Liquid Chemical & Hazardous Waste Management

Most harbors generate a variety of hazardous wastes, including solvents, antifreeze, paint chips, batteries, and refrigerants.  Harbor managers are responsible for determining which materials handled at their facilities are subject to hazardous waste regulations and how to dispose of them properly.  It is important to communicate with customers on how they should be disposing of their hazardous wastes as well.  These materials are extremely toxic to humans and to marine life.  We can work together to make it as easy as possible for everyone to dispose of them properly.

Make sure that your customers know where and how they should dispose of their hazardous wastes, both on and off site.  Although your facility may not have a collection area for certain types of wastes, those wastes are still being generated by your customers.  They need to know what to do with it if you don’t want it dumped illegally in your dumpsters, on the ground, or in the harbor itself.  We all are sadly aware of how many used lead-acid batteries are at the bottom of our harbors.

Check out the individual pages for more information on:

Used Batteries
Used Antifreeze
Used Paints, Varnishes, Solvents
Used Zincs
Refrigerants and CFCs

For managing hazardous wastes at your facility, you should ask three questions:

  1. Is the material deemed hazardous under state and federal regulations?
    • Use MSDS sheets and reference materials provided to help determine if your wastes are considered hazardous. This may also require testing for toxicity.
  2. What is your facility’s generator status?
    See EPA’s Generator Summary Chartfor links and more information on the requirements of each class of hazardous waste generator.

    • Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator (CESQG): You generate less than 220 pounds (approximately 26 gallons) per month, accumulate no more than 2,200 pounds of hazardous waste on-site at any given time, and/or you generate less than 2.2 pounds of acutely hazardous wastes per month.
    • Small Quantity Generator (SQG):You generate between 220 and 2,200 pounds of hazardous waste per month. You store less than 13,200 pounds of hazardous waste on site of any time. You generate less than 2.2 pounds of acute hazardous wastes per month and/or store less than 2.2 pounds of acute haz waste on-site at any time.
    • Large Quantity Generator (LQG): You are a large quantity generator if you generate more than 2,200 pounds of hazardous waste per month and/or more than 2.2 pounds of acute hazardous waste per month. You store more than 13,200 pounds of hazardous waste on-site at any time, and/or you store more than 2.2 pounds of acute haz waste on-site at any time.
  3. Which regulations do you need to comply with given the waste type and your generator status?
    This website should only be used as an educational reference and not as legal guidance.

    • Hazardous Waste Generator Requirements [40 CFR 262.34]
    • Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act [40 CFR 355]
    • Hazardous Waste disposal (RCRA) [40 CFR 262.11, 18 AAC 62]
    • Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) [OSHA, 29 USC Section 657]
    • Commercial passenger vessel hazardous waste and hazardous substance offloading plan [18 AAC 69.040]
    • APDES Stormwater Discharge Permit Requirements [40 CFR 122, 18 AAC 72.600]

Universal Waste is covered under Alaska’s Universal Waste Rule, which follows the federal requirements for universal waste handling and disposal [40 CFR 262.1-44, 18 AAC 62.210].

  • Lead-acid and other batteries
  • Electric lamps, including fluorescent & sodium lights
  • Mercury-containing devices, including switches and thermostats

Universal Waste Generator Status

Your facility probably accepts some types of universal waste. You may be categorized as either a Small Quantity Handler of Universal Waste (SQHUW) or a Large Quantity Handler (LQHUW).

SQHUW accumulates less than 11,000 lbs (5,000 kg) of universal waste at any one time.

LQHUW accumulates 11,000 lbs (5,000 kg) or more of universal waste at any one time.

 

Listed Wastes are deemed hazardous by EPA and the state of Alaska. A determination should be done on all accepted wastes to decide whether or not disposal is subject to hazardous waste requirements.

  • F List identifies wastes from certain industrial or manufacturing processes across different sectors. F list wastes are in seven subgroups. Harbors are most likely to run into the first subgroup of these – spent solvents used in cleaning and degreasing. You can find F list wastes at 40 CFR 261.31.
  • K List wastes are particular wastes from certain industries. Most harbors will not generate K List wastes, however these wastes can be found at 40 CFR 261.32.
  • P and U Lists are similar in that both list as hazardous certain commercial chemical prodcuts when they are discarded or intended to be discarded. These include wastes that are defined as being acute hazardous wastes (P list) and toxic hazardous wastes (U list). Certain unused solvents and other toxic chemicals may be generated at your facility and fall under one of these lists. They can be found at 40 CFR 261.33.

Characteristically Hazardous Wastes are those wastes that have any of the following characteristics:

  • Ignitability
  • Corrosivity
  • Reactivity
  • Toxicity

Excluded Wastes are a group of certain solid wastes which EPA has excluded from the definition of hazardous waste. Properly drained oil filters are included in this list. You can find out more about excluded wastes here.

 

 

Liquid Chemical & Hazardous Waste Management Links

Resources from the Solid Waste Alaska Network on options for storage of hazardous wastes
http://www.ccthita-swan.org/Tutorials/storing_hazwaste.cfm

Hazardous Waste Resources from EPA
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/generation/resources.htm