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Waste Disposal Resource Hub

Waste Management Is a Legal System, Not Just a Landfill

Use this page to pull the statutes, treaty obligations, nuclear rules, and global data books you need before sitting down with regulators or community boards.

Everything from oily rags to spent fuel rods lives somewhere in this stack, and every link is from a source practitioners actually cite.

Hazardous Waste Legal Backbone

RCRA, Superfund, and state overlays that define cradle-to-grave obligations long before a drum leaves the loading dock.

8 resources

EPA - RCRA Regulations Overview

Gateway to 40 CFR Parts 260-273, covering hazardous waste identification, manifesting, storage, and disposal standards.

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Hazardous Waste Generator Summary

EPA's plain-language explainer for very small, small, and large quantity generators operating under Part 262.

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Managing Your Hazardous Waste - Small Business Guide

Downloadable handbook with container, labeling, storage, and manifest tips that map directly to RCRA enforcement expectations.

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Used Oil Standards (40 CFR Part 279)

eCFR reference for collection centers, transporters, burners, and marketers handling used oil streams.

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California DTSC - Defining Hazardous Waste

State-level overlay showing how California layers toxicity, corrosivity, and state-only wastes on top of federal rules.

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CERCLA / Superfund Overview

Primer on the emergency authority that drives cleanups at uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites.

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CERCLA Statutory Summary

Official synopsis of 42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq., including liability, trust fund mechanics, and response authorities.

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Superfund Program Portal

Operational hub for NPL listings, Records of Decision, enforcement actions, and community involvement tools.

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Transboundary & Circular Economy Rules

International compacts and EU directives that prevent "waste tourism" and hard-wire the waste hierarchy into law.

4 resources

Basel Convention - Treaty Text

Authoritative PDF of the global agreement governing transboundary movements and environmentally sound management of hazardous waste.

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Basel Convention Overview (UNEP)

UNEP summary of Basel obligations, prior informed consent rules, and compliance mechanisms.

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UN Treaty Collection - Basel Participation

Ratification status and entry-into-force details for each party implementing Basel controls.

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EU Waste Framework Directive

Sets the European waste hierarchy, recovery definitions, and extended producer responsibility foundations for all member states.

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Radioactive Waste Standards

NRC, EPA, and IAEA requirements that govern dose limits, storage, and disposal from low-level trash to spent fuel.

9 resources

10 CFR Part 20 - Standards for Protection Against Radiation

Core NRC rule establishing dose limits, monitoring, and ALARA expectations across all licensed activities.

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NUREG-1736 Guidance on Part 20

Staff guidance consolidating interpretations and implementation practices for radiation protection programs.

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10 CFR Part 61 - Land Disposal of Radioactive Waste

Licensing criteria, performance objectives, and classification system for near-surface disposal of low-level waste.

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10 CFR Part 72 - Independent Spent Fuel Storage

Rules for ISFSIs covering dry cask design, licensing, and aging management for spent fuel, HLW, and GTCC waste.

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NRC ISFSI Explainer

Public-facing overview of how independent spent fuel storage installations are licensed and monitored.

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EPA Radiological and Nuclear Regulations Roundup

EPA iwaste portal summarizing NRC and EPA rules for radioactive materials, including Parts 60, 61, 63, and 72.

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IAEA - Disposal of Radioactive Waste (SSR-5)

Specific safety requirements that apply to near-surface and deep geological disposal programs worldwide.

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IAEA - Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste

Detailed safety standard describing barrier systems, safety assessments, and post-closure performance expectations.

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U.S. National Report to the Joint Convention (2024)

Latest country report covering commercial, DOE, and defense waste streams plus regulatory program status.

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Global Waste System Outlooks

Hard numbers on municipal solid waste, chemicals, and financing so planning teams can quantify the baseline.

5 resources

UNEP Global Waste Management Outlook 2024

Projects municipal solid waste rising to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050 and pegs true management costs up to USD 640B annually without reforms.

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World Bank - What a Waste 2.0

Data-rich portal covering generation, collection, treatment, and disposal metrics for cities and countries through 2050.

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UNEP Global Chemicals Outlook II

Finds the 2020 goal of minimizing adverse impacts of chemicals and waste was missed and details policy gaps across the supply chain.

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Assessing Global Waste Management - Alternatives to Landfilling

Sustainability 2023 scoping review cataloging recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, and WtE adoption across waste streams.

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Hariyani et al. 2025 - Waste Treatment and Control Techniques

Survey of mechanical, thermal, biological, and chemical options plus how zero-waste policy pushes technology uptake.

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Radioactive Waste Programs & Technical Guides

IAEA, OECD-NEA, and National Academies material for deep geological disposal, stakeholder confidence, and DOE project reviews.

7 resources

IAEA TRS-413 - Scientific Basis for Geological Disposal

Foundational technical series covering barrier systems, radionuclide transport, and geosphere interactions.

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IAEA - Geological Disposal Facilities Guidance

Practical guidance on siting, design, and safety assessment for repositories in a stepwise program.

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OECD-NEA - Geological Disposal Developments

Review of repository concepts, safety cases, and program progress across NEA member states over the past decade.

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OECD - Stakeholder Confidence in Radioactive Waste Management

Focuses on governance, trust, and community engagement models that keep disposal programs legitimate.

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National Academies - Disposition of High-Level Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel

Classic NRC study arguing for deep geologic disposal while dissecting institutional and societal blockers.

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National Academies - WIPP Surplus Plutonium Review

2020 assessment of DOE's plan to dilute and dispose surplus plutonium in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

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World Nuclear Association - Storage and Disposal Overview

High-level reference spanning LLW, ILW, HLW, reprocessing, and repository examples worldwide.

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Academic Reviews - Solid & Hazardous Waste

Literature spanning municipal systems, integrated planning, and AI-enabled monitoring.

5 resources

Patil et al. 2025 - Comprehensive Review of Solid Waste Management

Tracks waste generation through collection, recycling, treatment, and disposal while emphasizing integrated policy + technology systems.

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Kundariya et al. 2021 - Integrated MSW Approaches

Highlights monitoring tools, energy recovery, and decision frameworks for city-scale municipal waste programs.

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Karimi 2023 - Alternatives to Landfilling

Maps landfill alternatives across waste streams and maturity levels, from composting to waste-to-energy.

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Hariyani et al. 2025 - Treatment and Control Techniques

Discusses thermal, biological, chemical, and mechanical treatments plus regulatory drivers for zero-waste strategies.

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Dawar et al. 2025 - ML and DL for MSW

Systematic review of AI applications for forecasting, optimization, and anomaly detection in municipal waste systems.

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Academic Reviews - Nuclear & Radioactive Waste

Cross-country strategy surveys and technical deep dives on storage, processing, and disposal.

7 resources

Fernandez-Arias et al. 2023 - Global Review of Nuclear Waste Management

Bibliometric and technical comparison of national strategies, from interim storage to repository development.

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Radioactive Waste Management - State of the Art (2025)

Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances review on waste minimization, immobilization, and emerging technologies.

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Birkholzer et al. 2012 - Geologic Disposal Status and Challenges

Reviews thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical processes and uncertainty considerations for deep repositories.

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Deng 2020 - Radioactive Waste Review

Annual overview of research on safety assessments, decommissioning, transportation, and policy developments.

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Grambow 2022 - Research Requirements for Disposal

Frontiers mini-review outlining barrier performance, radionuclide transport, and monitoring gaps for giga-scale projects.

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Kurniawan et al. 2022 - Long-Term Storage of Spent Fuel

Summarizes vitrification, partitioning and transmutation, pyro-processing, and repository interfaces for partially used fuel.

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Clayton et al. 2025 - LCA of Radioactive Waste Processing

Life-cycle assessment framing for processing, transport, and disposal decisions, including decommissioning waste streams.

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Why This Matters

Waste Risk Is Multi-Jurisdiction By Default

Waste law is a layered cake: RCRA and CERCLA handle hazardous waste on U.S. soil while Basel and the EU waste hierarchy prevent exporting the problem.

Nuclear waste introduces a parallel universe of NRC, EPA, and IAEA rules that demand dose tracking, engineered barriers, and Joint Convention reporting.

Planning teams need the global data sets (GWMO, What a Waste) to quantify tonnage, financing gaps, and technology penetration before pitching solutions.

Academic reviews are finally stitching policy, monitoring, AI, and deep-geologic science together, which is exactly what multi-sector deployments require.

Short Take: Build Your Stack

Regulatory spine: RCRA + CERCLA domestically, Basel + EU Waste Framework internationally, and NRC/IAEA standards for anything radioactive.
Program guides: UNEP GWMO 2024, World Bank What a Waste 2.0, Global Chemicals Outlook, and EPA's small business handbook for RCRA compliance.
Nuclear playbooks: IAEA safety requirements, OECD-NEA repository reviews, National Academies oversight of DOE programs, and WNA technology briefs.
Research feed: Patil, Karimi, Hariyani, and Dawar on solid waste systems; Fernandez-Arias, Grambow, and Clayton on radioactive waste futures.

Let’s Work Together

Bring your waste inventories, permitting questions, or community engagement plans to info@envitrace.com and we will help map regulatory pathways, monitoring plans, and decision support inside EnviTrace waste projects.