Superfund Waste Management

Regulatory Compliance

Waste Management involves a variety of statutory, policy, administrative, and technical factors. Many of the waste requirements applicable at Superfund sites were derived under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) authority. The guidance below includes a wide range of topics including investigation-derived waste management and non-contiguous site waste management as well as the Off-Site Rule.

Remedy Selection Policy and Guidance Documents

Management of Remediation Waste Under RCRA (PDF)(14 pp, 117 K)
- Corresponding Summary Chart (PDF)(5 pp, 53 K)

Consolidates existing guidance on the RCRA regulations and policies that most often affect remediation waste management.

EPA 530-F-98-026, OSWER Memorandum, October 1998

Interim RCRA/CERCLA Guidance on Non-Contiguous Sites and On-Site Management of Waste and Treatment Residue (PDF)(9 pp, 423 K)

Presents interim guidance with respect to combined treatment of CERCLA waste from non-contiguous locations, on-site disposal of treatment residue, limitations on construction of hazardous waste incinerators for on-site CERCLA use, and off-site treatment of waste and redisposal on site.
OSWER 9347.01, NTIS: PB90-274317INZ, March 1986

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Biennial Report Requirements for Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) Response Actions (PDF)(8 pp, 2.1 MB)

This memorandum reaffirms the need for Regions to be aware of Biennial Reporting requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and their applicability to the cleanup process under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as amended. Biennial Reporting requires Superfund sites that are Large Quantity Generators and that ship hazardous waste offsite, to report by March 1 of every even-numbered year, their hazardous waste management activities for the previous odd-numbered calendar year.

December 2011

Contractor Signing of Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifests for Materials Leaving a Superfund Site (PDF)(3 pp, 32 K)

Clarifies the issue of whether or not a remedial action contractor may sign the uniform hazardous waste manifests without changing their generator status.
EPA Memorandum, February 1989

Contractor Signing of Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifests for Materials Leaving a Superfund Site (PDF)(2 pp, 22 K)

Follow-up to the February memorandum pertaining to the signing of hazardous waste manifests. Requires that contracts be amended to allow for contractor signature of manifests and land ban records. [2 pp]
EPA Memorandum, July 1989

§ 300.440 Procedures for planning and implementing off-site response actions (PDF)¹(5 pp, 89 K)

Acts to regulate any remedial or removal action involving the off-site transfer of any CERCLA waste that is conducted by EPA, PRPs, or other federal agency. This newer rule supersedes and replaces any previous rule or policy regarding off-site transport of waste. [5 pp]
Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR 300.440), September 1993

Guide to Discharging CERCLA Aqueous Wastes to Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) (PDF)(5 pp, 104 K)

Provides a quick reference to the statutory, policy, administrative, and technical factors involved in discharging aqueous wastes generated during Superfund response actions to a POTW. It also provides references for more extensive guidance on this topic.
OSWER 9330.2-13FS, NTIS: PB91-921364, March 1991

Guide to Management of Investigation-Derived Wastes (PDF)(7 pp, 65 K)

Presents an overview of possible investigation-derived waste management options, discusses the protectiveness requirements and ARARs associated with these options, and outlines general objectives established for IDW management under Superfund.
OSWER 9345.3-03FS, NTIS: PB92-963353INX, April 1992

Superseded Documents

¹This rule supersedes both:

"Procedures for Implementing Off-Site Response Actions" (November 1987) OSWER Directive 9834.11
AND
"The Off-Site Policy"