ARTICLE 4. Listings [25140. - 25145.4.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 4.

in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25140. Section 25140.

The department shall prepare, adopt and may revise when appropriate, a listing of the wastes which are determined to be hazardous, and a listing of the wastes which are determined to be extremely hazardous. When identifying such wastes the department shall consider, but not be limited to, the immediate or persistent toxic effects to man and wildlife and the resistance to natural degradation or detoxification of the wastes.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25141. Section 25141.

(a) The department shall develop and adopt by regulation criteria and guidelines for the identification of hazardous wastes and extremely hazardous wastes. (b) The criteria and guidelines adopted by the department pursuant to subdivision (a) shall identify as hazardous waste or combinations of waste that, because of the quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics of the waste, may do either of the following: (1) Cause, or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, or incapacitating reversible, illness. (2) Pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment, due to factors including, but not limited to, carcinogenicity, acute toxicity, chronic toxicity, bioaccumulative properties, or persistence in the environment, when improperly treated, stored, transported, or disposed of, or otherwise managed. (c) Except as provided in Section 25141.5, any regulations adopted pursuant to this section for the identification of hazardous waste as it read on January 1, 1995, which are in effect on January 1, 1995, shall be deemed to comply with the intent of this section as amended by this act during the 1995 portion of the 1995–96 Regular Session of the Legislature.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25141.1. Section 25141.1.

(a) Subject to an appropriation by the Legislature in the Budget Act of 2022 that implements a proposal to review the department’s hazardous waste criteria, and as part of the department’s comprehensive evaluation of its criteria and guidelines for the identification of hazardous wastes and extremely hazardous wastes, the department shall include a review of its acute aquatic toxicity criterion. (b) The department’s evaluation shall consider the continued value and necessity of the aquatic toxicity criterion, the threshold at which wastes are considered hazardous using the aquatic toxicity criterion, and the available test methods, including, but not limited to, calculation-based methods, with which a waste can be tested to determine whether it exhibits the criterion. (c) Once the review is completed, in addition to any other output or deliverable contemplated by the department as a result of the efforts for which the appropriation has been made by the Legislature in the Budget Act of 2022, the department shall develop recommendations on next steps to consider related to the aquatic toxicity criterion, threshold, and test methods, as well as cost estimates to carry out those recommendations. The department shall incorporate its recommendations into the State Hazardous Waste Management Plan that the department is required to prepare and produce pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 25135.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25141.2. Section 25141.2.

(a) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the department shall not publish a notice of a proposal to adopt, amend, or repeal regulations pursuant to the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) pertaining to the criteria and guidelines for the identification of hazardous waste or to management standards for special wastes until the findings of the external scientific peer review entity convened pursuant to Section 57004 have been issued and the department has reviewed those findings. (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the department shall not publish a notice of a proposal to adopt, amend, or repeal the regulations specified in paragraph (1) before January 1, 1999. (b) With respect to the regulations specified in subdivision (a), the department shall submit for public comment its analysis of any hazardous waste management activity to be exempted from this chapter pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 25150.6 and its demonstration that the exemption satisfies the requirements of subdivision (c) of Section 25150.6 on the earlier of the following dates: (1) The date that the department issues its draft environmental impact report on the proposed regulations. (2) The date the department publishes its notice of proposed regulatory action pursuant to the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). (c) Subdivision (b) does not prohibit the department from revising its analysis or demonstration to respond to public comments before the adoption of the regulations. (d) The department shall, prior to adopting the final version of any regulations specifying the criteria and guidelines for the identification of hazardous waste pursuant to Section 25141 and submitting the adopted regulations to the Office of Administrative Law, do all of the following: (1) Determine which aspects of the final version of the regulations have been changed subsequent to an external scientific peer review of the scientific basis and scientific portions of the regulations as initially proposed and identify the scientific basis and empirical data or other scientific findings, conclusions, and assumptions upon which the changes are premised. (2) Submit each change identified pursuant to paragraph (1), together with all supporting scientific material, to external scientific peer review pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 57004 if both of the following apply: (A) The change is related to establishing a regulatory level, standard, or other requirement for the protection of public health, safety, or the environment. (B) The change is not directly related to, and is not a response to, the findings of the external scientific peer review of the regulations as initially proposed. (3) Comply with the requirements of paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 57004. (e) (1) The department may utilize the CalTox model and the criteria and guidelines for the identification of hazardous waste, if the criteria and guidelines have been adopted pursuant to the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), to generate new values for soluble constituents. (2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the department shall not amend or repeal the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter that are in effect on the effective date of the act adding this section during the 1997–98 Regular Session, with respect to the testing procedure employed to measure solubility or with respect to the regulatory thresholds measured by that testing procedure until an external scientific peer review entity convened pursuant to Section 57004 makes the following finding: (A) The new proposed testing procedure for solubility is based on sound scientific knowledge, methods, and practices and will predict, with a reasonable degree of accuracy, the long-term mobility in landfill leachate of each hazardous constituent for which the department has established by regulation a soluble threshold limit concentration. (B) For those hazardous constituents whose long-term mobility in landfill leachate cannot be accurately measured by any testing procedure that can be developed within a reasonable period of time, the soluble threshold limit concentration can be adjusted in a scientifically sound manner to compensate for the extent of inaccuracy of the testing procedure for that constituent. (3) In establishing revised total threshold limit concentrations in any proposed regulations pertaining to the criteria and guidelines for the identification of hazardous waste pursuant to Section 25141, the department shall not base the total threshold limit concentration for any hazardous constituent in whole, or in part, on an assumption that when wastes are placed on or in the land outside of a permitted disposal facility, those wastes will be mixed or diluted, unless an external scientific peer review entity convened pursuant to Section 57004 finds that the department has demonstrated, in a sound scientific manner, that the assumption that dilution or mixing will occur when the wastes are applied or disposed to land is a reasonable representation of waste management practices in the state, while taking into account reasonably foreseeable mismanagement of wastes, and that these application or disposal practices do not pose significant public health or environmental risks.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25141.5. Section 25141.5.

(a) When classifying a waste as hazardous pursuant to the criteria in paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 66261.24 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, as that section read on January 1, 1993, the department shall incorporate the department’s decision into a regulation, if the department determines that the waste’s classification as a hazardous waste is likely to have broad application beyond the producer who initiated the request. (b) Unless the department makes a determination after January 1, 1996, by regulation, that additional criteria are necessary to protect the public health, safety, and environment of the state, the department shall use the following criteria and procedures for the identification and regulation of the following types of hazardous waste: (1) In identifying wastes that are hazardous due to the characteristic of reactivity, the department shall rely on objective analytical tests, procedures, and numerical thresholds set forth in the regulations or guidance documents adopted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2) (A) On and after January 1, 1997, in identifying wastes that are hazardous due to the characteristic of acute oral toxicity, as defined in the regulations adopted by the department pursuant to this chapter, the department shall use an oral LD50 threshold of less than 2,500 milligrams per kilogram, unless the department adopts revised regulations setting forth a different threshold for acute oral toxicity, based on a review and update of the scientific basis for this criterion. (B) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter or the regulations adopted by the department prior to January 1, 1996, to the extent consistent with the federal act, the substances listed in this subparagraph shall not be classified as hazardous waste due solely to the characteristic of acute oral toxicity. The language in parentheses following the scientific name of each of the substances listed in this paragraph describes one or more common uses of each substance, and is provided for informational purposes only. (i) Acetic acid (vinegar). (ii) Aluminum chloride (used in deodorants). (iii) Ammonium bromide (used in textile finishing and as an anticorrosive agent). (iv) Ammonium sulfate (used as a food additive and in fertilizer). (v) Anisole (used in perfumes and food flavoring). (vi) Boric acid (used in eyewashes and heat resistant glass). (vii) Calcium fluoride (used to fluoridate drinking water). (viii) Calcium formate (used in brewing and as a briquette binder). (ix) Calcium propionate (used as a food additive). (x) Cesium chloride (used in brewing and in mineral waters). (xi) Magnesium chloride (used as a flocculating agent). (xii) Potassium chloride (used as a salt substitute and a food additive). (xiii) Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda, used in antacids and mouthwashes). (xiv) Sodium borate decahydrate (borax, used in laundry detergents). (xv) Sodium carbonate (soda ash, used in textile processing). (xvi) Sodium chloride (table salt). (xvii) Sodium iodide (used as an iodine supplement and in cloud seeding). (xviii) Sodium tetraborate (borax, used in laundry detergents). (xix) The following oils commonly used as food flavorings: allspice oil, ceylon cinnamon oil, clarified slurry oil, dill oils, or lauryl leaf oil. (3) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), a waste that would be classified as hazardous solely because it exceeds total threshold limit concentrations, as defined in regulations adopted by the department, shall be excluded from classification as a hazardous waste for purposes of disposal in, and is allowed to be disposed in, a disposal unit regulated as a permitted class I, II, or III disposal unit, pursuant to Section 2531 of Title 23, and Sections 20250 and 20260 of Title 27 of the California Code of Regulations, if, prior to disposal, the waste is managed in accordance with the management standards adopted by the department, by regulation, if any, for this specific type of waste. (B) Subparagraph (A) shall not apply to a hazardous waste that is a liquid, a sludge or sludge-like material, soil, a solid that is friable, powdered, or finely divided, a nonfilterable and nonmillable tarry material, or a waste that contains an organic substance that exceeds the total threshold limit concentration established by the department for that substance. (C) For purposes of this subparagraph (B), the following definitions shall apply: (i) A waste is liquid if it meets the test specified in subdivision (i) of Section 66268.32 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations. (ii) “Sludge or sludge-like material” means any solid, semisolid, or liquid waste generated from a municipal, commercial, or industrial wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility, but does not include the treated effluent from wastewater treatment plants. (iii) “Friable, powdered, or finely divided” has the same meaning as used in the regulations adopted by the department pursuant to this chapter. (iv) “Nonfilterable and nonmillable tarry material” has the same meaning as used in the regulations adopted by the department pursuant to this chapter. (D) This paragraph does not affect the authority of a city or county regarding solid waste management under existing provisions of law. (c) Any regulations adopted pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare, and may be adopted as emergency regulations in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25141.5.1. Section 25141.5.1.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: (1) “Cannabis waste” has the same meaning as defined in Section 15000 of Title 4 of the California Code of Regulations. (2) “Plant waste” means the waste of plant material that meets the definition of “agricultural material,” “green material,” or “vegetative food material” in Section 17852 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations. (b) Plant waste and cannabis waste solely exhibiting the hazardous waste characteristic of toxicity pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (a) of Section 66261.24 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations shall be excluded from classification as a hazardous waste.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25141.6. Section 25141.6.

In any case where the department proposes to make a determination that a waste meets one or more of the criteria and guidelines for the identification of hazardous wastes adopted pursuant to Section 25141, but that it is not necessary to manage the waste as a hazardous waste because the waste possesses mitigating physical and chemical characteristics that render it insignificant as a hazard to human health, safety, or the environment, the department shall issue a public notice of that proposed determination. The public notice shall be electronically posted on the department’s Internet home page at least 30 days before the determination becomes final and shall also be sent to all of the following: (a) The Chairperson of the California Environmental Policy Council. (b) The California Integrated Waste Management Board. (c) The State Water Resources Control Board. (d) Any person who requests the public notice. (e) Any solid waste enforcement agency or California regional water quality control board, the jurisdiction of which the department knows will be affected by the determination.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25142. Section 25142.

Any waste which conforms to a criterion adopted pursuant to Section 25141 shall be managed in accordance with permits, orders, and regulations issued or adopted by the department pursuant to this chapter and building standards published in the State Building Standards Code relating to hazardous waste facilities, or recycled consistent with the list of hazardous wastes which the department, pursuant to Section 25175, finds are economically and technologically feasible to recycle, until the waste is cited in a list adopted by the department pursuant to Section 25140.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25142.5. Section 25142.5.

The department shall develop and implement a comprehensive training, education, and enforcement program for generators, transporters, and facility operators, for personnel conducting inspections for the departments, and for certified unified program agencies. The program shall be designed to increase awareness of the requirements governing the determination of whether a waste is hazardous, including, but not limited to, the requirements governing the use of the generator’s knowledge of a waste to determine if the waste is hazardous, and to enhance the level of enforcement of those requirements. In implementing this program, the department shall give priority to training, education, and enforcement activities relating to the classification of the particular waste streams that the department determines are the most susceptible to misclassification, including, but not limited to, oily water and contaminated soil.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143. Section 25143.

(a) The department may grant a variance from one or more of the requirements of this chapter, or the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter, for the management of a hazardous waste if all of the following conditions apply: (1) One of the following conditions applies: (A) The hazardous waste is solely a non-RCRA hazardous waste or the hazardous waste or its management is exempt from, or is not otherwise regulated pursuant to, the federal act. (B) The requirement from which a variance is being granted is not a requirement of the federal act, or the regulations adopted to implement the federal act. (C) The department has issued, or is simultaneously issuing, a variance from the federal act for the hazardous waste management pursuant to subdivision (c). (2) The department makes one of the following findings: (A) The hazardous waste, the amount of the hazardous waste, or the hazardous waste management activity or management unit is insignificant or unimportant as a potential hazard to human health and safety or to the environment, when managed in accordance with the conditions, limitations, and other requirements specified in the variance. (B) The requirements, from which a variance is being granted, are insignificant or unimportant in preventing or minimizing a potential hazard to human health and safety or the environment. (C) The handling, processing, or disposal of the hazardous waste, or the hazardous waste management activity, is regulated by another governmental agency in a manner that ensures it will not pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health and safety, and the environment. (D) A requirement imposed by another public agency provides protection of human health and safety or the environment equivalent to the protection provided by the requirement from which the variance is being granted. (3) The variance is granted in accordance with this section. (b) (1) The department may grant a variance upon receipt of a variance application for a site or sites owned or operated by an individual or business concern. The individual or business concern submitting the application for a variance shall submit to the department sufficient information to enable the department to determine if all of the conditions required by subdivision (a) are satisfied for all situations within the scope of the requested variance. (2) The department may also grant a variance, on its own initiative, to one or more individuals or business concerns. If the variance is granted to more than one individual or business concern, the department, in granting the variance pursuant to this paragraph, shall comply with all of the following requirements: (A) The department shall make all of the following findings, in addition to the findings required pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a): (i) That the variance is necessary to address a temporary situation, or that the variance is needed to address an ongoing situation pending the adoption of regulations by the department. (ii) That the variance will not create a substantive competitive disadvantage for a member or members of a specific class of facilities. This finding shall be based upon information available to the department at the time that the variance is granted. (iii) That there are no reasonably foreseeable site-specific physical or operating conditions that could potentially impact the finding made by the department pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a). This finding shall be supported by substantial evidence in the record as a whole, and shall be based upon both of the following: (I) The types of hazardous waste streams, the estimated amounts of hazardous waste, and the locations that are affected by the variance. The estimate of the amounts of hazardous waste that are affected by the variance shall be based upon information reasonably available to the department. (II) Due inquiry, with respect to the hazardous waste streams and management activities affected by the variance, regarding the potential for mismanagement, enforcement and site remediation experience, and proximity to sensitive receptors. (B) The variance shall not be granted for a period of more than one year. A variance granted pursuant to this paragraph may be renewed for one additional one-year period, if the department makes a finding that the variance has not resulted in harm to human health or safety or to the environment and that there has been substantial compliance with the conditions contained in the variance. (C) The department shall issue a public notice at least 30 days prior to granting the variance to allow an opportunity for public comment. The public notice shall be issued in the California Regulatory Register, to the department’s regulatory mailing list, and to all potentially affected hazardous waste facilities and generators known to the department. The department shall, upon request, hold a public meeting prior to granting the variance. In granting the variance and in making the findings required by paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) and subparagraph (A), the department shall consider all public comments received. (D) The department shall not grant a variance pursuant to this paragraph from the definition of, or classification as, a hazardous waste, or from requirements pertaining to the investigation or remediation of releases of hazardous waste or constituents. (E) The authority of the department to grant or renew variances pursuant to this paragraph shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2002, unless a later enacted statute, which is enacted before January 1, 2002, deletes or extends that date. This subparagraph shall not be construed to invalidate any variance granted pursuant to this paragraph prior to the expiration of the department’s authority. (c) (1) In addition to the variance authorized pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b), the department, after making one of the findings specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), may also grant a variance from the requirements of the federal act in accordance with the provisions of Sections 260.30, 260.31, 260.32, and 260.33 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor federal regulations, regarding the issuance of variances from classification of a material as a solid waste or variances classifying enclosed devices using controlled flame combustion as boilers. (2) This subdivision shall take effect on the date that the department obtains authorization from the Environmental Protection Agency to implement those provisions of the federal act that are identified in paragraph (1). (d) Each variance issued pursuant to this section shall be issued on a form prescribed by the department and shall, as applicable, include, but not be limited to, all of the following: (1) Information identifying the individuals or business concerns to which the variance applies. This identification shall be by name, location of the site or sites, type of hazardous waste generated or managed, or type of hazardous waste management activity, as applicable. (2) As applicable, a description of the physical characteristics and chemical composition of the hazardous waste or the specifications of the hazardous waste management activity or unit to which the variance applies. (3) The time period during which the variance is effective. (4) A specification of the requirements of this chapter or the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter from which the variance is granted. (5) A specification of the conditions, limitations, or other requirements to which the variance is subject. (e) (1) Variances issued pursuant to this section are subject to review at the discretion of the department and may be revoked or modified at any time. (2) The department shall revoke or modify a variance if the department finds any of the following: (A) The conditions required by this section are no longer satisfied. (B) The holder of the variance is in violation of one or more of the conditions, limitations, or other requirements of the variance, and, as a result of the violation, the conditions required by this section are no longer satisfied. (C) If the variance was granted because of the finding specified in subparagraph (C) or (D) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), the holder of the variance is in violation of one or more of the regulatory requirements of another governmental agency to which the holder is subject and the violation invalidates that finding. (f) Within 30 days from the date of granting a variance, the department shall issue a public notice on the California Regulatory Register.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.1. Section 25143.1.

(a) Geothermal waste resulting from drilling for geothermal resources is exempt from the requirements of this chapter because the disposal of these geothermal wastes is regulated by the California regional water quality control boards. (b) (1) Wastes from the extraction, beneficiation, and processing of ores and minerals that are not subject to regulation under the federal act are exempt from the requirements of this chapter, except the requirements of Article 9.5 (commencing with Section 25208), as provided in paragraph (2). (2) The wastes subject to this subdivision are subject to Article 9.5 (commencing with Section 25208) and Part 2 (commencing with Section 78000) of Division 45 if the wastes would otherwise be classified as hazardous wastes pursuant to Section 25117 and the regulations adopted pursuant to Section 25141. (3) For purposes of this subdivision, the following definitions shall apply: (A) “Wastes from the extraction, beneficiation, and processing of ores and minerals” means any of the following: (i) Soil, waste rock, overburden, and other solid, semisolid, or liquid natural materials that are removed, unearthed, or otherwise displaced as a result of excavating or recovering an ore or a mineral. (ii) Residuals of ores or minerals after those ores or minerals have been removed, unearthed, or otherwise displaced from their natural sites and physically or chemically treated or otherwise managed in order to separate or concentrate the commercial product present in the ore or mineral, or processed to produce a final marketable product. (iii) Spent brine solutions that are used to produce geothermal energy and that are transferred, via a closed piping system, to an adjacent facility for reclamation, beneficiation, or processing to recover minerals or other commercial substances, if the spent brine solutions, and any liquid residuals derived from the solutions, satisfy all of the following conditions: (I) Are managed in accordance with the standards set forth in Section 261.4(a)(17)(i) to (iii), inclusive, of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. (II) Are returned after processing, via closed piping, and subsequently managed in accordance with the exemption provided in subdivision (c). (III) Are not a solid or semisolid hazardous residuals. This subclause applies to materials that include, but are not limited to, filter cakes that are not covered by the exemption provided in subdivision (c). (B) “Minerals” has the same meaning as defined in Section 2005 of the Public Resources Code. (c) (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (3) and (4), geothermal waste, excluding filter cake, that is generated from the exploration, development, or production of geothermal energy and that does not result from drilling for geothermal resources, is exempt from the requirements of this chapter, if the geothermal waste meets either of the following requirements: (A) The geothermal waste is contained within a piping system, nonearthen trench, or descaling area, or within related equipment, that is associated with the geothermal plant where the waste was generated. (B) The geothermal waste is within the physical boundaries of a lined surface impoundment associated with the geothermal plant where the waste was generated. (2) If geothermal waste that is exempted pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) is relocated to an elevated location inside a lined surface impoundment for dewatering, that waste shall be removed from the surface impoundment within 30 days of the relocation and while the waste still contains sufficient moisture to prevent wind dispersion, except for residuals that are impractical to remove. The geothermal waste shall be deemed to be generated at the time of removal and shall be properly managed as hazardous waste pursuant to the requirements of this chapter. (3) A geothermal waste that is exempt pursuant to this subdivision ceases to be exempt from the requirements of this chapter, and shall be deemed to have been generated, when any of the following occur: (A) It is no longer contained in one or more of the following, as described in paragraph (1): (i) A piping system. (ii) Nonearthen trench. (iii) Descaling area. (iv) Related equipment. (v) Lined surface impoundment. (B) It is left in a geothermal piping system, a related piping system, a nonearthen trench, a descaling area, or another piece of related equipment 18 months after the date the geothermal power plant last produced power, unless prior to that date the operator submits a written notification, as described in paragraph (4) to the department, and the department acknowledges the notification in writing. (C) It is left in a lined surface impoundment and at any time poses an imminent potential threat to areas outside the surface impoundment due to windblown fugitive dusts. (D) It remains in a unit no longer actively regulated by the regional water quality control board. (E) It is left in a lined surface impoundment 18 months after the date the surface impoundment has last received waste, unless prior to that date the operator submits a written notification as described in paragraph (4) to the department, and the department acknowledges the notification in writing. (4) The notification that is required to be submitted by an operator pursuant to subparagraphs (B) and (E) of paragraph (3) shall contain all of the following information: (A) The name and address of the operator, and the address and physical location of the plant or surface impoundment in which the waste will be stored. (B) Estimated dates on which the units will resume operation. (C) A description of how the waste will be stored and managed, demonstrating to the department that the waste will not pose a significant hazard to human health and safety or the environment. (5) This subdivision does not exempt hazardous waste that is either not directly associated with geothermal energy exploration, development, and production, or that is not exempted from the federal act pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) of Section 261.4 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or both. Hazardous waste that is not exempted pursuant to this subdivision includes, but is not limited to, used oil generated from vehicles or the lubrication of machinery.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.1.5. Section 25143.1.5.

(a) For purposes of this section, “wood waste” includes poles, crossarms, pilings, fence posts, lumber, support timbers, flume lumber, and cooling tower lumber. (b) Any wood waste, previously treated with a preservative, that has been removed from electric, gas, or telephone service, is exempt from the requirements of this chapter if all of the following conditions are met: (1) The wood waste is not subject to regulation as a hazardous waste under the federal act. (2) The wood waste is disposed of in a composite-lined portion of a municipal solid waste landfill that meets any requirements imposed by the state policy adopted pursuant to Section 13140 of the Water Code and regulations adopted pursuant to Sections 13172 and 13173 of the Water Code. (3) The solid waste landfill used for disposal is authorized to accept the wood waste under waste discharge requirements issued by the California regional water quality control board pursuant to Division 7 (commencing with Section 13000) of the Water Code.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.2. Section 25143.2.

(a) Recyclable materials are subject to this chapter and the regulations adopted by the department to implement this chapter that apply to hazardous wastes, unless the department issues a variance pursuant to Section 25143, or except as provided otherwise in subdivision (b), (c), or (d) or in the regulations adopted by the department pursuant to Sections 25150 and 25151. (b) Except as otherwise provided in subdivisions (e), (f), and (g), recyclable material that is managed in accordance with Section 25143.9 and is or will be recycled by any of the following methods shall be excluded from classification as a waste: (1) Used or reused as an ingredient in an industrial process to make a product if the material is not being reclaimed. (2) Used or reused as a safe and effective substitute for commercial products if the material is not being reclaimed. (3) Returned to the original process from which the material was generated, without first being reclaimed, if the material is returned as a substitute for raw material feedstock, and the process uses raw materials as principal feedstocks. (c) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (e), any recyclable material may be recycled at a facility that is not authorized by the department pursuant to the applicable hazardous waste facilities permit requirements of Article 9 (commencing with Section 25200) if either of the following requirements is met: (1) The material is a petroleum refinery waste containing oil that is converted into petroleum coke at the same facility at which the waste was generated unless the resulting coke product would be identified as a hazardous waste under this chapter. (2) The material meets all of the following conditions: (A) The material is recycled and used at the same facility at which the material was generated. (B) The material is recycled within the applicable generator accumulation time limits specified in Section 25123.3 and the regulations adopted by the department pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 25123.3. (C) The material is managed in accordance with all applicable requirements for generators of hazardous wastes under this chapter and regulations adopted by the department. (d) Except as otherwise provided in subdivisions (e), (f), (g), and (h), recyclable material that meets the definition of a non-RCRA hazardous waste in Section 25117.9, is managed in accordance with Section 25143.9, and meets or will meet any of the following requirements is excluded from classification as a waste: (1) The material can be shown to be recycled and used at the site where the material was generated. (2) The material qualifies as one or more of the following: (A) The material is a product that has been processed from a hazardous waste, or has been handled, at a facility authorized by the department pursuant to the facility permit requirements of Article 9 (commencing with Section 25200) to process or handle the material, if the product meets both of the following conditions: (i) The product does not contain constituents, other than those for which the material is being recycled, that render the material hazardous under regulations adopted pursuant to Sections 25140 and 25141. (ii) The product is used, or distributed or sold for use, in a manner for which the product is commonly used. (B) The material is a petroleum refinery waste containing oil that is converted into petroleum coke at the same facility at which the waste was generated, unless the resulting coke product would be identified as a hazardous waste under this chapter. (C) The material is oily waste, used oil, or spent nonhalogenated solvent that is managed by the owner or operator of a refinery that is processing primarily crude oil and is not subject to permit requirements for the recycling of used oil, of a public utility, or of a corporate subsidiary, corporate parent, or subsidiary of the same corporate parent of the refinery or public utility, and meets all of the following requirements: (i) The material is either burned in an industrial boiler, an industrial furnace, an incinerator, or a utility boiler that is in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws, or is recombined with normal process streams to produce a fuel or other refined petroleum product. (ii) The material is managed at the site where it was generated; managed at another site owned or operated by the generator, a corporate subsidiary of the generator, a subsidiary of the same entity of which the generator is a subsidiary, or the corporate parent of the generator; or, if the material is generated in the course of oil or gas exploration or production, managed by an unrelated refinery receiving the waste through a common pipeline. (iii) The material does not contain constituents, other than those for which the material is being recycled, that render the material hazardous under regulations adopted pursuant to Sections 25140 and 25141, unless the material is an oil-bearing material or recovered oil that is managed in accordance with subdivisions (a) and (c) of Section 25144 or unless the material is used oil removed from equipment, vehicles, or engines used primarily at the refinery where it is to be used to produce fuels or other refined petroleum products and the used oil is managed in accordance with Section 279.22 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations prior to insertion into the refining process. (D) The material is a fuel that is transferred to, and processed into, a fuel or other refined petroleum product at a petroleum refinery, as defined in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 25144, and meets one of the following requirements: (i) The fuel has been removed from a fuel tank and is contaminated with water or nonhazardous debris, of not more than 2 percent by weight, including, but not limited to, rust or sand. (ii) The fuel has been unintentionally mixed with an unused petroleum product. (3) The material is transported between locations operated by the same person who generated the material, if the material is recycled at the last location operated by that person and all of the conditions of clauses (i) to (vi), inclusive, of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) are met. If requested by the department or by any official authorized to enforce this section pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 25180, a person handling material subject to this paragraph, within 15 days from the date of receipt of the request, shall supply documentation to show that the requirements of this paragraph have been satisfied. (4) (A) The material is transferred between locations operated by the same person who generated the material, if the material is to be recycled at an authorized offsite hazardous waste facility and if all of the following conditions are met: (i) The material is transferred by employees of that person in vehicles under the control of that person or by a registered hazardous waste hauler under contract to that person. (ii) The material is not handled at any interim location. (iii) The material is not held at any publicly accessible interim location for more than four hours unless required by other provisions of law. (iv) The material is managed in compliance with this chapter and the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter prior to the initial transportation of the material and after the receipt of the material at the last location operated by that person. Upon receipt of the material at the last location operated by that person, the material shall be deemed to have been generated at that location. (v) All of the following information is maintained in an operating log at the last location operated by that person and kept for at least three years after receipt of the material at that location: (I) The name and address of each generator location contributing material to each shipment received. (II) The quantity and type of material contributed by each generator to each shipment of material. (III) The destination and intended disposition of all material shipped offsite or received. (IV) The date of each shipment received or sent offsite. (vi) If requested by the department, or by any law enforcement official, a person handling material subject to this paragraph, within 15 days from the date of receipt of the request, shall supply documentation to show that the requirements of this paragraph have been satisfied. (B) For purposes of paragraph (3) and subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, “person” also includes corporate subsidiary, corporate parent, or subsidiary of the same corporate parent. (C) Persons that are a corporate subsidiary, corporate parent, or subsidiary of the same corporate parent, and that manage recyclable materials under paragraph (3) or subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, are jointly and severally liable for any activities excluded from regulation pursuant to this section. (5) The material is used or reused as an ingredient in an industrial process to make a product if the material meets all of the following requirements: (A) The material is not a wastewater that meets all of the following criteria: (i) The wastewater is a non-RCRA hazardous waste. (ii) The wastewater contains more than 75 parts per million of total petroleum hydrocarbons, as determined by use of United States Environmental Protection Agency Method 1664, Revision A for Silica Gel Treated N-Hexane Extractable Material. (iii) The wastewater has been transported offsite to a facility, that is not a publicly owned treatment works, a facility owned by the generator, or a corporate subsidiary, corporate parent, or a subsidiary of the same corporate parent of the generator. (B) Any discharges to air from the treatment of the material by the procedures specified in subparagraph (C) do not contain constituents that are hazardous wastes pursuant to the regulations of the department and are in compliance with applicable air pollution control laws. (C) The material is not being treated except by one or more of the following procedures: (i) Filtering. (ii) Screening. (iii) Sorting. (iv) Sieving. (v) Grinding. (vi) Physical or gravity separation without the addition of external heat or any chemicals. (vii) pH adjustment. (viii) Viscosity adjustment. (6) The material is used or reused as a safe and effective substitute for commercial products, if the material meets all of the following requirements: (A) The material is not a wastewater that meets all of the following criteria: (i) The wastewater is a non-RCRA hazardous waste. (ii) The wastewater contains more than 75 parts per million of total petroleum hydrocarbons, as determined by use of United States Environmental Protection Agency Method 1664, Revision A for Silica Gel Treated N-Hexane Extractable Material. (iii) The wastewater has been transported offsite to a facility that is not a publicly owned treatment works, or a facility owned by the generator, or a corporate subsidiary, corporate parent, or a subsidiary of the same corporate parent of the generator. (B) Any discharges to air from the treatment of the material by the procedures specified in subparagraph (C) do not contain constituents that are hazardous wastes pursuant to the regulations of the department and the discharges are in compliance with applicable air pollution control laws. (C) The material is not being treated, except by one or more of the following procedures: (i) Filtering. (ii) Screening. (iii) Sorting. (iv) Sieving. (v) Grinding. (vi) Physical or gravity separation without the addition of external heat or any chemicals. (vii) pH adjustment. (viii) Viscosity adjustment. (7) The material is a chlorofluorocarbon or hydrochlorofluorocarbon compound or a combination of chlorofluorocarbon or hydrochlorofluorocarbon compounds, is being reused or recycled, and is used in heat transfer equipment, including, but not limited to, mobile air-conditioning systems, mobile refrigeration, and commercial and industrial air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, used in fire extinguishing products, or contained within foam products. (e) Notwithstanding subdivisions (b), (c), and (d), all of the following recyclable materials are hazardous wastes and subject to full regulation under this chapter, even if the recycling involves use, reuse, or return to the original process as described in subdivision (b), and even if the recycling involves activities or materials described in subdivisions (c) and (d): (1) Materials that are a RCRA hazardous waste, as defined in Section 25120.2, used in a manner constituting disposal, or used to produce products that are applied to the land, including, but not limited to, materials used to produce a fertilizer, soil amendment, agricultural mineral, or an auxiliary soil and plant substance. (2) Materials that are a non-RCRA hazardous waste, as defined in Section 25117.9, and used in a manner constituting disposal or used to produce products that are applied to the land as a fertilizer, soil amendment, agricultural mineral, or an auxiliary soil and plant substance. The department may adopt regulations to exclude materials from regulation pursuant to this paragraph. (3) Materials burned for energy recovery, used to produce a fuel, or contained in fuels, except materials exempted under paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) or excluded under subparagraph (B), (C), or (D) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (d). (4) Materials accumulated speculatively. (5) Materials determined to be inherently wastelike pursuant to regulations adopted by the department. (6) Used or spent etchants, stripping solutions, and plating solutions that are transported to an offsite facility operated by a person other than the generator and either of the following applies: (A) The etchants or solutions are no longer fit for their originally purchased or manufactured purpose. (B) If the etchants or solutions are reused, the generator and the user cannot document that they are used for their originally purchased or manufactured purpose without prior treatment. (7) Used oil, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 25250.1, unless one of the following applies: (A) The used oil is excluded under subparagraph (B) or (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (d), paragraph (4) of subdivision (d), subdivision (b) of Section 25250.1, or Section 25250.3, and is managed in accordance with the applicable requirements of Part 279 (commencing with Section 279.1) of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. (B) The used oil is used or reused on the site where it was generated or is excluded under paragraph (3) of subdivision (d), is managed in accordance with the applicable requirements of Part 279 (commencing with Section 279.1) of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and is not any of the following: (i) Used in a manner constituting disposal or used to produce a product that is applied to land. (ii) Burned for energy recovery or used to produce a fuel unless the used oil is excluded under subparagraph (B) or (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (d). (iii) Accumulated speculatively. (iv) Determined to be inherently wastelike pursuant to regulations adopted by the department. (f) (1) Any person who manages a recyclable material under a claim that the material qualifies for exclusion or exemption pursuant to this section shall provide, upon request, to the department, the California Environmental Protection Agency, or any local agency or official authorized to bring an action as provided in Section 25180, all of the following information: (A) The name, street and mailing address, and telephone number of the owner or operator of any facility that manages the material. (B) Any other information related to the management by that person of the material requested by the department, the California Environmental Protection Agency, or the authorized local agency or official. (2) Any person claiming an exclusion or an exemption pursuant to this section shall maintain adequate records to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the requesting agency or official that there is a known market or disposition for the material, and that the requirements of any exemption or exclusion pursuant to this section are met. (3) For purposes of determining that the conditions for exclusion from classification as a waste pursuant to this section are met, any person, facility, site, or vehicle engaged in the management of a material under a claim that the material is excluded from classification as a waste pursuant to this section is subject to Section 25185. (g) For purposes of Part 2 (commencing with Section 78000) of Division 45, recyclable materials excluded from classification as a waste pursuant to this section are not excluded from the definition of hazardous substances in paragraph (7) of subdivision (a) of Section 78075. (h) Used oil that fails to qualify for exclusion pursuant to subdivision (d) solely because the used oil is a RCRA hazardous waste may be managed pursuant to subdivision (d) if the used oil is also managed in accordance with the applicable requirements of Part 279 (commencing with Section 279.1) of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.2.5. Section 25143.2.5.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: (1) “Cathode ray tube” or “CRT” means a vacuum tube or picture tube used to convert an electrical signal into a visual image. (2) “CRT device” means any electronic device that contains one or more CRTs including, but not limited to, computer monitors, televisions, cash registers, and oscilloscopes. (3) “CRT funnel glass” means any glass separated from CRT panel glass that is derived from the treatment of a CRT and that consists of the neck and funnel section of a CRT, including the frit. (4) “CRT panel glass” means glass separated from CRT funnel glass that is derived from the treatment of a CRT and that consists only of the face plate of a CRT containing a phosphor viewing surface. CRT panel glass does not include the frit. (5) “CRT panel glass without phosphor” means CRT panel glass that has undergone treatment by an authorized universal waste handler to remove the phosphor. (b) Used, broken CRT panel glass that exceeds the total threshold limit concentration (TTLC) only for barium is not a waste and is not subject to regulation by the department pursuant to this chapter, including the prohibition on the use of that glass in a manner constituting disposal, if it is recycled and meets the requirements of Section 261.39 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. (c) CRT panel glass without phosphor that exceeds the TTLC only for barium is not a waste and is not subject to regulation by the department pursuant to this chapter, including the prohibition on the use of that glass in a manner constituting disposal, if that glass meets the requirements of Section 66273.81 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations and is managed in accordance with the requirements of Section 261.39 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. (d) CRT panel glass meeting the requirements of subdivision (b) or (c) that is recycled may be used only for the following end uses: (1) Tiles, including floor or wall tiles. (2) Fiberglass. (3) Radiation shielding glass. (4) Decorative glass. (5) Bricks. (6) Cast concrete. (7) Blasting media. (8) Construction block. (9) Any other end uses identified by the department, in consultation with the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, that pose no risk to the public health and safety. (e) The department may prohibit any previously authorized end use if the department determines that the end use potentially poses environmental or public health harm. The department shall notify the recyclers of the prohibition not less than 60 days prior to the effective date of the prohibition. (f) Used, broken CRT panel glass and processed CRT panel glass that exceeds the TTLC only for barium and that is recycled is not subject to any requirement implementing this chapter regarding export of materials. (g) Except regarding the barium threshold, this section does not affect, in any manner, the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter regulating the processing of CRT panel glass for disposal. (h) This section does not affect the identification or classification of a waste that is derived from the end use products listed in or identified pursuant to subdivision (d). (i) This section does not affect, in any manner, the authority of the Department of Resources Recovery and Recycling under Section 41821.5 of, or Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 42460) of Part 3 of Division 30 of, the Public Resources Code. (j) This section does not apply to any CRT panel glass that is used to manufacture any product or packaging intended to be used for food or food products, including pet food and livestock feeds, any medicines or drugs, any medical devices, any baby bottles, any other food service items, including wine glasses, plates, bowls, or drinking glasses, or any other manufactured articles or products for which the department declares that that use may have a potential adverse impact upon human health. Such a declaration by the department need not be risk-based and need not meet the peer review requirements that may otherwise be required by law. (k) This section does not affect, in any manner, the Toxics in Packaging Prevention Act (Article 10.4 (commencing with Section 25214.11)) or the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Chapter 6.6 (commencing with Section 25249.5)).

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.3. Section 25143.3.

The Environmental Protection Agency regulations regarding spent sulfuric acid as set forth in Section 261.4(a)(7) of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (50 Fed. Reg. 665) are the regulations of the department and shall remain in effect until the department adopts regulations regarding this subject. It is the intent of the Legislature that the regulations adopted by the department be at least equivalent to, and in substantial conformance with that Section 261.4(a)(7). Further, it is the intent of the Legislature that the department may define in the regulations the term “spent sulfuric acid” as it deems necessary to avoid sham recycling, as described on page 638 of Volume 50 of the Federal Register by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.4. Section 25143.4.

(a) The department shall adopt regulations pursuant to this section, which authorize the reuse of pulping liquors that are reclaimed in a pulping liquor recovery furnace, and which are equivalent to the regulations in Section 261.4 (a)(6) of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Until the department adopts these regulations, the regulations adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency regarding pulping liquors that are reclaimed in a pulping liquor recovery furnace and then reused in the pulping process, as set forth in Section 261.4 (a)(6) of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, shall be deemed to be the regulations of the department. (b) To the extent consistent with the federal act, and notwithstanding any other provision of law, organic materials, including, but not limited to, crude sulfate turpentine and methanol, that are derived from wood processed at kraft pulping mills to produce wood pulp, may be burned as a fuel by the mill which produced the materials, without obtaining a hazardous waste facilities permit or other grant of authorization from the department, if all of the following requirements are met: (1) The materials exhibit only the characteristics listed in Section 66261.21 of, and paragraph (6) of subdivision (a) of Section 66261.24 of, Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations. (2) The materials have heating values comparable to that of commercially available fuels. (3) The materials are not contaminated or mixed with hazardous constituents from other processes. (4) The combustion of the materials is regulated by an air pollution control district or air quality management district.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.5. Section 25143.5.

(a) Except as provided in subdivisions (d), (e) and (f), the department shall classify as nonhazardous waste any fly ash, bottom ash, and flue gas emission control residues, generated from a biomass combustion process, as defined in subdivision (g), if the combustion process will be adequately monitored and controlled so as to prevent the handling or the disposal of any waste in a manner prohibited by law, unless the department determines that the ash or residue is hazardous, by testing a representative sample of the ash or residue pursuant to criteria adopted by the department. (b) The fly ash, bottom ash, and flue gas emission control residues that are classified as nonhazardous by the department are exempt from this chapter. (c) An operator of a biomass facility which converts biomass into energy for which the department has classified the ash or residue as hazardous shall notify the department whenever there has been a significant change in the waste entering the combustion process, the combustion process itself, or in the management of the ash or residues generated by the facility. An operator of a biomass facility that converts biomass into energy, with regard to which the department has classified the ash or residue as nonhazardous, shall notify the department when there has been a significant change in the waste entering the combustion process or in the combustion process itself. (d) For purposes of classifying fly ash, bottom ash, and flue gas emission control residues generated by the combustion of municipal solid waste in a facility, with regard to which the department classified the ash or residue as nonhazardous, on or before January 1, 1985, the sampling of the ash or residue, for purposes of classification by the department, shall occur at the point in the process following onsite treatment of the ash or residue. (e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this section applies only to fly ash, bottom ash, and flue gas emission control residues which are not RCRA hazardous waste. (f) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the test specified in the regulations adopted by the department with regard to a waste exhibiting the characteristic of corrosivity if representative samples of the waste are not aqueous and produce a solution with a pH that is less than, or equal to, two or greater than, or equal to, 12.5, as specified in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 66261.22 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, as that section read on January 1, 1996, shall not apply to ash generated from a biomass combustion process that is managed in accordance with applicable regulations administered by the California regional water quality control board, is used beneficially in a manner that results in lowering the pH below 12.5 but above 2.0, is not accumulated speculatively, and is available for commercial use. (g) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply: (1) “Biomass combustion process” means a combustion process that has a primary energy source of biomass or biomass waste, and of which 75 percent of the total energy input is from those sources during any calendar year, and of which 25 percent or less of the other energy sources do not include sewage sludge, industrial sludge, medical waste, hazardous waste, radioactive waste, or municipal solid waste. (2) “Biomass” or “biomass waste” means any organic material not derived from fossil fuels, such as agricultural crop residues, bark, lawn, yard and garden clippings, leaves, silvicultural residue, tree and brush pruning, wood and wood chips, and wood waste, including these materials when separated from other waste streams. “Biomass” or “biomass waste” does not include material containing sewage sludge, industrial sludge, medical waste, hazardous waste, or radioactive waste.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.6. Section 25143.6.

(a) Spent brine solutions that are byproducts from the treatment of groundwater to meet California drinking water standards are exempt from the requirements of this chapter if all of the following conditions are met: (1) The treatment of these spent brine solutions by dewatering via a closed piping system to lined surface impoundments is specifically approved by the applicable regional water quality control board. (2) The spent brine solutions are transferred for dewatering via a closed piping system to lined surface impoundments regulated by the California regional water quality control boards. (3) The spent brine solutions are treated, prior to transfer to lined surface impoundments, with a technology that renders the spent brine solutions nonhazardous for all contaminants except selenium. (4) Mitigation measures, which shall be approved by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, are used to prevent birds from coming into contact with spent brine solutions in lined surface impoundments containing hazardous levels of selenium. (b) If spent brine solution that is exempt pursuant to subdivision (a) is relocated to an elevated location inside a lined surface impoundment for further dewatering, the waste from that spent brine solution shall be removed from the lined surface impoundment while it still contains sufficient moisture to prevent wind dispersion. (c) Waste from spent brine solutions exempt pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be deemed generated at the time of removal from a lined surface impoundment and shall be managed pursuant to the requirements of this chapter if determined to be a hazardous waste. (d) Operators of surface impoundments used for the treatment of spent brine solutions shall maintain financial assurances consistent with the requirements of this chapter. (e) Untreated spent brine solutions shall be managed in accordance with this chapter.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.7. Section 25143.7.

Waste containing asbestos may be disposed of at any landfill which has waste discharge requirements issued by the regional water quality control board which allow the disposal of such waste, provided that the wastes are handled and disposed of in accordance with the Toxic Substances Control Act (P.L. 94-469) and all applicable laws and regulations.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.8. Section 25143.8.

(a) For purposes of this section, “cementitious material” means cement, cement kiln dust, clinker, and clinker dust. (b) The test specified in the regulations adopted by the department with regard to a waste exhibiting the characteristic of corrosivity if representative samples of the waste are not aqueous and produce a solution with a pH less than or equal to 2 or greater than or equal to 12.5, as specified in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 66261.22 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, as that section read on January 1, 1996, shall not apply to waste cementitious material which is managed in accordance with applicable regulations administered by the California regional water quality control board at the cement manufacturing facility where it was generated. (c) Cementitious material which is a nonaqueous waste, is managed in accordance with applicable regulations administered by the regional water quality control board at the cement manufacturing facility where it was generated, and would otherwise be classified as a hazardous waste based solely on the test specified in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 66261.22 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, as that section read on January 1, 1996, is excluded from classification as a hazardous waste pursuant to this chapter.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.9. Section 25143.9.

A recyclable material shall not be excluded from classification as a waste pursuant to subdivision (b) or (d) of Section 25143.2, unless all of the following requirements are met: (a) The material is held in a container, tank, containment building, or waste pile that is labeled, marked, and placarded in accordance with the department’s hazardous waste labeling, marking, and placarding requirements applicable to generators, except that the container, tank, or containment building shall be labeled or marked clearly with the words “Excluded Recyclable Material,” instead of the words “Hazardous Waste,” and manifest document numbers are not applicable. If labeling or marking the waste pile is not practicable, the required labeling or marking shall be posted on signage displayed at the location where the material is stored. If the material is used oil, the containers, aboveground tanks, and fill pipes used to transfer oil into underground storage tanks shall also be labeled or clearly marked with the words “Used Oil.” (b) The material is addressed in a business plan that meets the requirements of Article 1 (commencing with Section 25500) of Chapter 6.95 for the location at which the material is generated, accumulated, or otherwise managed. If the quantity of the material is not enough to otherwise require a business plan, the business shall ensure that an emergency plan that meets the department’s emergency response and contingency requirements applicable to generators of hazardous waste is available at the site. (c) The material is managed in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2), provided that the most stringent or broadest-in-scope requirements are met: (1) The material is stored and handled in accordance with all local ordinances and codes, including, but not limited to, codes requiring secondary containment for hazardous materials storage and fire codes (for example, the California Fire Code found in Part 9 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations), governing the storage and handling of the hazardous material. (2) The material is managed in accordance with the department’s interim status requirements applicable to generators in Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 66262.10) and Chapter 15 (commencing with Section 66265.1) of Division 4.5 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, or any successor regulations, and as follows: (A) For containers, in accordance with Article 9 (commencing with Section 66265.170) of Chapter 15 of Division 4.5 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations. (B) For tank systems, in accordance with Article 10 (commencing with Section 66265.190) of Chapter 15 of Division 4.5 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, except for Sections 66265.191, 66265.192, and 66265.196, subdivision (c) of Section 66265.197, and Section 66265.200. (C) For waste piles, in accordance with Article 12 (commencing with Section 66265.250) of Chapter 15 of Division 4.5 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations. (D) For containment buildings, in accordance with Article 29 (commencing with Section 66265.1100) of Chapter 15 of Division 4.5 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations. (d) If the material is being exported to a foreign country, the person exporting the material shall meet the requirements of Section 25162.1.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.10. Section 25143.10.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (h), any person who generates more than 100 kilograms of a material in any month under a claim that the material qualifies for exclusion or exemption pursuant to Section 25143.2 shall, in the first month that more than 100 kilograms of the material is generated, submit all of the following information, using the format established pursuant to subdivision (g), to the statewide information management system: (1) The name, site address, mailing address, and telephone number of the owner or operator of any facility that accumulates, manages, or recycles the material. (2) The name and address of the generator of the recyclable material. (3) Documentation that the requirements of any exemptions or exclusions pursuant to Section 25143.2 are met, including, but not limited to, all of the following: (A) If a person who accumulates, manages, or recycles the material is not the same person who generated the recyclable material, documentation that there is a known market for disposition of the recyclable material and any products manufactured from the recyclable material. (B) If the basis for the exclusion is that the recyclable material is used or reused to make a product, or as a safe and effective substitute for a commercial product, a general description of the material and products, identification of the constituents or group of constituents, and their approximate concentrations, that would render the material or product hazardous under the regulations adopted pursuant to Sections 25140 and 25141, if it were a waste, and the means by which the material is beneficially used. (b) Any person, other than the generator, who accumulates, manages, or recycles the recyclable material identified by the generator pursuant to subdivision (a) shall submit the information required by subdivision (a) using the format established pursuant to subdivision (g) to the statewide information management system. (c) Any person required to submit the information under subdivision (a) or (b) shall submit to the statewide information management system the information required in subdivision (a) within 60 days of the date when the generation, accumulation, management, or recycling of the material is permanently discontinued. (d) A person who generates, accumulates, manages, or recycles more than 100 kilograms of recyclable material in any month shall resubmit to the statewide information management system the information required in subdivisions (a) and (b) by July 1 of each even-numbered year, and shall cover all recyclable material generation, accumulation, management, and recycling activities from January 1 of the prior even-numbered year to December 31, inclusive, of the previous year. (e) Except as provided in Section 25404.5, the governing body of a city or county may adopt an ordinance or resolution pursuant to Section 101325 to pay for the actual expenses of the activities carried out by local officers or agencies pursuant to subdivision (a). (f) If a person who accumulates, manages, or recycles material under a generator’s claim that the material qualifies for exclusion or exemption pursuant to Section 25143.2 is not the same person who generated the recyclable material, the person who generates the material shall obtain from persons who accumulate, manage, or recycle the material any information necessary to submit a report pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b). (g) A person providing to the statewide information management system the information required by subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) shall use a format developed by the unified program agencies in consultation with the department. The format shall be provided to all users via the statewide information management system and shall include, at a minimum, all pertinent data defined in the Data Dictionary for Regulated Activities in Subdivision 1 (commencing with Section 1) of Division 3 of Title 27 of the California Code of Regulations. (h) A recyclable material generated in a product or raw material storage tank, a product or raw material transport vehicle or vessel, a product or raw material pipeline, or in a manufacturing process unit or an associated nonwaste treatment manufacturing unit is not subject to the requirements of this section until the recyclable material exits the unit in which it was generated, unless the unit is a surface impoundment, or unless the material remains in the unit for more than 90 days after the unit ceases to be operated for manufacturing, storage, or transportation of the product or raw material.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.11. Section 25143.11.

(a) The department shall, on or before January 1, 1997, to the extent that it is consistent with the federal act and the protection of the public health, safety, and the environment, adopt regulations exempting secondary materials from this chapter. Those regulations shall be adopted pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. In adopting the regulations, the department shall consider the restrictions listed in paragraph (8) of subsection (a) of Section 261.4 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations which apply to the exclusion of secondary materials from regulation under the federal act. (b) For purposes of this section, “secondary materials” means materials that are reclaimed and returned to the original process or processes in which they were generated where they are reused in the production process.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.12. Section 25143.12.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, debris that is contaminated only with crude oil or any of its fractions is exempt from regulation under this chapter if all of the following conditions are met: (a) The debris consists exclusively of wood, paper, textile materials, concrete rubble, metallic objects, or other solid manufactured objects. (b) The debris is not subject to regulation as a hazardous waste or used oil under federal law. (c) The debris does not contain any free liquids, as determined by the paint filter test specified in the regulations adopted by the department. (d) The debris, if not contaminated with crude oil or any of its fractions, would not be regulated as a hazardous waste under this chapter or the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter. (e) The debris is not a container or tank that is subject to regulation as hazardous waste under this chapter or the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter. (f) The debris is disposed of in a composite lined portion of a waste management unit that is classified as either a Class I or Class II waste management unit in accordance with Article 3 (commencing with Section 2530) of Chapter 15 of Division 3 of Title 23 of the California Code of Regulations, the disposal is made in accordance with the applicable requirements of the California regional water quality control board and the California Integrated Waste Management Board, and, if the waste management unit is a Class II landfill, it is sited, designed, constructed, and operated in accordance with the minimum standards applicable on or after October 9, 1993, to new or expanded municipal solid waste landfills, that are contained in Part 258 (commencing with Section 258.1) of Subchapter I of Chapter 1 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as those regulations read on January 1, 1996.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.13. Section 25143.13.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, except as provided in subdivision (c), wastes containing silver or silver compounds that are RCRA hazardous wastes solely due to the presence of silver in the waste are subject to regulation under this chapter solely to the extent that these wastes are subject to regulation under the federal act. This subdivision does not apply to wastes that are classified as non-RCRA hazardous wastes due to the presence of constituents or characteristics other than silver. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, wastes containing silver or silver compounds are exempt from regulation under this chapter if the wastes are not subject to regulation under the federal act as RCRA hazardous waste, and the wastes would otherwise be subject to regulation under this chapter solely due to the presence of silver in the waste. (c) With respect to treatment of a hazardous waste, subdivision (a) applies only to the removal of silver from photoimaging solutions and photoimaging solution wastewaters. Any other treatment of wastes containing silver or silver compounds that are RCRA hazardous wastes is subject to all of the applicable requirements of this chapter. (d) The department shall amend its regulations, as necessary, to conform to this section. Until the department amends these regulations, the applicable regulations adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to the federal act pertaining to the regulation of wastes containing silver or silver compounds, which are regulated as RCRA hazardous wastes solely due to the presence of silver in the waste, shall be deemed to be the regulations of the department, except as otherwise provided in subdivision (c). (e) This section shall not be construed to limit or abridge the powers or duties granted to any state or local agency pursuant to any law, other than this chapter, to regulate wastes containing silver or silver compounds.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.14. Section 25143.14.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivisions (c) and (d), residues that are removed from equipment for the purpose of cleaning the equipment for continued use are subject to regulation under this chapter only after the residues have been removed from the equipment. (b) Except as otherwise provided in subdivisions (c) and (d), the act of removing residues from equipment for the purpose of cleaning the equipment for continued use constitutes generation, and not treatment, of a hazardous waste. (c) Subdivisions (a) and (b) only apply to equipment that is not being used to manage hazardous waste. (d) Residues that are not hazardous waste, as defined in Section 25117, including residues that are not discarded materials pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 25124, are not subject to regulation under this chapter.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25144. Section 25144.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meaning: (1) “Oil” means crude oil, or any fraction thereof, that is liquid at 60 degrees Fahrenheit and 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute pressure. “Oil” does not include any of the following, unless it is exempt from regulation under paragraph (1) of subdivision (g) of Section 279.10 of, or paragraph (5) of subdivision (g) of Section 279.10 of, Part 279 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations: (A) Spent lubricating fluids that have been removed from an engine crankcase, transmission, gearbox, or differential of an automobile, bus, truck, vessel, heavy equipment, or machinery powered by an internal combustion engine. (B) Spent industrial oils, including compressor, turbine, and bearing oil, hydraulic oil, metal-working oil, refrigeration oil, and railroad drainings. (2) “Oil-bearing materials” means any liquid or semisolid material containing oil, partially refined petroleum products, or petroleum products. “Oil-bearing materials” do not include either of the following: (A) Soil from remediation projects. (B) Contaminated groundwater that is generated at, or originating from the operation, maintenance, or cleanup of, service stations, as defined in Section 13650 of the Business and Professions Code. (3) “Oil recovery operations” means the physical separation of oil from oil-bearing materials by means of gravity separation, centrifugation, filter pressing, or other dewatering processes, with or without the addition of heat, chemical flocculants, air, or natural gas to enhance separation. (4) “Petroleum refinery” means an establishment that has the Standard Industrial Classification Code 2911 and that is not subject to the permit requirements for the recycling of used oil imposed pursuant to Article 9 (commencing with Section 25200). (5) “Subsidiary” means a corporate entity engaged in the exploration, production, transportation, refining, marketing, or distribution of crude oil or petroleum products. (b) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a biological process on the property of the producer treating oil, its products, and water, that meets the definition of a non-RCRA waste, and that produces an effluent that is continuously discharged to navigable waters in compliance with a permit issued pursuant to Section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. Sec. 1342), is exempt from this chapter. (2) Residues produced in the treatment process and subsequently removed that conform to any criterion for the identification of a hazardous waste adopted pursuant to Section 25141 are not exempt from this chapter. (c) To the extent consistent with the applicable provisions of the federal act, units, including associated piping, that are part of a system used for the recovery of oil from oil-bearing materials, and the associated storage of oil-bearing materials and the recovered oil, are exempt from this chapter, if all of the following conditions are met: (1) The oil recovery operations are conducted at a petroleum refinery, or at another facility owned or operated by the corporate entity that owns or operates the refinery, or a corporate parent or subsidiary of the corporate entity. (2) The oil-bearing materials are generated at the refinery or at another facility owned or operated by the corporate entity that owns or operates the refinery, or a corporate parent or subsidiary, including a sister subsidiary, of the corporate entity, or are generated in the course of oil or gas exploration or production operations conducted by an unrelated entity and placed in a common pipeline. (3) The recovered oil is inserted into petroleum refinery process units to produce fuel or other refined petroleum products. This paragraph does not allow the direct blending, into final petroleum products, of oil-bearing materials or recovered oil that contain constituents that render these materials hazardous under the regulations adopted pursuant to Sections 25140 and 25141, other than those for which the material is being recycled. (4) The recovered oil is not stored in a surface impoundment or accumulated speculatively at the refinery or at an offsite facility. (5) Any residual materials removed from a unit that is exempt under this subdivision are managed in accordance with all other applicable laws. (6) The oil-bearing materials would be excluded from classification as a waste pursuant to, or would otherwise meet the requirements for an exemption under, Section 25143.2, except that the following provisions do not apply to those oil-bearing materials: (A) The prohibitions against prior reclamation in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 25143.2. (B) Subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 25143.2. (C) Paragraph (3) of subdivision (e) of Section 25143.2. (D) Sections 25143.9 and 25143.10. (E) The exceptions for wastewater containing more than 75 parts per million of total petroleum hydrocarbons, as provided by subparagraph (A) of paragraph (5) of, and subparagraph (A) of paragraph (6) of, subdivision (d) of Section 25143.2.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25144.6. Section 25144.6.

(a) As used in this section, “reusable soiled textile materials” means textile items, including, but not limited to, shop towels, uniforms, gloves, and linens and towels which may become soiled with hazardous waste during commercial or industrial use, and are made reusable by laundering or comparable methods of cleaning. (b) Reusable soiled textile materials that meet all of the following requirements are exempt from Section 25205.5 and from Article 6 (commencing with Section 25160) and Article 6.5 (commencing with Section 25167.1): (1) The materials or the management of the materials are not otherwise regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to the federal act. (2) The materials are not used to clean up or control a spill or release that is required to be reported to any state or federal agency. (3) No hazardous waste has been added after the materials’ original use. (4) No free liquids, as defined by Section 22-66260.10 of Title 26 of the California Code of Regulations, are released during transportation or storage of the materials. (5) The facility laundering or cleaning the materials maintains records of the date, type, and quantities by piecework or weight of the materials collected and laundered. (6) The facility laundering or cleaning the materials prepares a contingency plan that specifies procedures for handling both onsite and offsite emergencies involving the materials, and employees are trained in the execution of the plan. (c) Notwithstanding Sections 25201 and 25245, a facility laundering or using comparable methods of cleaning reusable soiled textile materials and performing the pretreatment necessary to remove metals and organics from the wastewater that results from the wash process is not required to obtain a hazardous waste facilities permit or other grant of authorization, and is exempt from the requirements of Article 12 (commencing with Section 25245), if the facility meets all of the following requirements: (1) Management procedures are in place to ensure that the reusable soiled textile materials are managed in accordance with all the requirements specified in subdivision (b). (2) The waste washwater conveyances and containers are constructed of materials to ensure that they are impervious under the conditions of use, and are visually inspected at least twice a year to ensure that waste washwater is not leaking into the underlying soil. A facility that is in compliance with this paragraph is not subject to the requirements of Section 22-66264.193 of Title 26 of the California Code of Regulations. (3) The sludge collected from the washing process is managed in accordance with this chapter. (4) The facility has a training program in place that ensures that the facility personnel are able to safely and properly handle and clean the reusable soiled textile materials and to respond effectively to emergencies by familiarizing them with emergency procedures, equipment, and systems. (5) The facility is in compliance with the requirements of paragraphs (2) to (6), inclusive, and paragraphs (8) and (10), of subdivision (d) of Section 25201.5. (6) (A) The facility complies with the notification requirements of paragraph (7) of subdivision (d) of Section 25201.5. (B) Except as provided in Section 25404.5, the generator submits a fee in the amount required by Section 25205.2. The generator shall submit that fee within 30 days of the date that the fee is assessed by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, in the manner specified by Section 43152.6 of the Revenue and Taxation Code. (d) This section does not affect the application of Section 25143.2 to reusable soiled textile materials.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25144.7. Section 25144.7.

Notwithstanding this chapter, including, but not limited to, Section 25123.5, and any regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter, the draining of used fuel filters that are removed from fuel dispensers is not treatment, for purposes of this chapter, if all of the following requirements are met: (a) The person draining the filters complies with the requirements of the air pollution control district or air quality management district , with the requirements of the State Water Resources Control Board and the California regional water quality control boards, and with the requirements of local ordinances, that apply to that activity. (b) The drained fuels are used or otherwise managed in accordance with applicable law. (c) The housing for the filter and the drained filter medium are managed in accordance with applicable law.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25145. Section 25145.

(a) This chapter shall not be construed to limit or abridge the powers or duties granted to the State Water Resources Control Board and each regional water quality control board by Division 7 (commencing with Section 13000) of the Water Code. (b) Subdivision (a) shall not be construed to limit the power or authority of the department, or any agency or official authorized to enforce this chapter pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 25180, to take any action necessary to ensure compliance with this chapter or with any regulation adopted pursuant to this chapter, or to limit the duty of any person to comply with this chapter or with any regulation, order, or permit issued pursuant to this chapter. An action taken pursuant to the powers and duties specified in subdivision (a) is not a defense to any action taken to enforce this chapter or any regulation, order, or permit issued pursuant to this chapter.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25145.4. Section 25145.4.

No provision of this chapter, or any ruling of the department or director, shall be construed to limit or abridge the power of the Attorney General, at the request of the department or director, or upon his or her own motion, to bring an action in the name of the people of the State of California to enjoin any violation of the provisions of this chapter, seek necessary remedial action by any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter, or seek civil and criminal penalties against any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026