• Facilities in Washington that generate more than a minimum threshold of dangerous waste  must prepare a Pollution Prevention Plan. Skilled HWTR staff help these planning facilities identify the improvements to their processes  that will use the least hazardous constituents during manufacturing and operations, reducing hazardous waste generation.
• HWTR staff also provide intensive technical assistance to specific sectors and facilities that have the potential to yield the greatest results. This work includes the Technical Resources for Engineering Efficiency (TREE) Program, the Environmental Results Program, and the Mercury Chemical Action Plan. HWTR coordinates much of this work with local governments.

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• This helps ensure that businesses understand the rules and carry them out effectively. Staff provide this help through publications, workshops, phone consultations, site visits, and analyses of industry sectors.
• The state’s rules for managing hazardous waste derive from the federal Resource Conversation Recovery Act (1976) and the state Hazardous Waste Management Act (1976).

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• HWTR conducts more than 200 compliance inspections every year, inspecting large, medium, and small quantity generators and hazardous waste management facilities.
• HWTR focuses on inspecting facilities with the most potential to cause environmental harm. Ecology selects facilities for inspection based upon complaints, past compliance records, the results of sector analyses, and other criteria.
• HWTR offers compliance assistance prior to formal enforcement action. Informal enforcement, such as compliance letters, notices of correction, and technical assistance, normally results in compliance. Enforcement proceeds more quickly if there is an imminent threat to human health or the environment.
• Formal enforcement may proceed when informal enforcement does not work. Formal enforcement actions are infrequent and are usually only brought into play when a facility repeatedly refuses or is unable to correct violations. Intentional pollution or environmental crimes can result in a criminal investigation.

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• Dangerous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities (TSDs) must obtain a permit. The permit ensures that facility standards and operations protect the environment.
• Ecology is responsible for overseeing approximately 15 operating TSDs in Washington. These facilities need to renew their permit at least every ten years. A facility may need to modify its permit sooner if it changes its operations.
• HWTR staff oversee site-specific corrective action (cleanups) at contaminated TSDs. Sites with the greatest hazard to human health and the environment have the highest priority. We currently oversee cleanup at 34 TSD facilities.
• TSDs must have closure plans to deal with decontaminating sites that no longer manage dangerous waste. Closure activities may trigger cleanup actions at these sites.

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• Our automated data systems:
• Collect and organize program information to plan site visits.
• Measure progress on pollution prevention and compliance.
• Track information from hundreds of facilities with pollution prevention plans.
• Track thousands of facilities that pay fees.
• We continually strive to improve how we organize and analyze this data to measure the success of our activities. We are increasing public access by making more information available on the Internet and presenting it in more useful ways.
• These efforts also support the agency’s environmental justice work with communities and the public.

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