MCF Environmental Services have been serving medical clinics, laboratories, education institutions and local businesses for more than 30 years, offering specialist waste collection and disposal services for hazardous and non-hazardous waste streams.
Do you know who makes the rules for hazardous waste management in Virginia? You should.
The state’s hazardous waste management guidelines consistently refer to those of the federal government’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Title 40: Protection of Environment.
Virginia’s Department Of Environmental Quality regulates medical and hazardous waste and requirements for handling, storage, and disposal.
All hazardous waste generators in Virginia, regardless of size, must comply with regulatory requirements. Generators are responsible for determining if their wastes are hazardous by following the guidelines of 40 CFR §262.11. They must also identify quantities of hazardous waste on a monthly basis and manage accordingly.
Virginia’s Administrative Code, Chapter 60, covers the state’s hazardous waste management regulations, which have adopted a large number of the regulations of Title 40 CFR, Parts 260 through Part 279.
Hazardous waste generators require EPA identification number
Any business that generates hazardous waste in the state must fill out a site identification form, also known as EPA form 8700-12. Specific instructions for obtaining an EPA ID number can be found at the Virginia’s DEQ hazardous-waste requirements for generators page.
Generator status
Virginia again refers to title 40 CFR section 262.13 to provide guidelines to Virginia’s waste generators based on volume of waste generated per calendar month. For example:
- Small waste generator (SQG) – generates more than 220 pounds but less than 2,220 pounds of non-acute hazardous waste and less than or equal to 2.2 pounds of acute hazardous waste.
- Large quantity generator (LQG) – generates equal to or more than 2,200 pounds of non-acute hazardous waste for more than 2.2 pounds of acute hazardous waste.
Hazardous pharmaceutical waste
As with other forms of hazardous waste, hazardous waste pharmaceuticals must also be properly stored and disposed of. Virginia adopted the EPA’s hazardous waste pharmaceuticals rule (Title 40 CFR 266 subpart P) in 2019. The DEQ list of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals meet definitions of hazardous waste due to their listings or characteristics as defined by the EPA.
Any container of hazardous-waste pharmaceuticals must abide by the requirements of Title 40 CFR 266.507.
Hazardous waste regulations refer to state and federal laws and can be confusing. Turn to the expertise of MCF Environmental Services for guidance. Regulatory compliance is key. The onus falls on the waste generator to ensure that the hazardous waste laws of Virginia are upheld.
