Transfer

The Biennial Reporting System (BRS) is one of EPA's primary tools for tracking the generation, shipment, and receipt of hazardous waste. It contains information from the Hazardous Waste Reports that must be filed every two years under the RCRA program. RCRA (the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) is the Federal statute that regulates the generation, treatment, storage, disposal, or recycling of solid and hazardous waste.

DOT Emergency Guide Book 2008

A guide to help first responders in:

1. Indentifying the specific generic classification of the material(s) involved in the incident, and
2. Protecting themselves and the general public during the initial response phase of the incident.

(U:6-25-08)

RTK NET BRS Searches

This page allows you to do a search for hazardous waste shipments from specific facilities, area searches or by industry type. (2007-03-26)

BRS Facility Search

Facilities must report their activities involving hazardous waste to BRS if they fulfill one of two criteria:

1. They are a Large Quantity Generator (LQG) of waste, or
2. They treated, stored, or disposed (TSD) of RCRA hazardous waste on site in units subject to RCRA permitting requirements.

The definition of Large Quantity Generator is complex, but a simplified version is any site that generates more than 2,200 lbs of RCRA waste in a single month, accumulates more than 2.2 lbs of RCRA acute hazardous waste in any single month, or accumulated more than 220 lbs of spill cleanup material contaminated with RCRA acute hazardous waste in any month.

Not all hazardous waste is reported within BRS. Some waste that might otherwise be considered hazardous is exempted from regulation within RCRA as part of the original legislation. Some waste treatment units, particular wastewater treatment units, are not regulated under RCRA but instead under other environmental statutes. However, BRS appears to be the best U.S. hazardous waste tracking database available.

Note that RCRA hazardous waste quantities are traditionally reported in tons (2000 pounds). Direct comparison of BRS and TRI waste quantities is difficult since TRI reports on quantities of chemical components while BRS reports on quantities of wastes (which may contain many different hazardous and non-hazardous components). For instance, if 500 pounds of lead dust was spilled onto 3 tons of soil, and this soil was shipped offsite to a landfill, this would be reported as a transfer of 500 lbs of lead under TRI and as a shipment of 3 tons of lead-contaminated waste under BRS.

(2007-03-26)