Special Wastes: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Special Wastes: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Iowa is one of only two states that do not have authorization from the EPA to implement the RCRA C hazardous waste program. Even so, the Iowa DNR’s Solid Waste program is usually where businesses and emergency responders come for assistance when they’ve generated a potentially hazardous waste after an emergency situation or when they begin a new process and generate an unknown or unfamiliar waste. This presentation will provide an overview of the Iowa DNR’s Special Waste Authorization (SWA) program, which was established by the Legislature to assist businesses and landfill operators with difficult to manage wastes and cover some of the more unusual wastes that have come through the program including:

• Biofuel industry waste (an emerging technology with proven difficult waste to manage)
• Chemical plant explosion, sorting through the debris
• Truck crashes, what is really inside those semi’s
• and will provide helpful tips for waste determinations