(Formerly RCRA Corrective Action Program) 

 The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is the primary law governing the disposal of solid and hazardous waste. RCRA was signed into law on October 21, 1976 to address the increasing problems the nation faced from our growing volume of municipal and industrial waste.  In 1984, Congress passed the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments, which granted the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expanded authority to require cleanup at permitted and non-permitted treatment, storage and disposal facilities (TSDFs).  Virginia is authorized to administer its cleanup program in lieu of direct implementation by EPA.

In October 2024, EPA changed the name of its “RCRA Corrective Action Program” to the “Hazardous Waste Cleanup Program.”  This rebranding is intended to increase broad understanding of the purpose of the program. Cleanup (known in the regulations as corrective action) is a requirement of facilities that treat, store or dispose of hazardous wastes to investigate and clean up hazardous releases into soil, ground water, surface water and air.

EPA has established 2030 Vision, Mission and Goals for the Cleanup Program. Cleanups support healthy and sustainable communities, where people and the environment are protected from hazardous contamination. Rather than creating a rigid regulatory framework for hazardous waste cleanup, EPA developed guidance and policy documents to assist facilities conducting cleanups. Some of the resources are broad in scope, while others are more process or media specific.  EPA has also compiled a list of available resources for Hazardous Waste Cleanups.

DEQ works in partnership with EPA to implement the program through hazardous waste management permits, previously negotiated Facility-Lead agreements, and EPA administrative orders. In October 2022, the EPA signed a revised Memorandum of Agreement with DEQ to set forth the manner in which Virginia and EPA will coordinate the state’s Hazardous Waste Program.  The MOA authorized additional authorities including DEQ's Voluntary Remediation Program, Remedy Consent Orders, and other enforcement authorities, such as the Uniform Environmental Covenants Act. A list of Cleanup Program sites in Virginia can be found in the Virginia Hazardous Waste Inventory or by accessing the EPA Contact Information for Corrective Action Hazardous Waste Cleanups webpage.