Hazardous wastes are either specifically listed as hazardous by EPA or a state, or exhibit one or more of the following characteristics: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity.
Hazardous waste, by definition, has the potential to negatively affect human health and the environment, which is why it is so strictly regulated.Although data do not exist to directly link trends in waste with effects on human health and the environment, the management of waste may result in waste and chemicals in waste entering the environment. The effects associated with waste vary widely and are influenced by the substances or chemicals found in waste and how they are managed. Tracking trends in the quantity, composition, and effects of these materials provides insight into the efficiency with which the nation uses (and reuses) materials and resources and provides a means to better understand the effects of wastes on human health and ecological condition. Waste generation, in most cases, represents inefficient use of materials. is one of the largest generators of municipal solid waste per person on a daily basis. Developed societies, such as the U.S., generally produce large amounts of municipal solid waste (e.g., food wastes, packaged goods, disposable goods, used electronics) and commercial and industrial wastes (e.g., demolition debris, incineration residues, refinery sludges). The amount of waste produced is influenced by economic activity, consumption, and population growth. Many different types of waste are generated, including municipal solid waste, hazardous waste, industrial non-hazardous waste, agricultural and animal waste, medical waste, radioactive waste, construction and demolition debris, extraction and mining waste, oil and gas production waste, fossil fuel combustion waste, and sewage sludge (see Glossary for detailed descriptions of these wastes). Virtually every resident, organization, and human activity in the U.S. What are the trends in wastes and their effects on human health and the environment?