Hazardous waste generated in the United States 2001-2019, by type

*Hazardous waste management information is obtained from data reported by facilities that treated, stored, recycled or disposed of hazardous wastes during the reporting year.

Federal regulations require large quantity generators (if the site generates 1,000 kg in any calendar month) to submit a report every two years regarding the nature, quantities and disposition of hazardous waste generated at their facility.

The statistic does not include all the hazardous waste generated in the United States. There is hazardous waste generated that is not federally required to be reported in the Biennial Report including hazardous waste generated by very small quantity and small quantity generators, some wastes that are recycled, and universal waste. Additionally, hazardous waste received from off-site for storage/bulking and subsequently transferred off-site for treatment or disposal is excluded from generation quantities so that the waste quantities are not counted more than once. Finally, sites that ship hazardous waste directly to a foreign country for management do not report this information on their Biennial Report forms.

The amount of hazardous waste reported as managed is larger than the amount reported as generated. This is because the amounts reported as managed include all hazardous wastes that may not be reported as generated because they may be from those generators that are not required to report the hazardous waste generation to the Biennial Report such as households, very small quantity generators, and small quantity generators. Additionally, some exempt hazardous wastes, universal waste, and certain hazardous wastes that are recycled do not have to be reported as generated, but may be sent to a facility that treats, stores, recycles or disposes of these wastes and they may report managing that waste on their Biennial Report forms.