(a) This part identifies hazardous wastes that are restricted from land disposal and defines those limited circumstances under which an otherwise prohibited waste may continue to be land disposed.

(b) Except as specifically provided otherwise in this part or part 261 of this chapter, the requirements of this part apply to persons who generate or transport hazardous waste and owners and operators of hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities.

(c) Restricted wastes may continue to be land disposed as follows:

(1) Where persons have been granted an extension to the effective date of a prohibition under subpart C of this part or pursuant to § 268.5, with respect to those wastes covered by the extension;

(2) Where persons have been granted an exemption from a prohibition pursuant to a petition under § 268.6, with respect to those wastes and units covered by the petition;

(3) Wastes that are hazardous only because they exhibit a hazardous characteristic, and which are otherwise prohibited under this part, or part 148 of this chapter, are not prohibited if the wastes:

(i) Are disposed into a nonhazardous or hazardous injection well as defined under 40 CFR 146.6(a); and

(ii) Do not exhibit any prohibited characteristic of hazardous waste identified in 40 CFR part 261, subpart C at the point of injection.

(4) Wastes that are hazardous only because they exhibit a hazardous characteristic, and which are otherwise prohibited under this part, are not prohibited if the wastes meet any of the following criteria, unless the wastes are subject to a specified method of treatment other than DEACT in § 268.40, or are D003 reactive cyanide:

(i) The wastes are managed in a treatment system which subsequently discharges to waters of the U.S. pursuant to a permit issued under section 402 of the Clean Water Act; or

(ii) The wastes are treated for purposes of the pretreatment requirements of section 307 of the Clean Water Act; or

(iii) The wastes are managed in a zero discharge system engaged in Clean Water Act-equivalent treatment as defined in § 268.37(a); and

(iv) The wastes no longer exhibit a prohibited characteristic at the point of land disposal (i.e., placement in a surface impoundment).

(d) The requirements of this part shall not affect the availability of a waiver under section 121(d)(4) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA).

(e) The following hazardous wastes are not subject to any provision of part 268:

(1) Waste generated by very small quantity generators, as defined in § 260.10 of this chapter;

(2) Waste pesticides that a farmer disposes of pursuant to § 262.70;

(3) Wastes identified or listed as hazardous after November 8, 1984 for which EPA has not promulgated land disposal prohibitions or treatment standards;

(4) De minimis losses of characteristic wastes to wastewaters are not considered to be prohibited wastes and are defined as losses from normal material handling operations (e.g. spills from the unloading or transfer of materials from bins or other containers, leaks from pipes, valves or other devices used to transfer materials); minor leaks of process equipment, storage tanks or containers; leaks from well-maintained pump packings and seals; sample purgings; and relief device discharges; discharges from safety showers and rinsing and cleaning of personal safety equipment; rinsate from empty containers or from containers that are rendered empty by that rinsing; and laboratory wastes not exceeding one per cent of the total flow of wastewater into the facility's headworks on an annual basis, or with a combined annualized average concentration not exceeding one part per million in the headworks of the facility's wastewater treatment or pretreatment facility.

(f) Universal waste handlers and universal waste transporters (as defined in 40 CFR 260.10) are exempt from 40 CFR 268.7 and 268.50 for the hazardous wastes listed below. These handlers are subject to regulation under 40 CFR part 273.

(1) Batteries as described in 40 CFR 273.2;

(2) Pesticides as described in § 273.3 of this chapter;

(3) Mercury-containing equipment as described in § 273.4 of this chapter;

(4) Lamps as described in § 273.5 of this chapter; and

(5) Aerosol cans as described in § 273.6 of this chapter.

[51 FR 40638, Nov. 7, 1986; 52 FR 21016, June 4, 1987, as amended at 53 FR 27165, July 19, 1988; 53 FR 31212, Aug. 17, 1988; 54 FR 36970, Sept. 6, 1989; 55 FR 22686, June 1, 1990; 58 FR 29884, May 24, 1993; 59 FR 48043, Sept. 19, 1994; 60 FR 25542, May 11, 1995; 61 FR 15663, Apr. 8, 1996; 61 FR 33682, June 28, 1996; 62 FR 26019, May 12, 1997; 64 FR 36488, July 6, 1999; 70 FR 45520, Aug. 5, 2005; 81 FR 85828, Nov. 28, 2016; 84 FR 67217, Dec. 9, 2019]

When used in this part the following terms have the meanings given below:

(a) Halogenated organic compounds or HOCs means those compounds having a carbon-halogen bond which are listed under appendix III to this part.

(b) Hazardous constituent or constituents means those constituents listed in appendix VIII to part 261 of this chapter.

(c) Land disposal means placement in or on the land, except in a corrective action management unit or staging pile, and includes, but is not limited to, placement in a landfill, surface impoundment, waste pile, injection well, land treatment facility, salt dome formation, salt bed formation, underground mine or cave, or placement in a concrete vault, or bunker intended for disposal purposes.

(d) Nonwastewaters are wastes that do not meet the criteria for wastewaters in paragraph (f) of this section.

(e) Polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs are halogenated organic compounds defined in accordance with 40 CFR 761.3.

(f) Wastewaters are wastes that contain less than 1% by weight total organic carbon (TOC) and less than 1% by weight total suspended solids (TSS).

(g) Debris means solid material exceeding a 60 mm particle size that is intended for disposal and that is: A manufactured object; or plant or animal matter; or natural geologic material. However, the following materials are not debris: any material for which a specific treatment standard is provided in Subpart D, Part 268, namely lead acid batteries, cadmium batteries, and radioactive lead solids; process residuals such as smelter slag and residues from the treatment of waste, wastewater, sludges, or air emission residues; and intact containers of hazardous waste that are not ruptured and that retain at least 75% of their original volume. A mixture of debris that has not been treated to the standards provided by § 268.45 and other material is subject to regulation as debris if the mixture is comprised primarily of debris, by volume, based on visual inspection.

(h) Hazardous debris means debris that contains a hazardous waste listed in subpart D of part 261 of this chapter, or that exhibits a characteristic of hazardous waste identified in subpart C of part 261 of this chapter. Any deliberate mixing of prohibited hazardous waste with debris that changes its treatment classification (i.e., from waste to hazardous debris) is not allowed under the dilution prohibition in § 268.3.

(i) Underlying hazardous constituent means any constituent listed in § 268.48, Table UTS—Universal Treatment Standards, except fluoride, selenium, sulfides, vanadium, and zinc, which can reasonably be expected to be present at the point of generation of the hazardous waste at a concentration above the constituent-specific UTS treatment standards.

(j) Inorganic metal-bearing waste is one for which EPA has established treatment standards for metal hazardous constituents, and which does not otherwise contain significant organic or cyanide content as described in § 268.3(c)(1), and is specifically listed in appendix XI of this part.

(k) Soil means unconsolidated earth material composing the superficial geologic strata (material overlying bedrock), consisting of clay, silt, sand, or gravel size particles as classified by the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, or a mixture of such materials with liquids, sludges or solids which is inseparable by simple mechanical removal processes and is made up primarily of soil by volume based on visual inspection. Any deliberate mixing of prohibited hazardous waste with soil that changes its treatment classification (i.e., from waste to contaminated soil) is not allowed under the dilution prohibition in § 268.3.

[55 FR 22686, June 1, 1990, as amended at 56 FR 3877, Jan. 31, 1991; 57 FR 37270, Aug. 18, 1992; 58 FR 8685, Feb. 16, 1993; 58 FR 29884, May 24, 1993; 59 FR 48043, Sept. 19, 1994; 60 FR 244, Jan. 3, 1995; 61 FR 15597, 15662, Apr. 8, 1996; 61 FR 33682, June 28, 1996; 63 FR 28639, May 26, 1998; 63 FR 65940, Nov. 30, 1998; 64 FR 25414, May 11, 1999; 71 FR 40278, July 14, 2006]

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, no generator, transporter, handler, or owner or operator of a treatment, storage, or disposal facility shall in any way dilute a restricted waste or the residual from treatment of a restricted waste as a substitute for adequate treatment to achieve compliance with subpart D of this part, to circumvent the effective date of a prohibition in subpart C of this part, to otherwise avoid a prohibition in subpart C of this part, or to circumvent a land disposal prohibition imposed by RCRA section 3004.

(b) Dilution of wastes that are hazardous only because they exhibit a characteristic in treatment systems which include land- based units which treat wastes subsequently discharged to a water of the United States pursuant to a permit issued under section 402 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), or which treat wastes in a CWA-equivalent treatment system, or which treat wastes for the purposes of pretreatment requirements under section 307 of the CWA is not impermissible dilution for purposes of this section unless a method other than DEACT has been specified in § 268.40 as the treatment standard, or unless the waste is a D003 reactive cyanide wastewater or nonwastewater.

(c) Combustion of the hazardous waste codes listed in Appendix XI of this part is prohibited, unless the waste, at the point of generation, or after any bona fide treatment such as cyanide destruction prior to combustion, can be demonstrated to comply with one or more of the following criteria (unless otherwise specifically prohibited from combustion):

(1) The waste contains hazardous organic constituents or cyanide at levels exceeding the constituent-specific treatment standard found in § 268.48;

(2) The waste consists of organic, debris-like materials (e.g., wood, paper, plastic, or cloth) contaminated with an inorganic metal-bearing hazardous waste;

(3) The waste, at point of generation, has reasonable heating value such as greater than or equal to 5000 BTU per pound;

(4) The waste is co-generated with wastes for which combustion is a required method of treatment;

(5) The waste is subject to Federal and/or State requirements necessitating reduction of organics (including biological agents); or

(6) The waste contains greater than 1% Total Organic Carbon (TOC).

(d) It is a form of impermissible dilution, and therefore prohibited, to add iron filings or other metallic forms of iron to lead-containing hazardous wastes in order to achieve any land disposal restriction treatment standard for lead. Lead-containing wastes include D008 wastes (wastes exhibiting a characteristic due to the presence of lead), all characteristic wastes containing lead as an underlying hazardous constituent, listed wastes containing lead as a regulated constituent, and hazardous media containing any of the aforementioned lead-containing wastes.

[61 FR 15663, Apr. 8, 1996, as amended at 61 FR 33682, June 28, 1996; 63 FR 28639, May 26, 1998]

(a) Wastes which are otherwise prohibited from land disposal under this part may be treated in a surface impoundment or series of impoundments provided that:

(1) Treatment of such wastes occurs in the impoundments;

(2) The following conditions are met:

(i) Sampling and testing. For wastes with treatment standards in subpart D of this part and/or prohibition levels in subpart C of this part or RCRA section 3004(d), the residues from treatment are analyzed, as specified in § 268.7 or § 268.32, to determine if they meet the applicable treatment standards or where no treatment standards have been established for the waste, the applicable prohibition levels. The sampling method, specified in the waste analysis plan under § 264.13 or § 265.13, must be designed such that representative samples of the sludge and the supernatant are tested separately rather than mixed to form homogeneous samples.

(ii) Removal. The following treatment residues (including any liquid waste) must be removed at least annually; residues which do not meet the treatment standards promulgated under subpart D of this part; residues which do not meet the prohibition levels established under subpart C of this part or imposed by statute (where no treatment standards have been established); residues which are from the treatment of wastes prohibited from land disposal under subpart C of this part (where no treatment standards have been established and no prohibition levels apply); or residues from managing listed wastes which are not delisted under § 260.22 of this chapter. If the volume of liquid flowing through the impoundment or series of impoundments annually is greater than the volume of the impoundment or impoundments, this flow-through constitutes removal of the supernatant for the purpose of this requirement.

(iii) Subsequent management. Treatment residues may not be placed in any other surface impoundment for subsequent management.

(iv) Recordkeeping. Sampling and testing and recordkeeping provisions of §§ 264.13 and 265.13 of this chapter apply.

(3) The impoundment meets the design requirements of § 264.221(c) or § 265.221(a) of this chapter, regardless that the unit may not be new, expanded, or a replacement, and be in compliance with applicable ground water monitoring requirements of subpart F of part 264 or part 265 of this chapter unless:

(i) Exempted pursuant to § 264.221 (d) or (e) of this chapter, or to § 265.221 (c) or (d) of this chapter; or,

(ii) Upon application by the owner or operator, the Administrator, after notice and an opportunity to comment, has granted a waiver of the requirements on the basis that the surface impoundment:

(A) Has at least one liner, for which there is no evidence that such liner is leaking;

(B) Is located more than one-quarter mile from an underground source of drinking water; and

(C) Is in compliance with generally applicable ground water monitoring requirements for facilities with permits; or,

(iii) Upon application by the owner or operator, the Administrator, after notice and an opportunity to comment, has granted a modification to the requirements on the basis of a demonstration that the surface impoundment is located, designed, and operated so as to assure that there will be no migration of any hazardous constituent into ground water or surface water at any future time.

(4) The owner or operator submits to the Regional Administrator a written certification that the requirements of § 268.4(a)(3) have been met. The following certification is required:

I certify under penalty of law that the requirements of 40 CFR 268.4(a)(3) have been met for all surface impoundments being used to treat restricted wastes. I believe that the submitted information is true, accurate, and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment.

(b) Evaporation of hazardous constituents as the principal means of treatment is not considered to be treatment for purposes of an exemption under this section.

[51 FR 40638, Nov. 7, 1986; 52 FR 21016, June 4, 1987, as amended at 52 FR 25788, July 8, 1987; 53 FR 31212, Aug. 17, 1988; 62 FR 26019, May 12, 1997; 63 FR 28639, May 26, 1998; 71 FR 40278, July 14, 2006]

(a) Any person who generates, treats, stores, or disposes of a hazardous waste may submit an application to the Administrator for an extension to the effective date of any applicable restriction established under subpart C of this part. The applicant must demonstrate the following:

(1) He has made a good-faith effort to locate and contract with treatment, recovery, or disposal facilities nationwide to manage his waste in accordance with the effective date of the applicable restriction established under subpart C of this part;

(2) He has entered into a binding contractual commitment to construct or otherwise provide alternative treatment, recovery (e.g., recycling), or disposal capacity that meets the treatment standards specified in subpart D or, where treatment standards have not been specified, such treatment, recovery, or disposal capacity is protective of human health and the environment.

(3) Due to circumstances beyond the applicant's control, such alternative capacity cannot reasonably be made available by the applicable effective date. This demonstration may include a showing that the technical and practical difficulties associated with providing the alternative capacity will result in the capacity not being available by the applicable effective date;

(4) The capacity being constructed or otherwise provided by the applicant will be sufficient to manage the entire quantity of waste that is the subject of the application;

(5) He provides a detailed schedule for obtaining required operating and construction permits or an outline of how and when alternative capacity will be available;

(6) He has arranged for adequate capacity to manage his waste during an extension and has documented in the application the location of all sites at which the waste will be managed; and

(7) Any waste managed in a surface impoundment or landfill during the extension period will meet the requirements of paragraph (h)(2) of this section.

(b) An authorized representative signing an application described under paragraph (a) of this section shall make the following certification:

I certify under penalty of law that I have personally examined and am familiar with the information submitted in this document and all attachments and that, based on my inquiry of those individuals immediately responsible for obtaining the information, I believe that the information is true, accurate, and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment.

(c) After receiving an application for an extension, the Administrator may request any additional information which he deems as necessary to evaluate the application.

(d) An extension will apply only to the waste generated at the individual facility covered by the application and will not apply to restricted waste from any other facility.

(e) On the basis of the information referred to in paragraph (a) of this section, after notice and opportunity for comment, and after consultation with appropriate State agencies in all affected States, the Administrator may grant an extension of up to 1 year from the effective date. The Administrator may renew this extension for up to 1 additional year upon the request of the applicant if the demonstration required in paragraph (a) of this section can still be made. In no event will an extension extend beyond 24 months from the applicable effective date specified in subpart C of part 268. The length of any extension authorized will be determined by the Administrator based on the time required to construct or obtain the type of capacity needed by the applicant as described in the completion schedule discussed in paragraph (a)(5) of this section. The Administrator will give public notice of the intent to approve or deny a petition and provide an opportunity for public comment. The final decision on a petition will be published in the Federal Register.

(f) Any person granted an extension under this section must immediately notify the Administrator as soon as he has knowledge of any change in the conditions certified to in the application.

(g) Any person granted an extension under this section shall submit written progress reports at intervals designated by the Administrator. Such reports must describe the overall progress made toward constructing or otherwise providing alternative treatment, recovery or disposal capacity; must identify any event which may cause or has caused a delay in the development of the capacity; and must summarize the steps taken to mitigate the delay. The Administrator can revoke the extension at any time if the applicant does not demonstrate a good-faith effort to meet the schedule for completion, if the Agency denies or revokes any required permit, if conditions certified in the application change, or for any violation of this chapter.

(h) Whenever the Administrator establishes an extension to an effective date under this section, during the period for which such extension is in effect:

(1) The storage restrictions under § 268.50(a) do not apply; and

(2) Such hazardous waste may be disposed in a landfill or surface impoundment only if such unit is in compliance with the technical requirements of the following provisions regardless of whether such unit is existing, new, or a replacement or lateral expansion.

(i) The landfill, if in interim status, is in compliance with the requirements of subpart F of part 265 and § 265.301 (a), (c), and (d) of this chapter; or,

(ii) The landfill, if permitted, is in compliance with the requirements of subpart F of part 264 and § 264.301 (c), (d) and (e) of this chapter; or

(iii) The surface impoundment, if in interim status, is in compliance with the requirements of subpart F of part 265, § 265.221 (a), (c), and (d) of this chapter, and RCRA section 3005(j)(1); or

(iv) The surface impoundment, if permitted, is in compliance with the requirements of subpart F of part 264 and § 264.221 (c), (d) and (e) of this chapter; or

(v) The surface impoundment, if newly subject to RCRA section 3005(j)(1) due to the promulgation of additional listings or characteristics for the identification of hazardous waste, is in compliance with the requirements of subpart F of part 265 of this chapter within 12 months after the promulgation of additional listings or characteristics of hazardous waste, and with the requirements of § 265.221 (a), (c) and (d) of this chapter within 48 months after the promulgation of additional listings or characteristics of hazardous waste. If a national capacity variance is granted, during the period the variance is in effect, the surface impoundment, if newly subject to RCRA section 3005(j)(1) due to the promulgation of additional listings or characteristics of hazardous waste, is in compliance with the requirements of subpart F of part 265 of this chapter within 12 months after the promulgation of additional listings or characteristics of hazardous waste, and with the requirements of § 265.221 (a), (c) and (d) of this chapter within 48 months after the promulgation of additional listings or characteristics of hazardous waste; or

(vi) The landfill, if disposing of containerized liquid hazardous wastes containing PCBs at concentrations greater than or equal to 50 ppm but less than 500 ppm, is also in compliance with the requirements of 40 CFR 761.75 and parts 264 and 265.

(i) Pending a decision on the application the applicant is required to comply with all restrictions on land disposal under this part once the effective date for the waste has been reached.

[51 FR 40638, Nov. 7, 1986; 52 FR 21016, June 4, 1987, as amended at 52 FR 25788, July 8, 1987; 54 FR 36971, Sept. 6, 1989; 55 FR 23935, June 13, 1990; 57 FR 37270, Aug. 18, 1992]

(a) Any person seeking an exemption from a prohibition under subpart C of this part for the disposal of a restricted hazardous waste in a particular unit or units must submit a petition to the Administrator demonstrating, to a reasonable degree of certainty, that there will be no migration of hazardous constituents from the disposal unit or injection zone for as long as the wastes remain hazardous. The demonstration must include the following components:

(1) An identification of the specific waste and the specific unit for which the demonstration will be made;

(2) A waste analysis to describe fully the chemical and physical characteristics of the subject waste;

(3) A comprehensive characterization of the disposal unit site including an analysis of background air, soil, and water quality.

(4) A monitoring plan that detects migration at the earliest practicable time;

(5) Sufficient information to assure the Administrator that the owner or operator of a land disposal unit receiving restricted waste(s) will comply with other applicable Federal, State, and local laws.

(b) The demonstration referred to in paragraph (a) of this section must meet the following criteria:

(1) All waste and environmental sampling, test, and analysis data must be accurate and reproducible to the extent that state-of-the-art techniques allow;

(2) All sampling, testing, and estimation techniques for chemical and physical properties of the waste and all environmental parameters must have been approved by the Administrator;

(3) Simulation models must be calibrated for the specific waste and site conditions, and verified for accuracy by comparison with actual measurements;

(4) A quality assurance and quality control plan that addresses all aspects of the demonstration must be approved by the Administrator; and,

(5) An analysis must be performed to identify and quantify any aspects of the demonstration that contribute significantly to uncertainty. This analysis must include an evaluation of the consequences of predictable future events, including, but not limited to, earthquakes, floods, severe storm events, droughts, or other natural phenomena.

(c) Each petition referred to in paragraph (a) of this section must include the following:

(1) A monitoring plan that describes the monitoring program installed at and/or around the unit to verify continued compliance with the conditions of the variance. This monitoring plan must provide information on the monitoring of the unit and/or the environment around the unit. The following specific information must be included in the plan:

(i) The media monitored in the cases where monitoring of the environment around the unit is required;

(ii) The type of monitoring conducted at the unit, in the cases where monitoring of the unit is required;

(iii) The location of the monitoring stations;

(iv) The monitoring interval (frequency of monitoring at each station);

(v) The specific hazardous constituents to be monitored;

(vi) The implementation schedule for the monitoring program;

(vii) The equipment used at the monitoring stations;

(viii) The sampling and analytical techniques employed; and

(ix) The data recording/reporting procedures.

(2) Where applicable, the monitoring program described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section must be in place for a period of time specified by the Administrator, as part of his approval of the petition, prior to receipt of prohibited waste at the unit.

(3) The monitoring data collected according to the monitoring plan specified under paragraph (c)(1) of this section must be sent to the Administrator according to a format and schedule specified and approved in the monitoring plan, and

(4) A copy of the monitoring data collected under the monitoring plan specified under paragraph (c)(1) of this section must be kept on-site at the facility in the operating record.

(5) The monitoring program specified under paragraph (c)(1) of this section meets the following criteria:

(i) All sampling, testing, and analytical data must be approved by the Administrator and must provide data that is accurate and reproducible.

(ii) All estimation and monitoring techniques must be approved by the Administrator.

(iii) A quality assurance and quality control plan addressing all aspects of the monitoring program must be provided to and approved by the Administrator.

(d) Each petition must be submitted to the Administrator.

(e) After a petition has been approved, the owner or operator must report any changes in conditions at the unit and/or the environment around the unit that significantly depart from the conditions described in the variance and affect the potential for migration of hazardous constituents from the units as follows:

(1) If the owner or operator plans to make changes to the unit design, construction, or operation, such a change must be proposed, in writing, and the owner or operator must submit a demonstration to the Administrator at least 30 days prior to making the change. The Administrator will determine whether the proposed change invalidates the terms of the petition and will determine the appropriate response. Any change must be approved by the Administrator prior to being made.

(2) If the owner or operator discovers that a condition at the site which was modeled or predicted in the petition does not occur as predicted, this change must be reported, in writing, to the Administrator within 10 days of discovering the change. The Administrator will determine whether the reported change from the terms of the petition requires further action, which may include termination of waste acceptance and revocation of the petition, petition modifications, or other responses.

(f) If the owner or operator determines that there is migration of hazardous constituent(s) from the unit, the owner or operator must:

(1) Immediately suspend receipt of prohibited waste at the unit, and

(2) Notify the Administrator, in writing, within 10 days of the determination that a release has occurred.

(3) Following receipt of the notification the Administrator will determine, within 60 days of receiving notification, whether the owner or operator can continue to receive prohibited waste in the unit and whether the variance is to be revoked. The Administrator shall also determine whether further examination of any migration is warranted under applicable provisions of part 264 or part 265.

(g) Each petition must include the following statement signed by the petitioner or an authorized representative:

I certify under penalty of law that I have personally examined and am familiar with the information submitted in this petition and all attached documents, and that, based on my inquiry of those individuals immediately responsible for obtaining the information, I believe that submitted information is true, accurate, and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment.

(h) After receiving a petition, the Administrator may request any additional information that reasonably may be required to evaluate the demonstration.

(i) If approved, the petition will apply to land disposal of the specific restricted waste at the individual disposal unit described in the demonstration and will not apply to any other restricted waste at that disposal unit, or to that specific restricted waste at any other disposal unit.

(j) The Administrator will give public notice in the Federal Register of the intent to approve or deny a petition and provide an opportunity for public comment. The final decision on a petition will be published in the Federal Register.

(k) The term of a petition granted under this section shall be no longer than the term of the RCRA permit if the disposal unit is operating under a RCRA permit, or up to a maximum of 10 years from the date of approval provided under paragraph (g) of this section if the unit is operating under interim status. In either case, the term of the granted petition shall expire upon the termination or denial of a RCRA permit, or upon the termination of interim status or when the volume limit of waste to be land disposed during the term of petition is reached.

(l) Prior to the Administrator's decision, the applicant is required to comply with all restrictions on land disposal under this part once the effective date for the waste has been reached.

(m) The petition granted by the Administrator does not relieve the petitioner of his responsibilities in the management of hazardous waste under 40 CFR part 260 through part 271.

(n) Liquid hazardous wastes containing polychlorinated biphenyls at concentrations greater than or equal to 500 ppm are not eligible for an exemption under this section.

[51 FR 40638, Nov. 7, 1986; 52 FR 21016, June 4, 1987, as amended at 52 FR 25789, July 8, 1987; 53 FR 31212, Aug. 17, 1988; 54 FR 36971, Sept. 6, 1989; 71 FR 40278, July 14, 2006]

(a) Requirements for generators and reverse distributors—(1) A generator of hazardous waste must determine if the waste has to be treated before it can be land disposed. This is done by determining if the hazardous waste meets the treatment standards in § 268.40, 268.45, or § 268.49. This determination can be made concurrently with the hazardous waste determination required in § 262.11 of this chapter, in either of two ways: testing the waste or using knowledge of the waste. If the generator tests the waste, testing would normally determine the total concentration of hazardous constituents, or the concentration of hazardous constituents in an extract of the waste obtained using test method 1311 in “Test Methods of Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods,” EPA Publication SW-846, (incorporated by reference, see § 260.11 of this chapter), depending on whether the treatment standard for the waste is expressed as a total concentration or concentration of hazardous constituent in the waste's extract. (Alternatively, the generator must send the waste to a RCRA-permitted hazardous waste treatment facility, where the waste treatment facility must comply with the requirements of § 264.13 of this chapter and paragraph (b) of this section.) In addition, some hazardous wastes must be treated by particular treatment methods before they can be land disposed and some soils are contaminated by such hazardous wastes. These treatment standards are also found in § 268.40, and are described in detail in § 268.42, Table 1. These wastes, and soils contaminated with such wastes, do not need to be tested (however, if they are in a waste mixture, other wastes with concentration level treatment standards would have to be tested). If a generator determines they are managing a waste or soil contaminated with a waste, that displays a hazardous characteristic of ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity, they must comply with the special requirements of § 268.9 of this part in addition to any applicable requirements in this section.

(2) If the waste or contaminated soil does not meet the treatment standards, or if the generator chooses not to make the determination of whether his waste must be treated, with the initial shipment of waste to each treatment or storage facility, the generator must send a one-time written notice to each treatment or storage facility receiving the waste, and place a copy in the file. The notice must include the information in column “268.7(a)(2)” of the Generator Paperwork Requirements Table in paragraph (a)(4) of this section. (Alternatively, if the generator chooses not to make the determination of whether the waste must be treated, the notification must include the EPA Hazardous Waste Numbers and Manifest Number of the first shipment and must state “This hazardous waste may or may not be subject to the LDR treatment standards. The treatment facility must make the determination.”) No further notification is necessary until such time that the waste or facility change, in which case a new notification must be sent and a copy placed in the generator's file.

(3) If the waste or contaminated soil meets the treatment standard at the original point of generation:

(i) With the initial shipment of waste to each treatment, storage, or disposal facility, the generator must send a one-time written notice to each treatment, storage, or disposal facility receiving the waste, and place a copy in the file. The notice must include the information indicated in column “268.7(a)(3)” of the Generator Paperwork Requirements Table in § 268.7(a)(4) and the following certification statement, signed by an authorized representative:

I certify under penalty of law that I personally have examined and am familiar with the waste through analysis and testing or through knowledge of the waste to support this certification that the waste complies with the treatment standards specified in 40 CFR part 268 subpart D. I believe that the information I submitted is true, accurate, and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting a false certification, including the possibility of a fine and imprisonment.

(ii) For contaminated soil, with the initial shipment of wastes to each treatment, storage, or disposal facility, the generator must send a one-time written notice to each facility receiving the waste and place a copy in the file. The notice must include the information in column “268.7(a)(3)” of the Generator Paperwork Requirements Table in § 268.7(a)(4).

(iii) If the waste changes, the generator must send a new notice and certification to the receiving facility, and place a copy in their files. Generators of hazardous debris excluded from the definition of hazardous waste under § 261.3(f) of this chapter are not subject to these requirements.

(4) For reporting, tracking, and recordkeeping when exceptions allow certain wastes or contaminated soil that do not meet the treatment standards to be land disposed: There are certain exemptions from the requirement that hazardous wastes or contaminated soil meet treatment standards before they can be land disposed. These include, but are not limited to case-by-case extensions under § 268.5, disposal in a no-migration unit under § 268.6, or a national capacity variance or case-by-case capacity variance under subpart C of this part. If a generator's waste is so exempt, then with the initial shipment of waste, the generator must send a one-time written notice to each land disposal facility receiving the waste. The notice must include the information indicated in column “268.7(a)(4)” of the Generator Paperwork Requirements Table below. If the waste changes, the generator must send a new notice to the receiving facility, and place a copy in their files.

(5) If a generator is managing and treating prohibited waste or contaminated soil in tanks, containers, or containment buildings regulated under 40 CFR 262.15, 262.16, and 262.17 to meet applicable LDR treatment standards found at § 268.40, the generator must develop and follow a written waste analysis plan which describes the procedures they will carry out to comply with the treatment standards. (Generators treating hazardous debris under the alternative treatment standards of Table 1 to § 268.45, however, are not subject to these waste analysis requirements.) The plan must be kept on site in the generator's records, and the following requirements must be met:

(i) The waste analysis plan must be based on a detailed chemical and physical analysis of a representative sample of the prohibited waste(s) being treated, and contain all information necessary to treat the waste(s) in accordance with the requirements of this part, including the selected testing frequency.

(ii) Such plan must be kept in the facility's on-site files and made available to inspectors.

(iii) Wastes shipped off-site pursuant to this paragraph must comply with the notification requirements of § 268.7(a)(3).

(6) If a generator determines that the waste or contaminated soil is restricted based solely on his knowledge of the waste, all supporting data used to make this determination must be retained on-site in the generator's files. If a generator determines that the waste is restricted based on testing this waste or an extract developed using the test method 1311 in “Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods,” EPA Publication SW-846, as referenced in § 260.11 of this chapter, and all waste analysis data must be retained on-site in the generator's files.

(7) If a generator determines that he is managing a prohibited waste that is excluded from the definition of hazardous or solid waste or is exempted from Subtitle C regulation under 40 CFR 261.2 through 261.6 subsequent to the point of generation (including deactivated characteristic hazardous wastes managed in wastewater treatment systems subject to the Clean Water Act (CWA) as specified at 40 CFR 261.4(a)(2) or that are CWA-equivalent, or are managed in an underground injection well regulated by the SDWA), he must place a one-time notice describing such generation, subsequent exclusion from the definition of hazardous or solid waste or exemption from RCRA Subtitle C regulation, and the disposition of the waste, in the facility's on-site files.

(8) Generators must retain on-site a copy of all notices, certifications, waste analysis data, and other documentation produced pursuant to this section for at least three years from the date that the waste that is the subject of such documentation was last sent to on-site or off-site treatment, storage, or disposal. The three year record retention period is automatically extended during the course of any unresolved enforcement action regarding the regulated activity or as requested by the Administrator. The requirements of this paragraph apply to solid wastes even when the hazardous characteristic is removed prior to disposal, or when the waste is excluded from the definition of hazardous or solid waste under 40 CFR 261.2 through 261.6, or exempted from Subtitle C regulation, subsequent to the point of generation.

(9) If a generator is managing a lab pack containing hazardous wastes and wishes to use the alternative treatment standard for lab packs found at § 268.42(c):

(i) With the initial shipment of waste to a treatment facility, the generator must submit a notice that provides the information in column “§ 268.7(a)(9)” in the Generator Paperwork Requirements Table of paragraph (a)(4) of this section, and the following certification. The certification, which must be signed by an authorized representative and must be placed in the generator's files, must say the following:

I certify under penalty of law that I personally have examined and am familiar with the waste and that the lab pack contains only wastes that have not been excluded under appendix IV to 40 CFR part 268 and that this lab pack will be sent to a combustion facility in compliance with the alternative treatment standards for lab packs at 40 CFR 268.42(c). I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting a false certification, including the possibility of fine or imprisonment.

(ii) No further notification is necessary until such time that the wastes in the lab pack change, or the receiving facility changes, in which case a new notice and certification must be sent and a copy placed in the generator's file.

(iii) If the lab pack contains characteristic hazardous wastes (D001-D043), underlying hazardous constituents (as defined in § 268.2(i)) need not be determined.

(iv) The generator must also comply with the requirements in paragraphs (a)(6) and (a)(7) of this section.

(10) Small quantity generators with tolling agreements pursuant to 40 CFR 262.20(e) must comply with the applicable notification and certification requirements of paragraph (a) of this section for the initial shipment of the waste subject to the agreement. Such generators must retain on-site a copy of the notification and certification, together with the tolling agreement, for at least three years after termination or expiration of the agreement. The three-year record retention period is automatically extended during the course of any unresolved enforcement action regarding the regulated activity or as requested by the Administrator.

(b) Treatment facilities must test their wastes according to the frequency specified in their waste analysis plans as required by 40 CFR 264.13 (for permitted TSDs) or 40 CFR 265.13 (for interim status facilities). Such testing must be performed as provided in paragraphs (b)(1), (b)(2) and (b)(3) of this section.

(1) For wastes or contaminated soil with treatment standards expressed in the waste extract (TCLP), the owner or operator of the treatment facility must test an extract of the treatment residues, using test method 1311 (the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, described in “Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods,” EPA Publication SW-846 as incorporated by reference in § 260.11 of this chapter) to assure that the treatment residues extract meet the applicable treatment standards.

(2) For wastes or contaminated soil with treatment standards expressed as concentrations in the waste, the owner or operator of the treatment facility must test the treatment residues (not an extract of such residues) to assure that they meet the applicable treatment standards.

(3) A one-time notice must be sent with the initial shipment of waste or contaminated soil to the land disposal facility. A copy of the notice must be placed in the treatment facility's file.

(i) No further notification is necessary until such time that the waste or receiving facility change, in which case a new notice must be sent and a copy placed in the treatment facility's file.

(ii) The one-time notice must include these requirements:

(4) The treatment facility must submit a one-time certification signed by an authorized representative with the initial shipment of waste or treatment residue of a restricted waste to the land disposal facility. The certification must state:

I certify under penalty of law that I have personally examined and am familiar with the treatment technology and operation of the treatment process used to support this certification. Based on my inquiry of those individuals immediately responsible for obtaining this information, I believe that the treatment process has been operated and maintained properly so as to comply with the treatment standards specified in 40 CFR 268.40 without impermissible dilution of the prohibited waste. I am aware there are significant penalties for submitting a false certification, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment.

A certification is also necessary for contaminated soil and it must state:

I certify under penalty of law that I have personally examined and am familiar with the treatment technology and operation of the treatment process used to support this certification and believe that it has been maintained and operated properly so as to comply with treatment standards specified in 40 CFR 268.49 without impermissible dilution of the prohibited wastes. I am aware there are significant penalties for submitting a false certification, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment.

(i) A copy of the certification must be placed in the treatment facility's on-site files. If the waste or treatment residue changes, or the receiving facility changes, a new certification must be sent to the receiving facility, and a copy placed in the file.

(ii) Debris excluded from the definition of hazardous waste under § 261.3(f) of this chapter (i.e., debris treated by an extraction or destruction technology provided by Table 1, § 268.45, and debris that the Director has determined does not contain hazardous waste), however, is subject to the notification and certification requirements of paragraph (d) of this section rather than the certification requirements of this paragraph.

(iii) For wastes with organic constituents having treatment standards expressed as concentration levels, if compliance with the treatment standards is based in whole or in part on the analytical detection limit alternative specified in § 268.40(d), the certification, signed by an authorized representative, must state the following:

I certify under penalty of law that I have personally examined and am familiar with the treatment technology and operation of the treatment process used to support this certification. Based on my inquiry of those individuals immediately responsible for obtaining this information, I believe that the nonwastewater organic constituents have been treated by combustion units as specified in 268.42, Table 1. I have been unable to detect the nonwastewater organic constituents, despite having used best good-faith efforts to analyze for such constituents. I am aware there are significant penalties for submitting a false certification, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment.

(iv) For characteristic wastes that are subject to the treatment standards in § 268.40 (other than those expressed as a method of treatment), or § 268.49, and that contain underlying hazardous constituents as defined in § 268.2(i); if these wastes are treated on-site to remove the hazardous characteristic; and are then sent off-site for treatment of underlying hazardous constituents, the certification must state the following:

I certify under penalty of law that the waste has been treated in accordance with the requirements of 40 CFR 268.40 or 268.49 to remove the hazardous characteristic. This decharacterized waste contains underlying hazardous constituents that require further treatment to meet treatment standards. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting a false certification, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment.

(v) For characteristic wastes that contain underlying hazardous constituents as defined § 268.2(i) that are treated on-site to remove the hazardous characteristic to treat underlying hazardous constituents to levels in § 268.48 Universal Treatment Standards, the certification must state the following:

I certify under penalty of law that the waste has been treated in accordance with the requirements of 40 CFR 268.40 to remove the hazardous characteristic and that underlying hazardous constituents, as defined in § 268.2(i) have been treated on-site to meet the § 268.48 Universal Treatment Standards. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting a false certification, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment.

(5) If the waste or treatment residue will be further managed at a different treatment, storage, or disposal facility, the treatment, storage, or disposal facility sending the waste or treatment residue off-site must comply with the notice and certification requirements applicable to generators under this section.

(6) Where the wastes are recyclable materials used in a manner constituting disposal subject to the provisions of § 266.20(b) of this chapter regarding treatment standards and prohibition levels, the owner or operator of a treatment facility (i.e., the recycler) must, for the initial shipment of waste, prepare a one-time certification described in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, and a one-time notice which includes the information in paragraph (b)(3) of this section (except the manifest number). The certification and notification must be placed in the facility's on-site files. If the waste or the receiving facility changes, a new certification and notification must be prepared and placed in the on site files. In addition, the recycling facility must also keep records of the name and location of each entity receiving the hazardous waste-derived product.

(c) Except where the owner or operator is disposing of any waste that is a recyclable material used in a manner constituting disposal pursuant to 40 CFR 266.20(b), the owner or operator of any land disposal facility disposing any waste subject to restrictions under this part must:

(1) Have copies of the notice and certifications specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of this section.

(2) Test the waste, or an extract of the waste or treatment residue developed using test method 1311 (the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, described in “Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods,” EPA Publication SW-846 as incorporated by reference in § 260.11 of this chapter), to assure that the wastes or treatment residues are in compliance with the applicable treatment standards set forth in subpart D of this part. Such testing must be performed according to the frequency specified in the facility's waste analysis plan as required by § 264.13 or § 265.13 of this chapter.

(d) Generators or treaters who first claim that hazardous debris is excluded from the definition of hazardous waste under § 261.3(f) of this chapter (i.e., debris treated by an extraction or destruction technology provided by Table 1, § 268.45, and debris that the EPA Regional Administrator (or his designated representative) or State authorized to implement part 268 requirements has determined does not contain hazardous waste) are subject to the following notification and certification requirements:

(1) A one-time notification, including the following information, must be submitted to the EPA Regional hazardous waste management division director (or his designated representative) or State authorized to implement part 268 requirements:

(i) The name and address of the Subtitle D facility receiving the treated debris;

(ii) A description of the hazardous debris as initially generated, including the applicable EPA Hazardous Waste Number(s); and

(iii) For debris excluded under § 261.3(f)(1) of this chapter, the technology from Table 1, § 268.45, used to treat the debris.

(2) The notification must be updated if the debris is shipped to a different facility, and, for debris excluded under § 261.2(f)(1) of this chapter, if a different type of debris is treated or if a different technology is used to treat the debris.

(3) For debris excluded under § 261.3(f)(1) of this chapter, the owner or operator of the treatment facility must document and certify compliance with the treatment standards of Table 1, § 268.45, as follows:

(i) Records must be kept of all inspections, evaluations, and analyses of treated debris that are made to determine compliance with the treatment standards;

(ii) Records must be kept of any data or information the treater obtains during treatment of the debris that identifies key operating parameters of the treatment unit; and

(iii) For each shipment of treated debris, a certification of compliance with the treatment standards must be signed by an authorized representative and placed in the facility's files. The certification must state the following: “I certify under penalty of law that the debris has been treated in accordance with the requirements of 40 CFR 268.45. I am aware that there are significant penalties for making a false certification, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment.”

(e) Generators and treaters who first receive from EPA or an authorized state a determination that a given contaminated soil subject to LDRs as provided in § 268.49(a) no longer contains a listed hazardous waste and generators and treaters who first determine that a contaminated soil subject to LDRs as provided in § 268.49(a) no longer exhibits a characteristic of hazardous waste must:

(1) Prepare a one-time only documentation of these determinations including all supporting information; and,

(2) Maintain that information in the facility files and other records for a minimum of three years.

[51 FR 40638, Nov. 7, 1986; 52 FR 21016, June 4, 1987] Editorial Note:For Federal Register citations affecting § 268.7, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the printed volume and at www.govinfo.gov.

(a) The initial generator of a solid waste must determine each EPA Hazardous Waste Number (waste code) applicable to the waste in order to determine the applicable treatment standards under subpart D of this part. This determination may be made concurrently with the hazardous waste determination required in § 262.11 of this chapter. For purposes of part 268, the waste will carry the waste code for any applicable listed waste (40 CFR part 261, subpart D). In addition, where the waste exhibits a characteristic, the waste will carry one or more of the characteristic waste codes (40 CFR part 261, subpart C), except when the treatment standard for the listed waste operates in lieu of the treatment standard for the characteristic waste, as specified in paragraph (b) of this section. If the generator determines that their waste displays a hazardous characteristic (and is not D001 nonwastewaters treated by CMBST, RORGS, OR POLYM of § 268.42, Table 1), the generator must determine the underlying hazardous constituents (as defined at § 268.2(i)) in the characteristic waste.

(b) Where a prohibited waste is both listed under 40 CFR part 261, subpart D and exhibits a characteristic under 40 CFR part 261, subpart C, the treatment standard for the waste code listed in 40 CFR part 261, subpart D will operate in lieu of the standard for the waste code under 40 CFR part 261, subpart C, provided that the treatment standard for the listed waste includes a treatment standard for the constituent that causes the waste to exhibit the characteristic. Otherwise, the waste must meet the treatment standards for all applicable listed and characteristic waste codes.

(c) In addition to any applicable standards determined from the initial point of generation, no prohibited waste which exhibits a characteristic under 40 CFR part 261, subpart C may be land disposed unless the waste complies with the treatment standards under subpart D of this part.

(d) Wastes that exhibit a characteristic are also subject to § 268.7 requirements, except that once the waste is no longer hazardous, a one-time notification and certification must be placed in the generator's or treater's on-site files. The notification and certification must be updated if the process or operation generating the waste changes and/or if the subtitle D facility receiving the waste changes.

(1) The notification must include the following information:

(i) Name and address of the RCRA Subtitle D facility receiving the waste shipment; and

(ii) A description of the waste as initially generated, including the applicable EPA hazardous waste code(s), treatability group(s), and underlying hazardous constituents (as defined in § 268.2(i)), unless the waste will be treated and monitored for all underlying hazardous constituents. If all underlying hazardous constituents will be treated and monitored, there is no requirement to list any of the underlying hazardous constituents on the notice.

(2) The certification must be signed by an authorized representative and must state the language found in § 268.7(b)(4).

(i) If treatment removes the characteristic but does not meet standards applicable to underlying hazardous constituents, then the certification found in § 268.7(b)(4)(iv) applies.

(ii) [Reserved]

[55 FR 22688, June 1, 1990, as amended at 56 FR 3878, Jan. 31, 1991; 57 FR 37271, Aug. 18, 1992; 58 FR 29885, May 24, 1993; 59 FR 48045, Sept. 19, 1994; 60 FR 245, Jan. 3, 1995; 61 FR 15599, 15662, Apr. 8, 1996; 62 FR 26022, May 12, 1997; 64 FR 25415, May 11, 1999; 71 FR 16913, Apr. 4, 2006]