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Special Waste Shipments

This guidance will help you to report the generation, management, or shipment of Special Wastes on the GM form and OI form.

What is Special Waste?

Special Waste is state only dangerous waste that is conditionally excluded by WAC 173-303-073. A waste must be fully designated before it can be identified as Special Waste. Special Wastes are defined in WAC 173-303-040 as being: Any state only dangerous waste that is solid only (not liquid, aqueous or gaseous).

• Listed Source Waste Number WPCB.
• Corrosive Characteristic Waste Number WSC2.
• Toxic Criteria Category D (oral rat LD50 of 500-5000 mg/kg or equivalent) only Waste Number WT02.
• Or, Persistent Criteria - Waste Number WP02.

If a waste has any other waste number it cannot be a Special Waste. 

Examples of Possible Special Wastes:

• WSC2 - Spent polymerization catalyst, sodium hydroxide and aluminum hydroxide, batteries.
• WT02 – Contaminated absorbents and debris, evaporator condensate, pollution control filter cake, floor dry, paint.
• WP02 – Resins, adhesives, dried paint, sealant, grease, tar, metal machining wastes, contaminated soil and absorbents.

For more information see Ecology Publication #96-1254-HWTR, Management Requirements for Special Waste.

Special Waste Management Generators can either manage special waste as fully regulated dangerous waste or they can choose to follow the conditional exclusions of WAC 173-303-073.

To take advantage of this conditional exclusion, generators must dispose of their waste in hazardous waste or municipal solid waste landfills, recycle the waste on - or off-site, or treat the waste in a way that is consistent with Ecology's treatment-by-generator guidance. For more information on on-site treatment, see Ecology Publication #96-412 Treatment by Generator.

How to Report Special Waste on the GM Form

Generator annual reporting of special waste is required.

• B-4i and B-5iv - Enter SWFACILITY or the RCRA Site ID Number.
• Comments Section - Write "Managed as Special Waste per WAC 173-303-073."

If you sent special waste to several facilities, add sequential numbers to your SWFACILITY entries on the GM Forms (i.e. SWFACILITY01, SWFACILITY02, SWFACILITY03 and so on).

How to Report Special Waste on the OI Form

• RCRA Site ID Number - Enter the word SWFacility or the RCRA Site ID number.
• Name and Address - Enter the information for the facility.
• Handler Type - Choose the Special Waste box. If this facility was also used as your Transporter and/or TSDR mark as such.

Special instructions for Washington state-only waste shipped to out-of-state facilities.

If you ship waste to a TSDR without a RCRA Site ID Number, use the letters "NOIDNeeded" followed by a number. For example, NOIDNeeded01.