Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Hazardous Waste Regulations

What this entry covers

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) gives EPA authority to regulate hazardous waste from the point it is generated through transport, treatment, storage and disposal. EPA’s hazardous waste regulations, in 40 CFR Parts 260 through 273, apply to generators, transporters and treatment, storage and disposal facilities, and many states run authorized RCRA programs. Eligible academic laboratories may follow alternative generator rules in 40 CFR Part 262, Subpart K.

MyRHC indexes this framework so practitioners, auditors, and automated agents can find the authoritative primary sources in one place. This page is a navigation aid. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for the official text.

Official documentation

• Primary official source: https://www.epa.gov/hw
• EPA, Regulations for Hazardous Waste Generated at Academic Laboratories: https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/regulations-hazardous-waste-generated-academic-laboratories

Recent changes

• 2026-03-05: EPA proposed the Paper Manifest Sunset Rule, which would set a date for sunsetting paper hazardous waste manifests in favor of electronic manifests. Comments were due 2026-05-04. As of 2026-10-26 the Federal Register lists no final rule. Federal Register
• 2025-09-19: EPA replaced the RCRAInfo Web application with the Hazardous Waste Information Platform. EPA

How to use this index entry

1. Open the official link above (or the agency home if the deep link drifts).
2. Confirm edition / revision date against your program scope.
3. Map applicability by sector and jurisdiction listed in the metadata.
4. Follow related frameworks only after checking their own official sources.

Disclaimers

• MyRHC does not host proprietary standards text (ISO, some industry bodies).
• Where standards are paywalled, we link to the publisher’s catalog page.
• Always verify current requirements with counsel and the issuing authority.