Waste Disposal
What the exam tests
This domain tests packaging, labeling, transport, landfill approval, and waste shipment records.
Core rules and concepts
- Asbestos waste must be wetted, sealed in leak-tight containers (6-mil plastic bags, fiber drums, or lined boxes), and labeled with an OSHA warning and generator information.
- Do not compact or rupture bags; do not use open dumpsters or ordinary garbage trucks.
- Transport must follow DOT rules for asbestos (49 CFR 171-180), and the waste must go to a landfill permitted to accept asbestos.
- A waste shipment record documents the generator, transporter, quantity, and disposal facility; the landfill returns a signed copy.
- Asbestos waste is not automatically a RCRA hazardous waste; if it is mixed with a hazardous waste, the mixture is regulated as hazardous.
- Indiana may require advance notice to the landfill and specific disposal fees.
Worked example
A project generates 12 bags of friable pipe insulation. Each bag is double-bagged in 6-mil plastic, labeled 'Danger-Contains Asbestos Fibers,' and placed in a locked roll-off. The hauler provides a waste shipment record. The landfill confirms it is permitted for asbestos and returns the signed record. The contractor keeps the record for the required retention period.
Traps
Do not place asbestos bags in a construction dumpster; do not label only the outside of a truck. Do not assume a landfill that takes demolition debris accepts asbestos. Do not skip the waste shipment record because the load is small.