Hazardous waste rules and statutes
Wisconsin's Legislature creates and revises the Wisconsin Statutes (Wis. Stats.), while state agencies such as the Department of Natural Resources create and revise the rules required and authorized by those statutes. These agency rules constitute the Wisconsin Administrative Code (Wis. Adm. Code).
Public participation is a critical component of agency rulemaking and we value your involvement in the DNR's rulemaking activities. There are numerous opportunities for you to participate in the DNR rulemaking process.
- Learn about the DNR's rulemaking process and public input opportunities.
- View the current rulemaking status of proposed permanent rules.
- View the current rulemaking status of proposed emergency rules.
Codes And Statutes
Hazardous waste administrative codes and statutes
The majority of the hazardous waste requirements in state statutes and rules reflect mandates contained in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and federal regulations that Wisconsin hazardous waste rules must reflect.
Current hazardous waste administrative codes (effective Sept. 1, 2020)
- Chapter ATCP 34 [exit DNR] - Clean sweep program
- Chapter NR 140 [exit DNR] - Groundwater quality
- Chapter NR 141 [exit DNR] - Groundwater monitoring well requirements
- Chapter NR 149 [exit DNR] - Laboratory certification and registration
- Chapter NR 150 [exit DNR] - Environmental analysis and review procedures for department actions
- Chapter NR 157 [exit DNR] - Management of PCBs and products containing PCBs
- Chapter NR 150 [exit DNR] - Environmental analysis and review procedures for department actions
- Chapter NR 660 [exit DNR] - Hazardous waste management: general
- Chapter NR 661 [exit DNR] - Hazardous waste identification and listing
- Chapter NR 661 Appendix I [exit DNR] - Representative sampling methods
- Chapter NR 661 Appendix VII [exit DNR] - Basis for listing hazardous waste
- Chapter NR 661 Appendix VIII [exit DNR] - Hazardous constituents
- Chapter NR 662 [exit DNR] - Hazardous waste generator standards
- Chapter NR 663 [exit DNR] - Hazardous waste transporter standards
- Chapter NR 664 [exit DNR] - Hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facility standards
- Chapter NR 664 Appendix I [exit DNR] - Recordkeeping instructions
- Chapter NR 664 Appendix IV [exit DNR] - Cochran's approximation to the Behrens-Fisher Students' t-test
- Chapter NR 664 Appendix V [exit DNR] - Examples of potentially incompatible waste
- Chapter NR 664 Appendix IX [exit DNR] - Groundwater monitoring list
- Chapter NR 665 [exit DNR] - Interim license hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facility standards
- Chapter NR 665 Appendix I [exit DNR] - Recordkeeping instructions
- Chapter NR 665 Appendix III [exit DNR] - EPA interim primary drinking water standards
- Chapter NR 665 Appendix IV [exit DNR] - Tests for significance
- Chapter NR 665 Appendix V [exit DNR] - Examples of potentially incompatible waste
- Chapter NR 665 Appendix VI [exit DNR] - Compounds with Henry's law constant less than 0.1 Y/X
- Chapter NR 666 [exit DNR] - Standards for managing specific hazardous wastes and specific types of hazardous waste management facilities
- Chapter NR 666 Appendix I [exit DNR] - Tier I and Tier II feed rate and emissions screening limits for metals
- Chapter NR 666 Appendix II [exit DNR] - Tier I and Tier II feed rate screening limits for total chlorine
- Chapter NR 666 Appendix III [exit DNR] - Tier II emission rate screening limits for free chlorine and hydrogen chloride
- Chapter NR 666 Appendix IV [exit DNR] - Reference air concentrations
- Chapter NR 666 Appendix V [exit DNR] - Risk specific doses (10-5)
- Chapter NR 666 Appendix VI [exit DNR] - Stack plume rise
- Chapter NR 666 Appendix VII [exit DNR] - Health-based limits for exclusion of waste-derived residues
- Chapter NR 666 Appendix VIII [exit DNR] - Organic compounds for which residues shall be analyzed
- Chapter NR 666 Appendix IX [exit DNR] - Methods manual for compliance with the Bif rules
- Chapter NR 666 Appendix XI [exit DNR] - Lead-bearing materials that may be processed in exempt lead smelters
- Chapter NR 666 Appendix XII [exit DNR] - Nickel or chromium-bearing materials that may be processed in exempt nickel-chromium recovery furnaces
- Chapter NR 666 Appendix XIII [exit DNR] - Mercury bearing wastes that may be processed in exempt mercury recovery units
- Chapter NR 668 [exit DNR] - Hazardous waste land disposal restrictions
- Chapter NR 668 Appendix III [exit DNR] - List of halogenated organic compounds regulated under s. NR 668.32
- Chapter NR 668 Appendix IV [exit DNR] - Wastes excluded from lab packs under the alternative treatment standards of s. NR 668.42(3)
- Chapter NR 668 Appendix VI [exit DNR] - Recommended technologies to achieve deactivation of characteristics in s. NR 668.42
- Chapter NR 668 Appendix VII [exit DNR] - LDR effective dates of surface disposed prohibited hazardous wastes
- Chapter NR 668 Appendix IX [exit DNR] - Extraction procedure (EP) toxicity test method and structural integrity test (method 1310)
- Chapter NR 668 Appendix XI [exit DNR] - Metal bearing wastes prohibited from dilution in a combustion unit according to s. NR 668.03(3)
- Chapter NR 670 [exit DNR] - Hazardous waste licensing and decisionmaking procedures
- Chapter NR 670 Appendix I [exit DNR] - Classification of license modification
- Chapter NR 670 Appendix II [exit DNR] - Hazardous waste fee table
- Chapter NR 673 [exit DNR] - Universal waste management standards
- Chapter NR 679 [exit DNR] - Used oil management standards
Hazardous waste state statutes
- Chapter 291, Wis. Stats. - Hazardous waste management
- Chapter 292, Wis. Stats. - Remedial action
- Chapter 299, Wis. Stats. - General environmental provisions
Proposed Universal Waste Rule
WA-12-21 Universal Waste Rulemaking
The DNR is developing universal waste rules that would allow used aerosol cans to be managed as a universal waste. This change would benefit a wide variety of facilities generating and managing hazardous waste aerosol cans by:
- providing a clear, protective system for managing discarded aerosol cans;
- promoting collection and recycling of these cans; and
- encouraging development of municipal and commercial programs to reduce the quantity of aerosol cans going to municipal solid waste landfills or combustors.
The rules would ensure clarity and consistency in waste requirements for universal waste receiving and recycling facilities or destination facilities.
Scope statement
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Rule drafting/ Public feedback
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Economic impact analysis Access the board order and EIA on the DNR’s proposed permanent rules webpage under WA-12-21. |
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Public hearing on proposed rule |
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Adopted by NRB |
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Legislative review |
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Rule published and effective |
Proposed Ignitable Liquids Rule
Wa-11-21 Modernizing Ignitable Liquids And Test Methods Rulemaking
The DNR is developing rules that would allow updated flash-point testing methods for ignitable hazardous waste determinations, including removing obsolete information in the ignitability regulation. These rules would standardize test procedures, update standards to match federal requirements, and potentially eliminate the need for outdated equipment and methodologies.
This rule would also define “aqueous” as “50% water by weight,” which would assist in narrowing the types of alcohol that would qualify as a hazardous waste, potentially reducing the applicability of these requirements to certain entities. These waste streams have low flash points but are unable to sustain combustion.
Another component of the rule would correct cross references to U.S. Department of Transportation regulations and remove obsolete information in the ignitability regulation. Specifically, the proposed rule would modify the criteria for ignitable compressed gases and oxidizers to adhere more closely to the corresponding definitions in the DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations.
Scope statement
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Rule drafting/ Public feedback
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Economic impact analysis Access the board order and EIA on the DNR’s proposed permanent rules webpage under WA-11-21. |
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Public hearing on proposed rule |
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Adopted by NRB |
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Legislative review |
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Rule published and effective |
Proposed Corrections Rule
Wa-14-21 Technical Corrections And Clarifications Rulemaking
Current state hazardous waste regulations contain spelling and grammatical errors, citation errors, and missing federal code language. The DNR is proposing this rule to update and correct state regulations, including any potential technical corrections finalized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the proposed rulemaking process. The proposed rules and revisions would correct and update current state rules that comprehensively regulate the generation, transportation, recycling, treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous and universal wastes and used oil.
Scope statement
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Rule drafting/ Public feedback
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Economic impact analysis Access the board order and EIA on the DNR’s proposed permanent rules webpage under WA-14-21. |
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Public hearing on proposed rule |
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Adopted by NRB |
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Legislative review |
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Rule published and effective |