-reaction in an enclosed device to provide sufficient residence time and mixing for complete combustion, and

(3) Control of emission of the gaseous combustion products.

(See also “incineration” and “thermal treatment”.)

Operator means the person responsible for the overall operation of a facility.

Owner means the person who owns a facility or part of a facility.

Partial closure means the closure of a hazardous waste management unit in accordance with the applicable closure requirements of parts 264 and 265 of this chapter at a facility that contains other active hazardous waste management units. For example, partial closure may include the closure of a tank (including its associated piping and underlying containment systems), landfill cell, surface impoundment, waste pile, or other hazardous waste management unit, while other units of the same facility continue to operate.

Person means an individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, Federal Agency, corporation (including a government corporation), partnership, association, State, municipality, commission, political subdivision of a State, or any interstate body.

Personnel or facility personnel means all persons who work at, or oversee the operations of, a hazardous waste facility, and whose actions or failure to act may result in noncompliance with the requirements of part 264 or 265 of this chapter.

Pesticide means any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest, or intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant, other than any article that:

(1) Is a new animal drug under FFDCA section 201(w), or

(2) Is an animal drug that has been determined by regulation of the Secretary of Health and Human Services not to be a new animal drug, or

(3) Is an animal feed under FFDCA section 201(x) that bears or contains any substances described by paragraph (1) or (2) of this definition.

Pile means any non-containerized accumulation of solid, nonflowing hazardous waste that is used for treatment or storage and that is not a containment building.

Plasma arc incinerator means any enclosed device using a high intensity electrical discharge or arc as a source of heat followed by an afterburner using controlled flame combustion and which is not listed as an industrial furnace.

Point source means any discernible, confined, and discrete conveyance, including, but not limited to any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding operation, or vessel or other floating craft, from which pollutants are or may be discharged. This term does not include return flows from irrigated agriculture.

Publicly owned treatment works or POTW means any device or system used in the treatment (including recycling and reclamation) of municipal sewage or industrial wastes of a liquid nature which is owned by a “State” or “municipality” (as defined by section 502(4) of the CWA). This definition includes sewers, pipes, or other conveyances only if they convey wastewater to a POTW providing treatment.

Qualified Ground-Water Scientist means a scientist or engineer who has received a baccalaureate or post-graduate degree in the natural sciences or engineering, and has sufficient training and experience in ground-water hydrology and related fields as may be demonstrated by state registration, professional certifications, or completion of accredited university courses that enable that individual to make sound professional judgements regarding ground-water monitoring and contaminant fate and transport.

Recognized trader means a person domiciled in the United States, by site of business, who acts to arrange and facilitate transboundary movements of wastes destined for recovery or disposal operations, either by purchasing from and subsequently selling to United States and foreign facilities, or by acting under arrangements with a United States waste facility to arrange for the export or import of the wastes.

Regional Administrator means the Regional Administrator for the EPA Region in which the facility is located, or his designee.

Remanufacturing means processing a higher-value hazardous secondary material in order to manufacture a product that serves a similar functional purpose as the original commercial-grade material. For the purpose of this definition, a hazardous secondary material is considered higher-value if it was generated from the use of a commercial-grade material in a manufacturing process and can be remanufactured into a similar commercial-grade material.

Remediation waste means all solid and hazardous wastes, and all media (including ground water, surface water, soils, and sediments) and debris, that are managed for implementing cleanup.

Remediation waste management site means a facility where an owner or operator is or will be treating, storing or disposing of hazardous remediation wastes. A remediation waste management site is not a facility that is subject to corrective action under 40 CFR 264.101, but is subject to corrective action requirements if the site is located in such a facility.

Replacement unit means a landfill, surface impoundment, or waste pile unit (1) from which all or substantially all of the waste is removed, and (2) that is subsequently reused to treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste. “Replacement unit” does not apply to a unit from which waste is removed during closure, if the subsequent reuse solely involves the disposal of waste from that unit and other closing units or corrective action areas at the facility, in accordance with an approved closure plan or EPA or State approved corrective action.

Representative sample means a sample of a universe or whole (e.g., waste pile, lagoon, ground water) which can be expected to exhibit the average properties of the universe or whole.

Run-off means any rainwater, leachate, or other liquid that drains over land from any part of a facility.

Run-on means any rainwater, leachate, or other liquid that drains over land onto any part of a facility.

Saturated zone or zone of saturation means that part of the earth's crust in which all voids are filled with water.

Sludge means any solid, semi-solid, or liquid waste generated from a municipal, commercial, or industrial wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility exclusive of the treated effluent from a wastewater treatment plant.

Sludge dryer means any enclosed thermal treatment device that is used to dehydrate sludge and that has a maximum total thermal input, excluding the heating value of the sludge itself, of 2,500 Btu/lb of sludge treated on a wet-weight basis.

Small quantity generator is a generator who generates the following amounts in a calendar month:

(1) Greater than 100 kilograms (220 lbs) but less than 1,000 kilograms (2200 lbs) of non-acute hazardous waste; and

(2) Less than or equal to 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) of acute hazardous waste listed in § 261.31 or § 261.33(e) of this chapter; and

(3) Less than or equal to 100 kilograms (220 lbs) of any residue or contaminated soil, water, or other debris resulting from the cleanup of a spill, into or on any land or water, of any acute hazardous waste listed in § 261.31 or § 261.33(e) of this chapter.

Solid waste means a solid waste as defined in § 261.2 of this chapter.

Solvent-contaminated wipe means—

(1) A wipe that, after use or after cleaning up a spill, either:

(i) Contains one or more of the F001 through F005 solvents listed in 40 CFR 261.31 or the corresponding P- or U- listed solvents found in 40 CFR 261.33;

(ii) Exhibits a hazardous characteristic found in 40 CFR part 261 subpart C when that characteristic results from a solvent listed in 40 CFR part 261; and/or

(iii) Exhibits only the hazardous waste characteristic of ignitability found in 40 CFR 261.21 due to the presence of one or more solvents that are not listed in 40 CFR part 261.

(2) Solvent-contaminated wipes that contain listed hazardous waste other than solvents, or exhibit the characteristic of toxicity, corrosivity, or reactivity due to contaminants other than solvents, are not eligible for the exclusions at 40 CFR 261.4(a)(26) and 40 CFR 261.4(b)(18).

Sorbent means a material that is used to soak up free liquids by either adsorption or absorption, or both. Sorb means to either adsorb or absorb, or both.

Staging pile means an accumulation of solid, non-flowing remediation waste (as defined in this section) that is not a containment building and that is used only during remedial operations for temporary storage at a facility. Staging piles must be designated by the Director according to the requirements of 40 CFR 264.554.

State means any of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Storage means the holding of hazardous waste for a temporary period, at the end of which the hazardous waste is treated, disposed of, or stored elsewhere.

Sump means any pit or reservoir that meets the definition of tank and those troughs/trenches connected to it that serve to collect hazardous waste for transport to hazardous waste storage, treatment, or disposal facilities; except that as used in the landfill, surface impoundment, and waste pile rules, “sump” means any lined pit or reservoir that serves to collect liquids drained from a leachate collection and removal system or leak detection system for subsequent removal from the system.

Surface impoundment or impoundment means a facility or part of a facility which is a natural topographic depression, man-made excavation, or diked area formed primarily of earthen materials (although it may be lined with man-made materials), which is designed to hold an accumulation of liquid wastes or wastes containing free liquids, and which is not an injection well. Examples of surface impoundments are holding, storage, settling, and aeration pits, ponds, and lagoons.

Tank means a stationary device, designed to contain an accumulation of hazardous waste which is constructed primarily of non-earthen materials (e.g., wood, concrete, steel, plastic) which provide structural support.

Tank system means a hazardous waste storage or treatment tank and its associated ancillary equipment and containment system.

TEQ means toxicity equivalence, the international method of relating the toxicity of various dioxin/furan congeners to the toxicity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.

Thermal treatment means the treatment of hazardous waste in a device which uses elevated temperatures as the primary means to change the chemical, physical, or biological character or composition of the hazardous waste. Examples of thermal treatment processes are incineration, molten salt, pyrolysis, calcination, wet air oxidation, and microwave discharge. (See also “incinerator” and “open burning”.)

Thermostat means a temperature control device that contains metallic mercury in an ampule attached to a bimetal sensing element, and mercury-containing ampules that have been removed from these temperature control devices in compliance with the requirements of 40 CFR 273.13(c)(2) or 273.33(c)(2).

Totally enclosed treatment facility means a facility for the treatment of hazardous waste which is directly connected to an industrial production process and which is constructed and operated in a manner which prevents the release of any hazardous waste or any constituent thereof into the environment during treatment. An example is a pipe in which waste acid is neutralized.

Transfer facility means any transportation-related facility, including loading docks, parking areas, storage areas and other similar areas where shipments of hazardous waste or hazardous secondary materials are held during the normal course of transportation.

Transport vehicle means a motor vehicle or rail car used for the transportation of cargo by any mode. Each cargo-carrying body (trailer, railroad freight car, etc.) is a separate transport vehicle.

Transportation means the movement of hazardous waste by air, rail, highway, or water.

Transporter means a person engaged in the offsite transportation of hazardous waste by air, rail, highway, or water.

Treatability study means a study in which a hazardous waste is subjected to a treatment process to determine: (1) Whether the waste is amenable to the treatment process, (2) what pretreatment (if any) is required, (3) the optimal process conditions needed to achieve the desired treatment, (4) the efficiency of a treatment process for a specific waste or wastes, or (5) the characteristics and volumes of residuals from a particular treatment process. Also included in this definition for the purpose of the § 261.4 (e) and (f) exemptions are liner compatibility, corrosion, and other material compatibility studies and toxicological and health effects studies. A “treatability study” is not a means to commercially treat or dispose of hazardous waste.

Treatment means any method, technique, or process, including neutralization, designed to change the physical, chemical, or biological character or composition of any hazardous waste so as to neutralize such waste, or so as to recover energy or material resources from the waste, or so as to render such waste non-hazardous, or less hazardous; safer to transport, store, or dispose of; or amenable for recovery, amenable for storage, or reduced in volume.

Treatment zone means a soil area of the unsaturated zone of a land treatment unit within which hazardous constituents are degraded, transformed, or immobilized.

Underground injection means the subsurface emplacement of fluids through a bored, drilled or driven well; or through a dug well, where the depth of the dug well is greater than the largest surface dimension. (See also “injection well”.)

Underground tank means a device meeting the definition of “tank” in § 260.10 whose entire surface area is totally below the surface of and covered by the ground.

Unfit-for use tank system means a tank system that has been determined through an integrity assessment or other inspection to be no longer capable of storing or treating hazardous waste without posing a threat of release of hazardous waste to the environment.

United States means the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Universal waste means any of the following hazardous wastes that are managed under the universal waste requirements of part 273 of this chapter:

(1) Batteries as described in § 273.2 of this chapter;

(2) Pesticides as described in § 273.3 of this chapter;

(3) Mercury-containing equipment as described in § 273.4 of this chapter;

(4) Lamps as described in § 273.5 of this chapter; and

(5) Aerosol cans as described in § 273.6 of this chapter.

Universal waste handler:

(1) Means:

(i) A generator (as defined in this section) of universal waste; or

(ii) The owner or operator of a facility, including all contiguous property, that receives universal waste from other universal waste handlers, accumulates universal waste, and sends universal waste to another universal waste handler, to a destination facility, or to a foreign destination.

(2) Does not mean:

(i) A person who treats (except under the provisions of 40 CFR 273.13(a) or (c), or 40 CFR 273.33(a) or (c)), disposes of, or recycles (except under the provisions of 40 CFR 273.13(e) or 40 CFR 273.33(e)) universal waste; or

(ii) A person engaged in the off-site transportation of universal waste by air, rail, highway, or water, including a universal waste transfer facility.

Universal waste transporter means a person engaged in the off-site transportation of universal waste by air, rail, highway, or water.

Unsaturated zone or zone of aeration means the zone between the land surface and the water table.

Uppermost aquifer means the geologic formation nearest the natural ground surface that is an aquifer, as well as lower aquifers that are hydraulically interconnected with this aquifer within the facility's property boundary.

Used oil means any oil that has been refined from crude oil, or any synthetic oil, that has been used and as a result of such use is contaminated by physical or chemical impurities.

User of the electronic manifest system means a hazardous waste generator, a hazardous waste transporter, an owner or operator of a hazardous waste treatment, storage, recycling, or disposal facility, or any other person that:

(1) Is required to use a manifest to comply with:

(i) Any federal or state requirement to track the shipment, transportation, and receipt of hazardous waste or other waste material that is shipped from the site of generation to an off-site designated facility for treatment, storage, recycling, or disposal; or

(ii) Any federal or state requirement to track the shipment, transportation, and receipt of rejected wastes or regulated container residues that are shipped from a designated facility to an alternative facility, or returned to the generator; and

(2) Elects to use the system to obtain, complete and transmit an electronic manifest format supplied by the EPA electronic manifest system, or

(3) Elects to use the paper manifest form and submits to the system for data processing purposes a paper copy of the manifest (or data from such a paper copy), in accordance with § 264.71(a)(2)(v) or § 265.71(a)(2)(v) of this chapter. These paper copies are submitted for data exchange purposes only and are not the official copies of record for legal purposes.

Very small quantity generator is a generator who generates less than or equal to the following amounts in a calendar month:

(1) 100 kilograms (220 lbs) of non-acute hazardous waste; and

(2) 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) of acute hazardous waste listed in § 261.31 or § 261.33(e) of this chapter; and

(3) 100 kilograms (220 lbs) of any residue or contaminated soil, water, or other debris resulting from the cleanup of a spill, into or on any land or water, of any acute hazardous waste listed in § 261.31 or § 261.33(e) of this chapter.

Vessel includes every description of watercraft, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on the water.

Wastewater treatment unit means a device which:

(1) Is part of a wastewater treatment facility that is subject to regulation under either section 402 or 307(b) of the Clean Water Act; and

(2) Receives and treats or stores an influent wastewater that is a hazardous waste as defined in § 261.3 of this chapter, or that generates and accumulates a wastewater treatment sludge that is a hazardous waste as defined in § 261.3 of this chapter, or treats or stores a wastewater treatment sludge which is a hazardous waste as defined in § 261.3 of this Chapter; and

(3) Meets the definition of tank or tank system in § 260.10 of this chapter.

Water (bulk shipment) means the bulk transportation of hazardous waste which is loaded or carried on board a vessel without containers or labels.

Well means any shaft or pit dug or bored into the earth, generally of a cylindrical form, and often walled with bricks or tubing to prevent the earth from caving in.

Well injection: (See “underground injection”.)

Zone of engineering control means an area under the control of the owner/operator that, upon detection of a hazardous waste release, can be readily cleaned up prior to the release of hazardous waste or hazardous constituents to ground water or surface water.

Wipe means a woven or non-woven shop towel, rag, pad, or swab made of wood pulp, fabric, cotton, polyester blends, or other material.

[45 FR 33073, May 19, 1980] Editorial Note:For Federal Register citations affecting § 260.10, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the printed volume and at www.govinfo.gov.