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United States Environmental Protection AgencySolid Waste and Emergency Response (5305W)EPA530-K-97-007January 1998www.epa.gov/oswRCRA IN FOCUS: PRINTINGREGULATORY UPDATEREDUCING PRINT SHOP WASTESHOT OFF THE PRESS RESOURCESIN FOCUSCONTENTSFrequently Asked Questions About RCRAThe Life Cycle of a Typical Printing WasteRequirements for Regulated PrintersReduce or Minimize the Hazardous Wastes You GenerateOther Environmental Laws Affecting the Printing IndustryContacts and ResourcesFOR MORE INFORMATION CALL:FOREWORDWhether you are a screen printer, lithographer,flexographer, or other printer, your printing processesprobably generate hazardous waste. That means you areregulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)under a federal law called the Resource Conservation andRecovery Act (RCRA). Under RCRA, you are required to followcertain procedures when generating, storing, transporting,treating, or disposing of hazardous waste. RCRA in Focusprovides an overview of the federal regulations you arerequired to follow and the wastes that are likely to behazardous in your business. It also provides federalrecycling and pollution prevention options to help youdecrease the amount of hazardous waste you generate.FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT RCRA
 
What Is RCRA?RCRA is a federal law that encourages environmentally soundmethods for managing commercial and industrial waste as wellas household and municipal waste. It regulates facilitiesthat generate, transport, treat, store, or dispose ofhazardous waste. The vast majority of printers areconsidered hazardous waste generators, rather thantreatment, storage, and disposal facilities (TSDFs), whichare subject to more rigorous regulations.The term "RCRA" is often used interchangeably to refer tothe law, the regulations, and EPA policy and guidance. Thelaw describes the waste management program mandated byCongress that gave EPA authority to develop the RCRAprogram. EPA regulations carry out the Congressional intentby providing explicit, legally enforceable requirements forwaste management. EPA guidance documents and policydirectives clarify issues related to the implementation ofthe regulations.All the RCRA hazardous waste regulations can be found in theCode of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 40, Parts 260 to279. The CFR can be purchased through the U.S. GovernmentPrinting Office (GPO).Who Is Regulated?Any printer that generates hazardous waste is potentiallysubject to RCRA. You must conduct tests required by theregulations or use your knowledge of and familiarity withthe waste you generate to determine whether it is hazardouswaste (as opposed to other types of waste). You might besubject to substantial civil and criminal penalties if youfail to properly or completely identify hazardous wastegenerated by your business.What Is Hazardous Waste?To be considered hazardous waste, a material first must beclassified as a solid waste. EPA defines solid waste asgarbage, refuse, sludge, or other discarded material(including solids, semisolids, liquids, and containedgaseous materials). If your waste is considered solid waste,you must then determine if it is hazardous waste. Wastes aredefined as hazardous by EPA if they are specifically namedon one of four lists of hazardous wastes (listed wastes), orif they exhibit one of four characteristics (characteristicwastes). Each type of RCRA hazardous waste is given a uniquehazardous waste code using the letters D, F, K, P, or U andthree digits (e.g., D001, F005, or P039). See pages 8 to 10for additional information on printing waste codes.Listed Wastes. Wastes are listed as hazardous because theyare known to be harmful to human health and the environment
 
when not managed properly, regardless of theirconcentrations. The lists include the following three typesof waste:* Non-Specific Source Wastes. These are material-specificwastes, such as solvents, generated by several differentindustries. Waste codes range from F001 to F039.Potential printing wastes include F001 to F005(solvents).* Specific Source Wastes. These are wastes fromspecifically identified industries. Waste codes rangefrom K001 to K161.* Discarded Commercial Chemical Products.Off-specification products, container residuals, spillresidue runoff, or active ingredients that have spilledor are unused and that have been, or are intended to be,discarded. Examples of printing wastes include U019(benzene), U056 (cyclohexane), and U220 (toluene). Wastecodes range from P001 to P205 and U001 to U411.************************************************************STATE REQUIREMENTSYou may be regulated both by your state hazardous wasteagency and EPA. RCRA allows states to receive legalpermission, known as authorization, to implement the RCRAhazardous waste program.You must always contact your state authority to determinewhich state requirements apply to your business. To operatea hazardous waste program, a state's regulations must beconsistent with, and at least as stringent as, the federalprogram. Some states adopt more stringent requirements forfacilities handling hazardous waste, which are consideredpart of the authorized program. ************************************************************Characteristic Wastes. Even if your waste does not appear onone of the hazardous waste lists, it still might beregulated as hazardous waste if it exhibits one or more ofthe following characteristics:* Ignitability. Ignitable wastes create fires undercertain conditions or are spontaneously combustible, andhave a flash point less than 60 degrees Centigrade (140degrees Fahrenheit). Examples include used solvents,which have a waste code of D001.* Corrosivity. Corrosive wastes are acids or bases thatare capable of corroding metal containers, such as
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