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Enter the Waste Designation Decision Matrix

Begin here to go through this aid to businesses in deciding how certain wastes must be handled.

The law requires you to designate (or classify) all hazardous, industrial waste you generate. This is called "making a waste determination."

Solid Waste Classification Process

The solid waste classification process, as defined by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and associated state laws/rules, is not easy. In order to classify your waste as "hazardous, nonhazardous, industrial class 1, 2, or 3, special waste, or excluded" you need all the information you can possibly gather about the waste you are classifying.

Gathering the information you need to make a determination

Classes and Types of Hazardous and Nonhazardous Wastes

How To Make A Waste Determination

We have attempted to provide you with assistance in making your waste determination by providing a series of questions for you to answer. With each question we have included explanations and links to additional information that will help you make your determination. The questions are comprehensive of nearly every regulation affecting generators in Texas.

Carefully answer each question by clicking on the "Yes" or "No" button associated with the question to progress to the next question in the matrix. If you are unsure of your answer, use the links to obtain more information to help you answer the question. When you reach a blue box, you have completed the matrix.

For further assistance, you may reference RG-022, Guidelines for the Classification and Coding of Industrial and Hazardous Wastes. This document assists generators of industrial and hazardous waste in meeting the requirements of self waste classification.

The matrix is provided as an assistance tool. It cannot be used as a substitute for following applicable city, state, and federal laws.


Enter the Matrix