Publication Summary

This paper discusses the issues unique to Pollution Prevention, compliance with regulations, and permitting and corrective action at facilities that manage hazardous wastes.

This Background Information paper for the Beyond Waste Summary Document discusses issues that pertain to the current hazardous waste system. These issues are specific to hazardous waste and are in addition to the five focus areas (Initiatives) identified by the Beyond Waste Project. The Initiatives are summarized in the Beyond Waste Summary Document and are common to both the draft State Solid Waste Management Plan and the draft State Hazardous Waste Management Plan. However, the Hazardous Waste Plan will also include a discussion on the hazardous waste-specific issues in this paper and recommendations for improvement.

Hazardous waste activities at the Department of Ecology are grouped into three subject areas: pollution prevention, compliance with the regulations, and permitting/corrective action at facilities that manage hazardous wastes. This paper examines what is working and what needs improvement in each of these areas, it defines Ecology′s long-term goals for improvements, and it defines the proposed action recommendations and rationale for meeting those long-term goals.