Waste management glossary

The date hazardous waste begins accumulating in a container or designated storage area, used to track applicable storage time limits.

Liquid or solid waste with acidic properties that may require corrosive-waste handling, compatible containers, and an approved treatment or disposal destination.

Pressurized containers used to dispense products such as paint, cleaners, lubricants, or pesticides, which may contain residual product or propellant.

Discarded alcohol-based products or liquids from beverage, manufacturing, laboratory, cleaning, or sanitizing operations that may be flammable or otherwise regulated.

A common single-use battery that uses an alkaline electrolyte and may be collected for material recovery or managed as a separate battery stream.

Waste with basic or high-pH properties, such as certain cleaners, process solutions, and industrial liquids, that may be regulated as corrosive waste.

A coolant fluid, commonly based on ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, used in vehicle, HVAC, and industrial systems.

Large household or commercial equipment such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, ovens, and dishwashers that may require removal, recycling, or special preparation.

The powdery residue left after combustion that may contain charred material, metals, chemicals, or other contaminants depending on what burned.

The collection and processing of batteries to recover materials and prevent hazardous components from entering general waste streams.

A system that stores electrical energy in batteries for later use, including backup power, commercial energy storage, and renewable-energy applications.

Discarded drinks, beverage ingredients, containers, and production residues from homes, restaurants, retailers, manufacturers, or events.

Waste that may contain infectious biological agents or materials capable of transmitting disease and therefore requires controlled packaging, transport, and treatment.

A large household or commercial object that cannot be handled through ordinary trash collection, such as a sofa, appliance, mattress, or large fixture.

Paper-based packaging material, including corrugated boxes and fiberboard, that can often be baled or recycled when clean and dry.

A documented destruction service that provides evidence that specified records, products, materials, or data were destroyed according to an agreed process.

Waste identified as hazardous because it exhibits a regulated characteristic such as ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity.

Discarded chemicals, mixtures, or process residues that may be hazardous because of their toxicity, flammability, corrosivity, reactivity, or unknown composition.

Waste generated by a business, job site, warehouse, property manager, or other commercial operation rather than by a household.

The controlled biological process of turning suitable organic material into a stable soil amendment through decomposition.

A dense construction material made primarily from cement, aggregate, and water that is commonly removed from demolition and renovation sites.

Discarded material from building, renovation, or repair work, including wood, drywall, concrete, roofing, flooring, and packaging.

Material placed in a waste or recycling stream that does not belong there or makes the stream harder to process.

A liquid used to transfer heat in equipment, vehicles, or industrial systems that may require special handling after use or contamination.

Waste that can chemically damage containers or living tissue because of its acidity or alkalinity and may meet a regulated corrosivity threshold.

A volume measurement equal to a space three feet wide, three feet long, and three feet high. Dumpster sizes are commonly described in cubic yards.

A collection service where items are placed at an accessible curb, driveway edge, or other agreed pickup point for a crew or hauler to collect.

Discarded milk, cream, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products or processing residues that may require recovery, treatment, or controlled disposal.

The secure destruction or sanitization of data stored on paper, hard drives, phones, servers, and other media so it cannot be reconstructed or accessed.

Waste created when a structure, room, fixture, or site is dismantled, including concrete, brick, wood, metal, drywall, and mixed material.

A charge for accepting, processing, transferring, recycling, or disposing of collected material at a facility.

The percentage of a waste stream kept out of landfill through reuse, donation, recycling, composting, or other recovery methods.

Gypsum wallboard and related sheet material removed during construction, renovation, repair, or demolition.

A service that delivers a waste container to a property for a defined rental period, then removes and processes the filled container.

The exchange of a full dumpster for an empty one at the same job site so work can continue without waiting for the original container to be emptied.

Discarded electrical or electronic equipment, including computers, monitors, televisions, printers, phones, and cables.

The collection, dismantling, and material recovery of discarded electronic equipment such as computers, monitors, phones, televisions, inverters, and servers.

The organized removal, sorting, donation, recycling, and disposal of belongings from a home or property after a move, sale, or change in ownership.

A high-capacity battery pack used in an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle that requires specialized evaluation, packaging, transport, and recycling when removed.

Material left after a fire, including charred building components, household contents, ash, soot, and damaged equipment.

A liquid that can readily ignite because of its flash point, including certain fuels, solvents, cleaners, and alcohol-based products.

Discarded solid, liquid, or gaseous material that can readily ignite or support combustion and therefore needs controlled storage, transport, and handling.

Fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent bulbs that may contain mercury and are commonly managed through a separate recycling or universal-waste program.

Discarded food and food preparation material, including scraps, spoiled products, and unavoidable food residues.

Household or commercial furnishings such as desks, tables, chairs, cabinets, shelving, and upholstered items that are being removed from a property.

The regulatory classification assigned to a site based largely on the amount of hazardous waste it generates in a calendar month.

A family of chemicals used in coolants, antifreeze, heat-transfer fluids, and industrial processes that may require testing or controlled recycling after use.

An alcohol-based or otherwise antimicrobial product used for hand hygiene that may require special handling when expired, recalled, contaminated, or present in bulk.

The process of informing workers about chemical hazards through labels, safety data sheets, training, and workplace procedures.

Materials that present physical, health, or environmental hazards during storage, handling, transportation, use, or disposal.

Waste that presents a meaningful physical, chemical, or environmental hazard and requires specialized handling, transport, or disposal.

A tracking document used to identify a hazardous-waste shipment and record its movement from the generator through transport to the receiving facility.

A record describing a waste stream's origin, composition, hazards, testing, codes, packaging, and proposed treatment or disposal destination.

Waste that can catch fire under ordinary handling conditions, such as certain flammable liquids, solids, or compressed gases.

Alcohol-based material used in manufacturing, cleaning, processing, or other commercial applications that may be flammable or otherwise regulated when discarded.

A pickup service in which a crew removes unwanted items from a home, business, property, or job site and routes them to reuse, recycling, or disposal.

A unit of energy equal to one kilowatt used for one hour, commonly used to describe solar generation, battery capacity, and electricity consumption.

A carefully packaged group of compatible laboratory chemical containers prepared for safe transport and hazardous-waste management.

An engineered facility where waste that cannot be reused, recycled, composted, or otherwise recovered is contained and managed.

A rechargeable battery that uses lead plates and sulfuric acid, commonly found in vehicles, backup systems, industrial equipment, and solar storage.

Material loaded no higher than the top edge of a dumpster and distributed so it can be covered and transported safely.

Waste identified on a regulatory list because of its source, process, or chemical composition, whether or not the waste exhibits another hazardous characteristic.

A rechargeable battery technology used in electronics, tools, vehicles, and energy-storage systems that can present fire risks when damaged or improperly handled.

The measured weight of material collected in a truck, trailer, or dumpster load, usually recorded at a transfer station or disposal facility.

A formal shipping record that accompanies a regulated waste shipment and documents the parties responsible for its transport and receipt.

The pickup and responsible processing of mattresses, box springs, and related bed components that are no longer wanted.

Discarded material generated by healthcare, laboratory, veterinary, or related activities that may require specialized segregation, packaging, transport, or treatment.

Equipment or components containing elemental mercury, such as certain switches, gauges, thermostats, and measurement devices.

The lowest service price applied to a pickup or delivery even when the material volume is small.

Everyday solid waste from homes, offices, schools, and similar sources, including common trash and recoverable materials.

A filter used to remove contaminants from engine, hydraulic, or industrial oil that may retain residual oil after replacement.

The collection, processing, and recovery of used or waste oil into reusable products, fuel, or other approved material streams.

Paint or coating formulated with an oil or solvent-based binder that may be flammable or regulated because of solvents, pigments, or other ingredients.

Water contaminated with petroleum, lubricants, hydraulic fluid, or other oils from maintenance, industrial, automotive, or cleanup activities.

Biodegradable material such as food scraps, yard trimmings, and other plant or animal-based material that can be composted or otherwise recovered.

Unused, leftover, expired, spilled, or contaminated paint and coating material that requires reuse, recycling, treatment, or disposal.

A reusable wood, plastic, or metal platform used to store and move goods that may be returned, reused, repaired, recycled, or disposed of.

Human or animal tissue, organs, body parts, or other biological material that requires specialized packaging, transport, and treatment.

Discarded prescription, over-the-counter, veterinary, or clinical medicines and related products that require an approved collection or disposal route.

A solar module that converts sunlight into electricity using photovoltaic cells, wiring, glass, metal framing, and other components.

A large acoustic or electronic musical instrument that may require specialized labor, access planning, disassembly, reuse, recycling, or disposal.

Discarded personal protective equipment such as gloves, gowns, masks, face shields, and protective coveralls used in a workplace or care setting.

Materials a hauler, dumpster provider, or disposal facility will not accept through a particular service because of safety, legal, or processing requirements.

The organized removal of unwanted contents, debris, furniture, appliances, and other material from a home, business, estate, or managed property.

Another name for a photovoltaic panel, typically consisting of connected solar cells sealed behind protective glass and mounted in a frame.

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the U.S. federal framework governing the management of solid waste and hazardous waste from generation through disposal.

Waste that can react violently, release dangerous gases, explode, or otherwise become unstable under normal handling or environmental conditions.

A scheduled collection program that repeats at an agreed frequency, such as weekly, monthly, or on a custom route.

The process of collecting, sorting, processing, and manufacturing discarded material into feedstock for new products.

Bagged waste designated for potentially infectious or biohazardous material under a healthcare or regulated medical-waste program.

Medical waste subject to specific state or local handling requirements because it may be infectious, sharp, pathological, pharmaceutical, or otherwise hazardous.

Waste subject to specific federal, state, or local requirements for identification, segregation, packaging, transport, treatment, recordkeeping, or disposal.

The agreed time a dumpster remains at a property before pickup, exchange, or an extension is requested.

A large open-top container delivered by a roll-off truck and moved on and off the truck using rails or wheels.

Roof-covering material removed during repair, replacement, or demolition, commonly made from asphalt, fiberglass, mineral granules, or other composites.

A standardized document describing a chemical product's hazards, ingredients, handling, storage, protective measures, and emergency information.

A junk removal appointment scheduled and completed on the same day, subject to crew availability, location, access, and material type.

A designated point near where hazardous waste is generated where limited amounts may be accumulated before being moved to a central storage area or shipped off site.

A controlled destruction process designed to prevent unauthorized access to confidential records, branded goods, products, or data-bearing materials.

Items capable of cutting or puncturing skin, such as needles, syringes, lancets, scalpels, broken contaminated glass, and some medical instruments.

A site classification for a business that generates hazardous waste above the very-small-quantity threshold but below the large-quantity threshold during a calendar month.

Building contents or materials affected by smoke, soot, odor, heat, or fire-suppression water that may require sorting, cleaning, restoration, or disposal.

A battery connected to a solar-energy system to store electricity generated by photovoltaic panels for later use or backup power.

A device that converts the direct current produced by solar panels into alternating current used by a building or electrical grid.

A panel made of photovoltaic cells that converts sunlight into electrical energy and may be removed for resale, reuse, decommissioning, or recycling.

The planned removal, disconnection, sorting, transport, reuse, resale, and recycling or disposal of a solar-energy system at the end of its service life.

The recovery and processing of materials from retired photovoltaic panels, including glass, aluminum, metals, wiring, and photovoltaic components.

The rails, mounts, brackets, fasteners, and structural hardware used to attach solar panels to a roof, ground structure, or other support.

Discarded solvent, solvent mixture, or solvent-contaminated material from cleaning, manufacturing, maintenance, painting, or laboratory work.

Sorting material where it is generated so recyclables, organics, hazardous items, and general waste enter separate streams.

A solvent that has been used in cleaning, manufacturing, maintenance, or laboratory work and is no longer suitable for its original purpose.

Waste containing substances that can cause harm through exposure or environmental release and may require testing, specialized handling, or regulated disposal.

A facility where collected waste is consolidated, sorted, or transferred from smaller collection vehicles to larger vehicles before its next destination.

A regulated category for commonly generated items such as batteries, certain lamps, mercury-containing equipment, and some aerosol cans that may follow streamlined handling rules.

Pads, socks, granules, mats, or other materials used to absorb spilled oil, chemicals, fuel, coolant, or other liquids.

Petroleum-based or synthetic oil that has been used and contaminated through operation, maintenance, or storage of equipment and is collected for reuse, recycling, or disposal.

A site that generates only a small amount of hazardous waste in a calendar month and may qualify for reduced requirements under applicable regulations.

A pricing method based primarily on how much truck, trailer, or container space a load occupies rather than on an hourly labor rate.

A review of what a property throws away, how much it generates, where it goes, and which changes could improve cost or recovery.

A regulatory code used to identify a hazardous waste based on its source, listed chemical, or hazardous characteristic.

The practice of directing discarded material away from landfill through reuse, donation, recycling, composting, or recovery.

The planning, collection, transportation, processing, recovery, and disposal of discarded materials from homes, businesses, and job sites.

Discarded oil from maintenance, manufacturing, cooking, or other operations that may be collected for recycling, recovery, treatment, or disposal.

A standardized description of a waste stream used by a receiving facility to evaluate its composition, hazards, packaging, and acceptance requirements.

The collection and transport of unwanted material from a property to a transfer, recycling, reuse, composting, or disposal facility.

The complete flow of discarded material from its point of generation through collection, sorting, recovery, transfer, and final destination.

A measure of electrical power that helps describe the output of a solar panel, the demand of equipment, or the capacity of an electrical component.

Organic material from landscaping and property maintenance, including branches, leaves, grass clippings, brush, and small logs.