Common Hazardous Waste Acronyms and Abbreviations

If I were going to stick with the old saying, I would say that “if you had told me a few years ago that I would one day have a job that required me to look up RCRA waste regulations on a regular basis I would have laughed in your face.” In reality though, I probably would have asked you what RCRA even stood for (for the record, it’s the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act).

Since working in this field I have realized that outside of those of us who deal with it on a regular basis, many people don’t know what the different abbreviations and acronyms associated with waste regulations and recycling. Luckily, at one of our RCRA courses I was given the following list of “Common Hazardous Material/Waste Acronyms and Recognized Abbreviations.”  Hopefully you will find the list as helpful as I do!

• ACM – Asbestos Containing Material
• AST – Aboveground Storage Tank
• BDAT – Best Demonstrated Available Technology
• BIF – Boiler & Industrial Furnaces
• CAMU – Corrective Action Management Unit
• CAS RN – Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number
• CERCLA – Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, & Liability Act (“Super-fund”)
• CERCLIS – Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, & Liability Information System (Inventory), formerly the ERRIS List
• CESQG – Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator
• CFR  – Code of Federal Regulations
• 40 CFR – Protection of the Environment – U.S. EPA
• 49 CFR – Transportation – U.S. DOT
• 29 CFR – General Industry Standards – OSHA
• CHEMTREC – Chemical Transportation Emergency Center (CMA)
• CKD – Cement Kiln Dust
• CMA – Chemical Manufacturers Association
• CMBST – Combustion: Incineration/Fuel Substitution (Specified Technology Treatment Standard)
• CMS – Corrective Measures Study
• CWA – Clean Water Act
• CWT – Centralized Waste Treatment Industry
• DEACT – Deactivate (Specified Technology Treatment Standard)
• DOT – U.S. Department of Transportation
• EPA – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• EPCRA – Emergency Planning & Community Right to Know Act (Title III of SARA)
• FR – Federal Register
• HHW – Household Hazardous Wastes
• HMT – Hazardous Materials Table (49 CFR 172.101)
• HMTA – Hazardous Materials Transportation Act
• HOC – Halogenated Organic Compound (Appendix III of 40 CFR Part 268)
• HSWA – Hazardous & Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (to RCRA)
• HTMR – High Temperature Metal Recovery
• HWIR – Hazardous Waste Identification Rule
• HWM – Hazardous Waste Management
• LDR – Land Disposal Restrictions
• LQG – Large Quantity Generator
• MCL – Maximum Contaminant Level
• MSDS – Material Safety Data Sheet
• NCP – National Oil & Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (National Contingency Plan – 40 CFR Part 300)
• NIOSH – National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health
• Non WW – Non-Wastewater (category)
• Nos – Not Otherwise Specified
• NPDES -National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
• NPL – National Priorities List
• NRC – National Response Center
• O/O – Owner/Operator
• ORM – Other Regulated Material
• OSHA – U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration
• PCB – Polychlorinated Biphenyl
• PEL – Permissible Exposure Limit
• POTW – Publicly Owned Treatment Works (Sewage Treatment Plant)
• PRP – Potentially Responsible Party (often Responsible Party (RP))
• RCRA – Resource Conservation & Recovery Act of 1976
• RFA/RFI – RCRA Facility Assessment/RCRA Facility Investigation
• RI/FS – Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study
• RORGS – Recovery of Organics (Specified Technology Treatment Standard)
• RQ – Reportable Quantity
• RSPA – Research & Special Programs Administration (DOT)
• SARA – Superfund Amendments & Reauthorization Act of 1986 (to CERCLA)
• SDWA – Safe Drinking Water Act
• SIC – Standard Industrial Classification (Code)
• SPCC – Spill Prevention Control & Countermeasures (Plan)
• SQG – Small Quantity Generator
• SWDA – Solid Waste Disposal Act (RCRA Predecessor)
• SWMU – Solid Waste Management Unit (often SMU)
• SW-846 – Test Methods for Solid Waste: Physical/Chemical Methods
• TAR – Toxics Along for the Ride
• TC – Toxicity Characteristic
• TCLP – Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure
• TLV – Threshold Limit Value
• TPH – Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons
• TRI – Toxic Release Inventory
• TSCA – Toxic Substances Control Act
• TSD – Treatment, Storage, or Disposal Facility (often TSDF)
• UHC – Underlying Hazardous Constituents
• UHWM – Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest
• UIC – Underground Injection Control
• UST – Underground Storage Tank
• UTS – Universal Treatment Standards
• VOC – Volatile Organic Compound (Chemical)
• WW – Wastewater (category)
• WWT – Wastewater Treatment