Trends and Opportunities in Industrial Hazardous Waste Minimization

Abstract

This paper describes trends and opportunities in Resource Conservation and Recovery Act hazardous waste minimization. It uses U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data gathered since 1989 from over 20,000 facilities that account for almost all hazardous waste generated. It first describes trends in facilities' investigation of opportunities for source reduction or recycling, in their new or expanded waste minimization efforts, and in the barriers that these efforts confronted. Next, it describes how frequently facilities implemented 50 types of waste minimization actions. Finally, it provides the typical number of pounds of hazardous waste that were not generated due to each type of waste minimization action. Aside from describing the trends in these areas, these data provide practical guidance on what types of waste minimization actions could be most beneficial for facilities.