Sustainability & Risk / Waste/ Waste - Background Data
Defining your Waste Practices
In order to electronically track and analyze your site's waste output, you must first define the practices of waste storage, measurement, and transport at your site, as well as the parties that generate waste and the type of waste that they generate. With this detailed information defined, you will be able to reference it when tracking specific occurrences of waste at your site.
The Background Data - Waste process provides several tables for defining your waste practices. A facility manager, or other staff versed in the waste practices at your site, should carefully complete these tables. You may need to research certain details of your practices, such as the specific regulations regarding your waste, the containers it is stored in, and its classification numbers and transport requirements. Taking the time to carefully and completely define your conventions will enable you to better track your waste and analyze your efficiency.
For US-based companies, the following sites provide valuable information on US practices; similar sites can be found for non-US companies.
| Documentation | Web Site |
|---|---|
| Electronic Code of Federal Regulations/Title 40/Part 191—Standards for Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, and High-Level Radioactive Wastes | |
| Electronic Code of Federal Regulations/Title 40/Part 262—Standards Applicable to Generators of Hazardous Waste | http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title40/40cfr262_main_02.tpl |
| Electronic Code of Federal Regulations/Title 40/Part 262.34—Standards Applicable to Generators of Hazardous Waste/Satellite Accumulation | http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=8e4e170cdfbd93cb19ab0c208ab67d22&rgn=div5&view=text&node=40:26.0.1.1.3&idno=40#40:26.0.1.1.3.3.1.5 |
| EPA: Hazardous Waste homepage | http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard |
| EPA: Handbook for Hazardous Waste Containers | http://www.epa.gov/region6/6en/h/handbk4.pdf |
| EPA: definition of hazardous waste | http://waste.supportportal.com/link/portal/23002/23023/Article/22091/What-is-a-RCRA-hazardous-waste |
| EPA: Management Method Codes Used with the Hazardous Waste Report | http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/transportation/manifest/pdf/codes.pdf |
| EPA: Frequently Asked Questions about Satellite Accumulation Areas (SAAs) | http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/generation/labwaste/memo-saa.htm |
Reference Data
The HQ sample data for the Waste application contains many examples based on conventions, guidelines, and practices defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Reviewing this data will help you understand the waste management processes.
Additionally, as you complete in your own project database the background data about your waste management practices, you will note that your project database automatically contains many of these same reference records. For example, you will see that the Container Types table includes records for containers that are identified by the same IDs as defined by the EPA. These records are provided as a courtesy to help US companies quickly get started with the Waste application so that they do not need to enter these EPA-based records.
Non-US users can delete these EPA-based records and enter their own data, based on the government regulations to which they must adhere.
Developing Waste Background Data
To define your waste management practices, you will work through tasks of the Waste - Background Data process, which are covered in these topics:
Waste Transporters and Waste Processing Facilities
Waste Categories, Profiles, and Regulated Codes
Satellite Accumulation, Storage, and Tank Areas
Defining Units for the Waste Application (including units for reports)