A solid waste is any material that is discarded by being:
Abandoned: The term abandoned means thrown away. A material is abandoned if it is disposed of, burned, incinerated, or sham recycled.
Inherently Waste-Like: Some materials pose such a threat to human health and the environment that they are always considered solid wastes; these materials are considered to be inherently waste-like. Examples of inherently waste-like materials include certain dioxin-containing wastes.
A Discarded Military Munition: Military munitions are all ammunition products and components produced for or used by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) or U.S. Armed Services for national defense and security. Unused or defective munitions are solid wastes when:
- abandoned (i.e., disposed of, burned, incinerated) or treated
prior to disposal;
- rendered nonrecyclable or nonusable through deterioration; or
- declared a waste by an authorized military official.
- Used (i.e., fired or detonated) munitions may also be solid wastes if
collected for storage, recycling, treatment, or disposal.
Recycled in Certain Ways: A material is recycled if it is used or reused (e.g., as an ingredient in a process), reclaimed, or used in certain ways (used in or on the land in a manner constituting disposal, burned for energy recovery, or accumulated speculatively). Specific exclusions to the definition of solid waste are listed in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 40 CFR section 261.4(a). Many of these exclusion are related to recycling.
