LDR Phase IV: Treatment Standards Set for Toxicity Characteristic (TC) Metal Wastes, Mineral Processing Wastes and Contaminated Soils

Background | Action | Federal Register Notices | Support Materials

The EPA published regulatory controls that encourage the safe recycling and disposal of hazardous metal waste, and newly identified waste from mineral processing.

Background

The widespread practice of disposing of hazardous waste in units located directly on the land has been regulated by EPA's Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR) program for many years. A major part of the LDR program is to adequately protect public health and safety by establishing treatment standards for hazardous wastes before they can be disposed of in land disposal units. These treatment standards either specify that the waste be treated by a specified technology, or that they be treated by any technology as long as the concentration of hazardous constituents is below a certain level. Universal Treatment Standards specify the concentration levels for hazardous constituents.

In addition to setting new treatment standards, another continuing task of the EPA is to better define which industrial materials are wastes, thus subject to regulation, and which should be excluded from regulation.

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Action

LDR treatment standards are established for metal-bearing wastes including TC waste (those with high levels of metal constituents) and waste generated in mineral processing operations. These standards are based on the best technologies available to treat these or similar wastes. The UTS for 12 metal constituents is revised to better reflect the entire universe of wastes that are subject to the treatment standards. Consequently, listed and characteristic hazardous wastes containing one or more metal constituents may have to comply with new treatment standards.

Hazardous waste regulations are modified to define which secondary materials from mineral processing are considered waste, and thus subject to LDR treatment standards. Materials that are legitimately recycled and kept off the land prior to recycling are conditionally excluded. These provisions promote the safe recycling of mineral processing secondary materials by reducing regulatory obstacles to recycling, while ensuring the proper treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes. Other miscellaneous issues related to mineral processing wastes also are covered. In particular, the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure is retained as a test for evaluating the toxicity characteristic in these wastes.

EPA is also amending the LDR treatment standards for soil contaminated with hazardous waste. These standards are tailored to be more appropriate for soils to make it more feasible to clean up contaminated sites without using combustion technologies. Finally, EPA is excluding from regulation certain wastewaters from wood preserving operations.

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Federal Register Notices

Federal Register Notice (PDF) (198 pp, 6.5 MB)
Correction Notice (PDF) (1 pg, 9 K)
Final Rule Amendment (PDF) (3 pp, 23 K)
Extension of Compliance Date for Characteristic Slags Generated From Thermal Recovery of Lead by Secondary Lead Smelters (PDF) (4 pp, 34 K)
Clarification of Effective Dates Memo (PDF) (18 pp, 50K) - October 19, 1998

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Support Materials

Index of Support Documents (PDF) (7 pp, 27K) || Text

Environmental Fact Sheet: Treatment Standards Set for Toxicity Characteristic (TC) Metal Wastes, Mineral Processing Wastes, and Contaiminated Soil (PDF) (2 pp, 19K) || Text

Response to Comments Document (PDF) (75 pp, 179K)
Volume 1: Comments Related to Phase III Proposed Rule (March 2, 1995)

Response to Comments Document (PDF) (302 pp, 780K)
Volume 2: Comments Related to Phase IV Proposed Rule Rule (August 22, 1995)

Response to Comments Document (PDF) (112 pp, 272K)
Volume 3: Comments Related to First Supplemental Proposed Rule (January 25, 1996)

Response to Comments Document (PDF) (49 pp, 132K)
Volume 4: Comments Related to First Notice of Data Availability (May 10, 1996)

Response to Comments Document (PDF) (25 pp, 73K)
Volume 5: Comments Related to Second Notice of Data Availability (March 5, 1997)

Response to Comments Document (PDF) (244 pp, 591K)
Volume 6: Comments Related to Second Supplemental Proposed Rule (May 12, 1997)

Response to Comments Document.
Volume 7: Comments Related to Treatment Standards for Contaminated Soils

Chapter 1 (PDF) (176 pp, 580K)
Chapter 2 (PDF) (3 pp, 20K)
Chapter 3 (PDF) (1 pg, 11K)
Chapter 4 (PDF) (11 pp, 48K)
Chapter 5a (PDF) (5 pp, 25K)
Chapter 5b (PDF) (321 pp, 1.0MB)

Response to Comments Document (PDF) (29 pp, 35K)
Volume 8: Comments Related to Regulatory Impact Analysis for Newly-Identified Mineral Processing Waste Issues Raised in First Supplemental Proposed Rule (January 25, 1996)

Response to Comments Document (PDF) (41 pp, 119K)
Volume 9: Comments Related to Regulatory Impact Analysis for Newly-Identified Mineral Processing Waste Issues Raised in Second Supplemental Proposed Rule (May 12, 1997)

Response to Comments Document (PDF) (12 pp, 35K)
Volume 10: Comments Related to Regulatory Impact Analysis for TC-Metal Hazardous Waste Issues Raised in Original Proposed Rule (August 22, 1995) and in Second Supplemental Proposed Rule (May 12, 1997)

Response to Comments Document (PDF) (118 pp, 321K)
Volume 11: Comments Related to Regulatory Impact Analysis for Newly-Identified Mineral Processing Waste Treatment Standards; Grab Versus Composite Sampling; Radioactive Mixed TC-Metal Wastes; and Sulfide Waste Issues

Technical Background Document
Application of the Phase IV Land Disposal Restrictions to Contaminated Media: Costs, Cost Savings, and Economic Impacts

Main Document and Appendix A (PDF) (127 pp, 388K)
Appendix B (PDF) (18 pp, 196K)

Capacity Analysis for Land Disposal Restrictions--Phase IV: Newly Identified Toxicity Characteristic Metal Wastes and Mineral Processing Wastes (Final Rule)