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 4.
Composted leaves and pine straw are generally utilized at the
generating installation, and marketing is not a consideration.
However, there are several disadvantages to the composting of solid
waste. The processing required for its preparation is similar to
that for RDF, and it is unlikely that composting will be able to
compete with energy recovery as a solid waste management tool.
Also, compost is considered to be a very low grade fertilizer and
as such cannot economically compete with available chemical fertil-
izers. Finally, only a very few areas of the U.S. are so sandy
that there is a great need for this type of soil conditioning. The
high processing costs and lack of suitable markets will frequently
result in making the composting of military solid waste
economically unfeasible.
4.4
WASTES REQUIRING SPECIAL HANDLING
4.4.1 Many solid wastes may not be disposed of as normal municipal
refuse and require special handling and/or disposal. Check with the
installation environmental specialist for information regarding special
handling and disposal requirements. The RCRA defines a solid waste as "any
solid, liquid, semi-solid or contained gaseous material which has served its
purpose or has been discarded." Materials that are recycled, reclaimed, or
reused may be considered a solid waste under RCRA. Hazardous wastes, a
subset of solid wastes, are wastes that pose "a substantial hazard (present
or potential) to human health or the environment when improperly managed or
disposed." Waste generators are responsible for determining which wastes are
considered hazardous by regulation and which wastes shall be prudently
managed as such. State and local regulation pertaining to solid waste
disposal must be examined because RCRA allows the EPA to authorize individual
states to operate their own hazardous waste management programs. The state
programs must be equivalent to or exceed the federal regulations. Some
states have adopted regulations that exceed certain portions of the federal
regulations. For example, seven states have chosen to regulate infectious
wastes as a hazardous waste. Other states may not recognize the "small
quantity generator" status defined in the federal regulations.
4.4.2 Examples of solid wastes that may be regulated or require special
handling are presented below:
!
used oils and solvents
!
asbestos wastes
!
radioactive wastes
!
infectious wastes
!
PCB wastes.
The management of RCRA-regulated "Hazardous Wastes" is discussed in further
detail in Section 4.5 of this document. Solid wastes considered to be
hazardous wastes have been introduced in this section because they may be
regulated by local, state, or federal regulations other than RCRA.
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