Hazardous Waste

Regulation

Hazardous waste is regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle C. Businesses and other facilities in Virginia are required to comply with hazardous waste regulations prescribed in the Virginia Hazardous Waste Management Regulations, which closely follow federal standards established under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

Facilities that store, treat, and dispose of hazardous wastes require a permit. For more information regarding hazardous waste permits, renewals, and permit modifications, please see "Hazardous Waste Management Facility Permit."

New Hazardous Waste Regulations Adopted by Virginia

DEQ seeks to make hazardous waste generators in Virginia aware of a new rule recently adopted into the Virginia Hazardous Waste Management Regulations (VHWMR) that will affect what requirements generators must comply with in the future. The hazardous waste Generator Improvements Rule (GIR) became effective federally on May 30, 2017, and will become effective in Virginia on April 8, 2018. Virginia adopted EPA’s rule as it was written.

If you are a Hazardous Waste Generator and would like more information regarding the changes and how the Generator Improvements Rule will impact your business, please visit the Generator Improvements Rule page.

Generator Improvements Rule (GIR) Training Follow-up

Thank you to all who participated in DEQ's GIR Webinar or GIR training sessions that were held throughout the state. The amazing turnout consisted of more than 500 participants signed up for the webinar, and more than 500 people attended the in-person training sessions. DEQ was glad to share information about the new requirements, and to answer questions from the regulated community.

DEQ's hazardous waste website pages have been updated to incorporate the GIR requirements including additional guidance pages and documents. DEQ is continuing to update existing guidance and manuals to incorporate the GIR and will make these available as upon completion.

Please feel free to contact DEQ if you have any follow-up questions on the GIR training, any general questions about hazardous waste management in Virginia, or any suggestions for future training topics in which you might be interested.

Training Opportunities

Final Rule for Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals and Amendment to the P075 Listing for Nicotine

The final rule provides tailored and streamlined standards for managing hazardous waste pharmaceuticals that reduce the cost and compliance burden for the healthcare sector, while ensuring the safe management of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals. Additionally, EPA is taking a common-sense regulatory approach to the disposal of FDA-approved over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs - i.e., gums, patches, lozenges), which will no longer be considered hazardous waste when discarded.

For more details, please see the press release: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-streamlines-hazardous-waste-pharmaceuticals-regulations-healthcare-sector

EPA has scheduled three (3) webinars to discuss the contents of the final rule, which are free and open to the public. The webinars will be the same, with a one-hour general presentation about the final rule, followed by a 30-minute question and answer session. You may register for one of the three webinars by clicking on the listed dates below. If you are unable to attend any of the dates listed, you will be able to playback the archive of the February 14th session that will be available by February 19, 2019 through on-demand online. Please note: in the event of an additional lapse in government funding in February, the March deliveries may be postponed as well.

When:

February 14, 2019, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EST
March 4, 2019, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EST
March 13, 2019, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EST

How to Register for the Webinar:

To register to attend one of the webinars, please select from the hyperlinked dates above or to view all dates and details visit EPA's training webpage: https://clu-in.org/conf/tio/HazWastePharmaceuticals/.

Please continue to check this hazardous waste page for future training opportunities.

Topics of Interest in the RCRA Universe

Please use the website links below to access other areas of current interest in the RCRA universe. These links are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only. DEQ bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.

Adding Aerosol Cans to Universal Waste Regulations
E-Manifest
EPA Rulemaking - Dockets, The Basic Regulatory Process
Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals
Modernizing Ignitable Liquids Determination
Vacatur to the Definition of Solid Waste

DEQ Public Notices

Public Calendar

Air Quality Forecasting

Virginia Department of
Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 1105
Richmond, VA 23218
(804) 698-4000

Some resources on this website require Adobe Reader and Flash Player, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel. If you wish to receive this content in an accessible format pursuant to Section 508 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. § 794 (d)), please call 800-592-5482. In addition, this website includes hyperlinks to websites neither controlled nor sponsored by DEQ or the Commonwealth of Virginia. Links may open in a new window. If you wish to receive content from a website which is neither controlled nor sponsored by DEQ or the Commonwealth, please contact the host of that website directly.