Hazardous Waste Management
HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT EXAM READY - VERIFIED
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - LATEST VERSION 2026/2027
1. Which federal law gives EPA the authority to regulate hazardous
waste from “cradle to grave”?
A. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
B. Clean Air Act
C. Clean Water Act
D. Toxic Substances Control Act
A. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) — RCRA, enacted
in 1976, established the cradle-to-grave framework for hazardous waste
management under Subtitle C.
2. RCRA Subtitle C specifically addresses:
A. Underground storage tanks
B. Drinking water standards
C. Municipal solid waste
D. Hazardous waste management
D. Hazardous waste management — Subtitle C of RCRA governs
hazardous waste; Subtitle D covers non-hazardous solid waste, and Subtitle
I covers underground storage tanks.
3. Which act amended RCRA in 1984 to add stricter land disposal
restrictions and bring more small generators into the program?
A. SARA
B. TSCA
C. Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA)
D. CERCLA
Page 1 of 58
, Hazardous Waste Management
C. Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) — HSWA of 1984
tightened RCRA, banning land disposal of untreated hazardous waste and
expanding coverage to smaller generators.
4. A state hazardous waste program authorized by EPA under RCRA
must be:
A. Reviewed only once every 20 years
B. At least as stringent as the federal program
C. Identical to neighboring states
D. Less restrictive to encourage industry
B. At least as stringent as the federal program — EPA authorizes states
to run their own hazardous waste programs only when state requirements
are at least as stringent as the federal RCRA regulations.
5. Which of the following is NOT one of RCRA's three main goals?
A. Setting national ambient air quality standards
B. Conserving energy and natural resources
C. Protecting human health and the environment from waste disposal
hazards
D. Reducing the amount of waste generated
A. Setting national ambient air quality standards — Ambient air
quality standards fall under the Clean Air Act, not RCRA, which focuses on
waste management, resource conservation, and waste reduction.
6. A “solid waste” under RCRA can include:
A. Only dry, solid materials
B. Only industrial byproducts
C. Solids, liquids, semi-solids, and contained gases
D. Only materials disposed of in landfills
C. Solids, liquids, semi-solids, and contained gases — RCRA's definition
of “solid waste” is broad and covers liquids and contained gases, not just
physically solid materials.
7. For a solid waste to be regulated as hazardous under RCRA, it must
first:
A. Be listed under TSCA
B. Meet the definition of solid waste, then be listed or exhibit a hazardous
characteristic
Page 2 of 58
, Hazardous Waste Management
C. Be transported across state lines
D. Be classified as a pollutant under the Clean Water Act
B. Meet the definition of solid waste, then be listed or exhibit a
hazardous characteristic — The regulatory sequence checks whether the
material is a solid waste, whether it is excluded, and then whether it is
listed or exhibits a characteristic.
8. Which entity is authorized to implement and enforce most of the
RCRA hazardous waste program day to day?
A. Local fire departments
B. The Federal Bureau of Investigation
C. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
D. Authorized state environmental agencies
D. Authorized state environmental agencies — Most states have been
authorized by EPA to administer their own hazardous waste programs,
handling permitting and enforcement directly.
9. Which of the following best describes the relationship between RCRA
and CERCLA?
A. RCRA only applies to federal facilities
B. CERCLA replaced RCRA in 1990
C. RCRA regulates active waste management; CERCLA addresses cleanup
of past contamination
D. They regulate the exact same activities
C. RCRA regulates active waste management; CERCLA addresses
cleanup of past contamination — RCRA governs ongoing hazardous
waste generation, storage, treatment, and disposal, while CERCLA
(Superfund) addresses remediation of already-contaminated sites.
10. Which of the following is a statutory exclusion from the RCRA
definition of solid waste?
A. Domestic sewage
B. Spent solvents from a paint booth
C. Used lead-acid batteries destined for disposal
D. Off-specification commercial chemical products
A. Domestic sewage — Domestic sewage, and mixtures of domestic
sewage with other wastes passing through a sewer to a treatment works,
are excluded from the definition of solid waste.
Page 3 of 58
, Hazardous Waste Management
11. The identification number a generator must obtain from EPA to
legally handle hazardous waste is called:
A. An NPDES Number
B. A DOT Reportable Quantity Number
C. An EPA Identification Number
D. A Social Security Number
C. An EPA Identification Number — Generators, transporters, and TSDFs
must each obtain a unique EPA ID number used to track waste shipments
on the manifest.
12. A citizen suit provision under RCRA allows:
A. Suits only against federal facilities
B. Only state governments to file lawsuits
C. Only EPA employees to bring claims
D. Private citizens to sue violators or EPA for failing to enforce the law
D. Private citizens to sue violators or EPA for failing to enforce the
law — RCRA's citizen suit provision empowers private parties to enforce
compliance when government agencies fail to act.
13. A primary objective of the Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR)
program under RCRA is to:
A. Prevent disposal of untreated hazardous waste that could still pose
risks
B. Replace the manifest system entirely
C. Eliminate all recordkeeping requirements
D. Encourage more waste to go directly to landfills
A. Prevent disposal of untreated hazardous waste that could still
pose risks — LDR (the “land ban”) requires hazardous wastes to meet
treatment standards before land disposal, reducing contaminants to safer
levels first.
14. Which document must a hazardous waste facility maintain to
support inspections and demonstrate a compliance history?
A. A marketing brochure
B. Employee time sheets
C. An operating record
D. A shareholder report
Page 4 of 58
HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT EXAM READY - VERIFIED
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - LATEST VERSION 2026/2027
1. Which federal law gives EPA the authority to regulate hazardous
waste from “cradle to grave”?
A. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
B. Clean Air Act
C. Clean Water Act
D. Toxic Substances Control Act
A. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) — RCRA, enacted
in 1976, established the cradle-to-grave framework for hazardous waste
management under Subtitle C.
2. RCRA Subtitle C specifically addresses:
A. Underground storage tanks
B. Drinking water standards
C. Municipal solid waste
D. Hazardous waste management
D. Hazardous waste management — Subtitle C of RCRA governs
hazardous waste; Subtitle D covers non-hazardous solid waste, and Subtitle
I covers underground storage tanks.
3. Which act amended RCRA in 1984 to add stricter land disposal
restrictions and bring more small generators into the program?
A. SARA
B. TSCA
C. Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA)
D. CERCLA
Page 1 of 58
, Hazardous Waste Management
C. Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) — HSWA of 1984
tightened RCRA, banning land disposal of untreated hazardous waste and
expanding coverage to smaller generators.
4. A state hazardous waste program authorized by EPA under RCRA
must be:
A. Reviewed only once every 20 years
B. At least as stringent as the federal program
C. Identical to neighboring states
D. Less restrictive to encourage industry
B. At least as stringent as the federal program — EPA authorizes states
to run their own hazardous waste programs only when state requirements
are at least as stringent as the federal RCRA regulations.
5. Which of the following is NOT one of RCRA's three main goals?
A. Setting national ambient air quality standards
B. Conserving energy and natural resources
C. Protecting human health and the environment from waste disposal
hazards
D. Reducing the amount of waste generated
A. Setting national ambient air quality standards — Ambient air
quality standards fall under the Clean Air Act, not RCRA, which focuses on
waste management, resource conservation, and waste reduction.
6. A “solid waste” under RCRA can include:
A. Only dry, solid materials
B. Only industrial byproducts
C. Solids, liquids, semi-solids, and contained gases
D. Only materials disposed of in landfills
C. Solids, liquids, semi-solids, and contained gases — RCRA's definition
of “solid waste” is broad and covers liquids and contained gases, not just
physically solid materials.
7. For a solid waste to be regulated as hazardous under RCRA, it must
first:
A. Be listed under TSCA
B. Meet the definition of solid waste, then be listed or exhibit a hazardous
characteristic
Page 2 of 58
, Hazardous Waste Management
C. Be transported across state lines
D. Be classified as a pollutant under the Clean Water Act
B. Meet the definition of solid waste, then be listed or exhibit a
hazardous characteristic — The regulatory sequence checks whether the
material is a solid waste, whether it is excluded, and then whether it is
listed or exhibits a characteristic.
8. Which entity is authorized to implement and enforce most of the
RCRA hazardous waste program day to day?
A. Local fire departments
B. The Federal Bureau of Investigation
C. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
D. Authorized state environmental agencies
D. Authorized state environmental agencies — Most states have been
authorized by EPA to administer their own hazardous waste programs,
handling permitting and enforcement directly.
9. Which of the following best describes the relationship between RCRA
and CERCLA?
A. RCRA only applies to federal facilities
B. CERCLA replaced RCRA in 1990
C. RCRA regulates active waste management; CERCLA addresses cleanup
of past contamination
D. They regulate the exact same activities
C. RCRA regulates active waste management; CERCLA addresses
cleanup of past contamination — RCRA governs ongoing hazardous
waste generation, storage, treatment, and disposal, while CERCLA
(Superfund) addresses remediation of already-contaminated sites.
10. Which of the following is a statutory exclusion from the RCRA
definition of solid waste?
A. Domestic sewage
B. Spent solvents from a paint booth
C. Used lead-acid batteries destined for disposal
D. Off-specification commercial chemical products
A. Domestic sewage — Domestic sewage, and mixtures of domestic
sewage with other wastes passing through a sewer to a treatment works,
are excluded from the definition of solid waste.
Page 3 of 58
, Hazardous Waste Management
11. The identification number a generator must obtain from EPA to
legally handle hazardous waste is called:
A. An NPDES Number
B. A DOT Reportable Quantity Number
C. An EPA Identification Number
D. A Social Security Number
C. An EPA Identification Number — Generators, transporters, and TSDFs
must each obtain a unique EPA ID number used to track waste shipments
on the manifest.
12. A citizen suit provision under RCRA allows:
A. Suits only against federal facilities
B. Only state governments to file lawsuits
C. Only EPA employees to bring claims
D. Private citizens to sue violators or EPA for failing to enforce the law
D. Private citizens to sue violators or EPA for failing to enforce the
law — RCRA's citizen suit provision empowers private parties to enforce
compliance when government agencies fail to act.
13. A primary objective of the Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR)
program under RCRA is to:
A. Prevent disposal of untreated hazardous waste that could still pose
risks
B. Replace the manifest system entirely
C. Eliminate all recordkeeping requirements
D. Encourage more waste to go directly to landfills
A. Prevent disposal of untreated hazardous waste that could still
pose risks — LDR (the “land ban”) requires hazardous wastes to meet
treatment standards before land disposal, reducing contaminants to safer
levels first.
14. Which document must a hazardous waste facility maintain to
support inspections and demonstrate a compliance history?
A. A marketing brochure
B. Employee time sheets
C. An operating record
D. A shareholder report
Page 4 of 58
