Tank and Hazardous Materials Terms

Reviewed October 2026 · 115 terms

Tank types, underground and aboveground tank removal, hazardous waste rules, drums and containers, and the hazardous items commonly found during demolition.

Prices for this work: tank and hazardous materials · asbestos removal · hauling and disposal · hydroseeding and irrigation · excavation and grading · all 2026 prices

Related services: Soil contamination and tank removal · Decommissioning · Dismantling

• Tank types
• Tank removal and closure
• Hazardous waste rules and shipping
• Containers and packaging
• Hazardous items found during demolition
• About this topic

Tank types

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Aboveground storage tank (AST)

A tank that sits on or above the ground. Sites storing 1,320 gallons or more of petroleum in aboveground tanks fall under California’s Aboveground Petroleum Storage Act. Those sites need a Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) plan, and the local CUPA inspects them. Decommissioning service

Air receiver (compressed air tank)

A pressure tank that stores compressed air from a compressor. It is drained, depressurized and opened before scrapping. In California, larger air tanks need a Cal/OSHA permit to operate and are inspected on a set schedule.

ASME pressure vessel

A tank built and stamped to ASME code for pressure service, such as propane, air or process tanks. Its stamped data plate shows the maximum allowable pressure and the year it was built, which scrap yards and buyers check.

Bolted steel tank

A tank assembled on site from coated steel panels bolted together, used for water, fire protection and wastewater. Removal reverses the assembly or cuts the panels. The panels are usually glass-fused or epoxy-coated, so they can be unbolted and sometimes reused instead of cut up. Dismantling service

Cathodic protection

A system of anodes or electrical current that keeps a buried steel tank or pipe from corroding. Impressed-current systems must be checked every 60 days, and every system is tested by a qualified tester at least every 3 years.

Chemical storage tank (sodium hypochlorite and similar)

A tank holding treatment or process chemicals, such as sodium hypochlorite at water facilities. Removal starts with draining and rinsing according to the chemical’s safety data sheet. Sodium hypochlorite gives off chlorine gas if it mixes with acid, so its residue is never drained into a container that held acidic chemicals. Our decommissioning work

Cistern

An underground or aboveground tank that stores rainwater or water for later use, often found at older properties. Old brick or concrete cisterns often turn up during grading on older lots and are broken out or filled so they can’t collapse later.

Clarifier

A tank where solids settle out of wastewater, found at car washes and industrial sites. Removal includes pumping and disposing of the sludge. The sludge is tested before disposal, because clarifiers at car washes and shops can hold oil and heavy metals.

Commercial water heater and boiler

Large storage water heaters and boilers in commercial buildings. Older units and their piping often have asbestos insulation that must be removed first. Large boilers can weigh several tons, so removal is planned around rigging and the path out of the building.

Concrete vault

An underground concrete box that houses tanks, valves, meters or utility equipment. An old vault left in place can collapse under equipment or traffic, so it is removed or filled when it is no longer used.

Double-walled tank

A tank with an inner and an outer wall and leak monitoring in the space between, the standard for underground storage tanks in California. California has required secondary containment for new underground tanks since 1984, earlier than federal rules.

Elevated water tank

A water tank on a tower or legs that uses its height to supply water pressure. Each foot of height adds about 0.43 psi of pressure, so water 100 feet up gives about 43 psi at the ground. Our dismantling work

Fiberglass (FRP) tank

A tank made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic, widely used for underground fuel storage because it doesn’t corrode. It can’t be sold as scrap like steel, so after cleaning it is usually cut up and landfilled.

Field-built tank

A large steel tank assembled on site from welded or bolted plates, such as a water district reservoir, rather than built in a shop and delivered whole. Removal is priced per project by the tons of steel, the coatings and site access. Coatings on older tanks often contain lead, so they are tested before any torch cutting.

Fire protection water tank

A tank that stores water for a building’s fire sprinkler system or fire pump where the water main can’t supply enough. These tanks follow NFPA 22, and the fire department must approve taking one out of service.

Fire-rated aboveground tank

An aboveground fuel tank built to resist fire for a set time, often a steel tank encased in concrete. Common at sites that replaced underground tanks. Most are listed to UL 2085, which tests the tank against a 2-hour fire.

Generator day tank

A small fuel tank beside or near an emergency generator that feeds it directly, refilled from a larger main tank. Any day tank of 55 gallons or more counts toward a site’s 1,320-gallon total under California’s aboveground tank law.

Grease interceptor

A large in-ground tank that traps fats, oils and grease from a restaurant’s drains before they reach the sewer. Smaller under-sink units are called grease traps. Many city grease rules require pumping when grease and solids fill 25 percent of the tank, or on a set schedule.

Ground-level reservoir

A large water storage tank that sits on the ground, usually steel or concrete, typically owned by a water district. Welded steel reservoirs are usually built to the AWWA D100 standard. Dismantling service

Heating oil tank

A tank, often buried at older homes and buildings, that stored fuel oil for a furnace or boiler. Many were abandoned without records. Tanks storing heating oil for use on the property are exempt from California’s UST permit program, but many fire departments still require a removal permit.

Holding tank (wastewater)

A sealed tank that stores sewage or process wastewater until a hauler pumps it out, where there is no sewer connection. When a sewer connection replaces it, the tank is pumped, cleaned and removed or filled.

Hydraulic elevator jack

The buried cylinder under a hydraulic elevator, filled with oil. Removal or replacement may include testing the soil around it for leaks. Older jacks sat in a single steel casing directly in the soil, and leaked hydraulic oil is a common finding when they come out.

Hydropneumatic tank

A pressurized tank that keeps a water system at steady pressure with a cushion of air. Many newer ones use a rubber bladder to keep the air and water apart.

In-ground hydraulic lift

A vehicle lift at a shop with its oil cylinders and reservoir buried below the floor. Removal includes the oil and soil sampling for leaks. Many shops replace them with aboveground lifts, which takes the oil reservoir out of the ground for good.

Lift station wet well

The concrete pit where sewage collects before pumps lift it to a higher sewer line. Removal includes cleaning and confined space entry. Sewer gas can include hydrogen sulfide, which deadens the sense of smell at high levels, so the air is tested before anyone enters.

Lined tank

An older steel tank that was coated inside to extend its life. California treats lined single-walled tanks as single-walled. Interior lining was a common upgrade before the federal December 1998 deadline for upgrading old tanks.

Oil/water separator

A tank or vault that separates oil from wash water or storm water at shops, fuel stations and industrial sites. Removal includes pumping, cleaning and testing the soil underneath. Separators connected to the sewer often need a permit from the sewer agency, which sets cleaning and record-keeping rules.

Poly (HDPE) tank

A molded polyethylene tank used for water and many chemicals, including sodium hypochlorite. It is lightweight and usually removed whole. Sunlight slowly weakens polyethylene, so outdoor poly tanks are checked for cracking and replaced as they age.

Propane tank

A pressurized tank for liquefied propane. Most are owned by the gas supplier, who empties and removes them. Tanks are sized by water capacity and filled to about 80 percent, leaving room for the liquid to expand.

Rainwater harvesting tank

A tank that collects roof runoff for irrigation or other non-drinking uses. One inch of rain on 1,000 square feet of roof yields about 620 gallons.

Single-walled tank

A tank with one shell and no built-in secondary containment. California required all single-walled underground tanks and their single-walled piping to be permanently closed by December 31, 2025. Many were installed before 1984, when California began requiring a second wall on new underground tanks.

Steel tank

A welded steel tank used above and below ground for fuel, oil, water and chemicals. Older buried steel tanks are prone to corrosion and leaks. After removal, a cleaned steel tank is cut open and recycled as scrap.

Steel-composite (jacketed) tank

A steel tank wrapped in a fiberglass or polyethylene jacket to resist corrosion, a common double-walled tank design. The jacket is the outer wall, and the space between it and the steel is monitored for leaks.

Stormwater detention system

Underground pipes, chambers or a vault that store storm runoff and release it slowly, required on many commercial sites. Many are covered by a maintenance agreement with the city, so removing or changing one usually needs city approval.

Sub-base (belly) tank

A fuel tank built into the base the generator sits on. It usually comes out with the generator, after the fuel is pumped and the tank is cleaned.

Sump

A pit or small basin that collects liquid, such as under fuel dispensers, at floor drains or in tank pits. Sensors in sumps under fuel dispensers can shut down the pumps when liquid collects.

Vaulted tank

A tank placed inside a concrete vault, above or below ground, so a leak stays in the vault. When the tank comes out, the vault is cleaned and then removed or filled.

Waste oil tank

A tank that holds used motor oil at shops and fleet yards. Removal includes managing the remaining oil as hazardous waste in California. The remaining oil is pumped by a registered hauler before the tank is cleaned and lifted out.

Tank removal and closure

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Automatic tank gauge (ATG)

A probe inside a tank, wired to a console, that measures fuel and water levels and runs leak tests. Its readings are part of a station’s monitoring records. Monthly leak tests must be able to detect a leak of 0.2 gallons per hour.

Closure in place

Leaving a tank in the ground after cleaning it and filling it with an inert material such as slurry. Agencies allow it only with approval, usually when removal would undermine a building or street. The tank is still cleaned and soil samples are still taken, and the agency keeps the closure on file.

Cold cutting

Cutting a tank or pipe with tools that make no sparks or flame, such as hydraulic shears or saws with coolant, where vapor may be present. It is slower than torch cutting, but it is the usual choice until gas readings show the tank is safe for hot work.

Confirmation soil samples

Soil samples taken from under a removed tank and its piping to show whether fuel or chemicals leaked. The results decide whether cleanup is needed. Orange County requires one sample at each end of every tank and one for every 20 feet of pipe trench. Soil contamination and tank removal service

CUPA (Certified Unified Program Agency)

The local agency that permits and inspects hazardous materials and underground tanks. In Orange County it is the county’s Environmental Health division; in most of Los Angeles County it is the County Fire Department, and some cities run their own. California set up the Unified Program in 1993 so businesses deal with one local agency for several hazardous materials programs.

Deadman anchor

A long precast concrete beam buried beside an underground tank and strapped to it, so groundwater can’t float the tank out of the ground. Deadmen are dug out and hauled away when the tank is removed. An empty 10,000-gallon tank in groundwater pushes up with about 40 tons of force, which is why it needs anchoring.

Frac (Baker) tank

A portable steel tank of roughly 20,000 gallons, used to hold water, rinsate or other liquids on site. A frac tank holds about 500 barrels, and the name comes from oil field fracturing work, where they were first widely used.

Gas-free certificate

Written certification from a qualified person, such as a marine chemist or certified industrial hygienist, that a tank or space is free of flammable vapor for hot work. Marine chemists certify under NFPA 306, and a certificate is good only for the conditions and time it states.

Hot work

Cutting, welding or grinding that makes sparks or flame. Near tanks and fuel lines it needs a hot work permit and vapor-free conditions. Fire codes require clearing combustibles within 35 feet of hot work, because sparks can travel that far.

Inerting (dry ice or nitrogen)

Displacing the oxygen in a tank with carbon dioxide from dry ice, or with nitrogen, so fuel vapors cannot ignite during removal. Dry ice turns into carbon dioxide gas, which is heavier than air and pushes oxygen out of the tank from the bottom up. Our decommissioning work

LEL monitoring

Measuring flammable vapor with a meter as a percentage of the lower explosive limit, the lowest concentration that can ignite. Readings must be below the agency’s limit before a tank is pulled or cut. Gasoline vapor can ignite at about 1.4 percent in air, so even a tank that looks empty can be dangerous.

Overfill prevention valve

A valve in a tank’s fill pipe that stops or slows a fuel delivery when the tank is about 95 percent full, so the tank isn’t overfilled. Overfill equipment must be inspected at least every 3 years.

Product lines and dispensers

The pipes that carry fuel from an underground tank to the pumps, and the pumps themselves. They are removed and sampled along with the tank. Newer California systems use double-walled piping with leak sensors in the sumps.

Secondary containment

A second barrier, such as an outer tank wall, a berm or a lined area, that holds a leak from the primary tank or piping. California requires secondary containment on tanks to be tested at installation and every 36 months after.

Sludge (tank bottoms)

The heavy residue of product, water and sediment at the bottom of a tank, pumped out and disposed of as waste. It is often the most contaminated part of the job, so it is profiled and shipped under a manifest.

Spill bucket

A container around a tank’s fill pipe that catches drips during fuel deliveries. California requires spill buckets to be tested at installation and at least once every 12 months.

Stage I vapor recovery

Equipment that sends gasoline vapors pushed out of an underground tank during a delivery back into the tanker truck instead of the air. California requires CARB-certified systems at gas stations, which CARB calls Phase I systems. Enhanced Phase I systems must capture at least 98 percent of those vapors.

Submersible turbine pump (STP)

The electric pump mounted inside an underground fuel tank that pushes fuel through the product lines to the dispensers. It sits under the turbine sump at the top of the tank. Its power is locked out and the pump is pulled before the tank is lifted.

Tank cleaning

Pumping out remaining product and sludge, then washing the tank inside so it can be safely cut, removed and recycled. Most tanks are cleaned from outside with high-pressure washers and a vacuum truck; entering a tank is a last resort. Decommissioning service

Tank closure report

The report sent to the agency after removal, with sample results, disposal records and site details. The agency uses it to close the permit or open a cleanup case. The agency’s reply, either a closure letter or a cleanup case, is what buyers and lenders ask to see.

Tank pit backfill

The pea gravel or sand placed around an underground tank to support it evenly without damaging its walls. It is removed and stockpiled with the tank, and tested with the soil if a leak is suspected. Fiberglass tanks are set in pea gravel because sharp rock can crack the shell.

Tank removal permit

The permit from the CUPA or fire department to remove a tank, with an inspector present at the time of removal. In California, a contractor must hold the CSLB hazardous substance removal (HAZ) certification to remove an underground tank. Tank removal and contaminated soil work

Triple rinse

Rinsing a tank or container three times and collecting the rinsate, so the container can be handled as empty. The rinse water itself is collected and handled as waste, often as hazardous waste.

Turbine sump

A watertight box on top of an underground tank that holds the pump head and piping connections, with a sensor that alarms if fuel or water collects. California requires sumps to be tested for leaks on a set schedule. The usual test fills the sump with water and watches the level for a drop.

Underground storage tank (UST)

A tank with 10 percent or more of its volume, including piping, below ground. Removal is permitted and inspected by the local CUPA: county Environmental Health in Orange County, and the County Fire Department in most of Los Angeles County. The 10 percent counts the buried piping, so a tank sitting on the ground with buried lines can still be a UST. Soil contamination and tank removal service

Vacuum truck

A tank truck with a powerful vacuum pump that removes liquids, sludge and slurry from tanks, sumps and excavations. Hazardous liquids have to be hauled by a DTSC-registered hazardous waste transporter.

Vent riser

The pipe that lets an underground fuel tank breathe as it is filled and emptied, rising above the roofline or at least 12 feet above grade with a pressure/vacuum valve on top. It comes out with the tank and piping. A vent pipe along a building or fence is often the first clue to a forgotten underground tank.

Hazardous waste rules and shipping

90-day accumulation

The time a large-quantity generator may store hazardous waste on site before shipping it. Small-quantity generators get 180 days. The clock starts on the accumulation date written on the hazardous waste label.

DTSC (Department of Toxic Substances Control)

The California agency that regulates hazardous waste, from generation and labeling through transport and disposal. It was created in 1991 as part of the California Environmental Protection Agency.

EPA ID number

The identification number a hazardous waste generator needs before shipping waste. California issues temporary numbers for one-time jobs such as a demolition or tank removal. The number belongs to the site and its owner or operator, not to the contractor doing the work.

Generator status (VSQG, SQG, LQG)

How much hazardous waste a site produces each month, which sets its rules: very small (100 kilograms or less), small (more than 100 but less than 1,000) or large (1,000 kilograms or more). Status is counted month by month, so one tank removal can make an ordinary site a large-quantity generator for that month.

Hazardous waste label

The label on a hazardous waste container, showing the words Hazardous Waste, the contents and hazards, the generator’s name and address, and the date accumulation began. Containers must stay closed except when waste is being added or removed.

Lab pack

Small containers of chemicals packed together in a drum with absorbent so they can be shipped and disposed of as hazardous waste. Chemicals are sorted by hazard so incompatible ones, such as acids and bases, never share a drum.

Non-RCRA (California-only) hazardous waste

Waste that is hazardous under California’s stricter rules but not federal law, such as friable asbestos waste and many soils that fail the STLC or TTLC tests. It still needs a manifest and a registered hazardous waste transporter in California.

Packing groups I, II and III

DOT’s hazard ranking for packaging: Packing Group I is great danger, II is medium danger and III is minor danger. Gasoline, for example, ships in Packing Group II.

Placards

Diamond-shaped hazard signs on trucks carrying hazardous materials, showing the hazard class and often the UN number. Most hazard classes need placards once a load reaches 1,001 pounds, but some, such as explosives, need them at any amount.

Proper shipping name

The standard name for a hazardous material in the DOT hazardous materials table, used on shipping papers and package markings. Many demolition wastes ship under generic names ending in “n.o.s.,” meaning not otherwise specified.

RCRA hazardous waste

Waste regulated as hazardous under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, because it is listed or fails a test for a characteristic such as toxicity or ignitability. Congress passed RCRA in 1976; California runs the program here under EPA authorization, with stricter rules of its own.

Registered hazardous waste transporter

A hauler registered with DTSC to carry hazardous waste in California. Many also need a hazardous materials transportation license from the California Highway Patrol.

Rinsate

The wash water from cleaning a tank or equipment, collected and disposed of as waste rather than released. Fuel tank rinsate is usually pumped by vacuum truck and taken under manifest to a recycler or treatment facility.

STLC and TTLC

California’s own waste tests, the soluble and total threshold limits. Waste can be hazardous in California even when it passes the federal TCLP test. Soil with 1,000 milligrams of lead per kilogram or more is hazardous in California under the TTLC.

TCLP

The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, the federal lab test that shows whether waste leaches enough metals or other contaminants to be classified as hazardous. For lead, waste fails the TCLP at 5 milligrams per liter.

Thermal treatment (thermal desorption)

Cleaning petroleum-contaminated soil by heating it at a permitted facility until the hydrocarbons vaporize and are burned off. Priced per ton. The cleaned soil can often be reused as fill or landfill cover.

TSDF (treatment, storage and disposal facility)

A facility permitted to accept, treat, store or dispose of hazardous waste. California has only two hazardous waste landfills, at Kettleman Hills in Kings County and Buttonwillow in Kern County.

UN number

A four-digit number that identifies a hazardous material for shipping, such as UN1203 for gasoline. It appears on shipping papers and placards so emergency crews can look it up in the Emergency Response Guidebook.

Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest

The federal shipping document (EPA Form 8700-22, tracked electronically through e-Manifest) that follows hazardous waste from the generator to the disposal facility. EPA’s e-Manifest system has tracked manifests nationwide since June 2018.

Universal waste

Fluorescent lamps, batteries, electronics and similar items that can’t go in the trash in California and are recycled under simplified rules. Fluorescent tubes contain a small amount of mercury, which is why they can’t go in the trash.

Waste codes

Codes on manifests and labels that identify a waste: federal codes such as D001, and California three-digit codes such as 151 for asbestos-containing waste. Contaminated soil from site cleanups, for example, carries California code 611.

Waste profile

The description of a waste stream, with lab results, that a landfill or treatment facility approves before it accepts a load. Profiles are usually renewed each year and must be updated if the waste changes.

Containers and packaging

30-gallon drum

A smaller drum for smaller quantities, or for heavy material such as soil where a full 55-gallon drum would be too heavy to move. A full 55-gallon drum of wet soil can top 700 pounds, so smaller drums keep loads safer to move.

5-gallon pail

A steel or plastic bucket with a sealing lid for small amounts of waste, samples or universal waste. Small batteries are often collected in pails, with the terminals taped so they can’t short.

55-gallon drum

The standard industrial drum, about 23 inches across and 34 inches tall, holding roughly 7.4 cubic feet. Waste disposal is often priced per drum. Full of water, a 55-gallon drum weighs more than 450 pounds.

Absorbent (vermiculite and pads)

Vermiculite, clay or pads used to soak up liquids and cushion containers in lab packs and drums. Used absorbent is disposed of with the waste it absorbed. Absorbent is added until no free liquid remains, because landfills can’t accept containers holding free liquid.

Asbestos disposal bags (6-mil)

Heavy plastic bags pre-printed with the asbestos warning label, used to seal asbestos waste. Waste is usually double-bagged. Bags are filled only partway so they can be sealed with a gooseneck twist and don’t split.

Bulk bag (super sack)

A woven polypropylene bag, typically about 1 cubic yard, lifted by loops and used for soil, debris and some asbestos waste. They are commonly rated for 2,000 to 3,000 pounds.

Cubic-yard box (gaylord)

A heavy corrugated or plastic box of about 1 cubic yard on a pallet, used for lamps, batteries and other universal or lab-pack waste. The name comes from the Gaylord Container Company, an early maker.

Double wrap (large pieces such as transite pipe)

Wrapping asbestos pieces too large to bag, such as transite pipe or panels, in two layers of 6-mil plastic, sealed and labeled. Each wrapped piece gets the asbestos warning label and the generator’s name and address.

Drum liner

A plastic bag set inside a drum to protect the drum and make emptying easier. Liners are twisted and taped shut before the lid goes on.

Fiber drum

A drum of heavy fiberboard with a metal or plastic lid, for dry solids, lab packs and lightweight waste. Not for liquids. They are lighter and cheaper than steel, and many can be incinerated with their contents.

IBC tote (275 and 330 gallon)

An intermediate bulk container: a plastic tank in a steel cage on a pallet, used for liquids such as rinsate and wash water. A full 275-gallon tote of water weighs about 2,400 pounds, so it is moved by forklift.

Lined roll-off bin

A roll-off container lined and covered with heavy plastic to hold asbestos waste or contaminated soil for transport. The bin stays covered except while it is being loaded.

Overpack (salvage) drum, 85 and 95 gallon

An oversized drum that a leaking or damaged 55-gallon drum is placed inside for safe handling and shipping. The extra room around the inner drum is filled with absorbent.

Poly drum

A plastic drum, open- or closed-head, for corrosive liquids and solids such as acids and caustics that would attack steel. Under the UN system, plastic drums are marked 1H1 for closed-head and 1H2 for open-head.

Steel drum, closed-head (tight-head)

A steel drum with a fixed top and two small threaded openings called bungs, used for liquids such as fuel, oil and rinsate. Marked UN 1A1. The larger bung is 2 inches across and the smaller is 3/4 inch.

Steel drum, open-head

A steel drum with a removable lid held by a bolted ring, used for solids such as soil, debris, sludge and used absorbent. Marked UN 1A2. The lid gasket and bolted ring must be fully tightened for the drum to meet its UN rating.

UN-rated packaging (1A2, 1H2 markings)

Containers tested and marked for hazardous materials shipping. In a mark like 1A2/X400/S, 1 means drum, A steel (H plastic, G fiber), 2 open head (1 closed head), X the packing groups allowed, 400 the maximum gross weight in kilograms and S solids. A Y in place of the X means packing groups II and III only, and a Z means group III only.

Hazardous items found during demolition

Aerosol cans

Spray cans of paint, lubricant and cleaner. California lets businesses manage them as universal waste instead of sending them to the landfill. Puncturing and draining them takes equipment that captures the contents, and the empty cans can then be recycled as scrap metal.

Creosote-treated wood

Dark, oily wood treated with creosote, mainly railroad ties, utility poles and pilings. It is managed as treated wood waste. Creosote was the standard preservative for railroad ties for more than a century.

E-waste

Electronics such as computers, monitors and TVs, which California manages as universal waste and bans from the trash. Old tube-type (CRT) monitors and TVs contain several pounds of lead in the glass.

Fire extinguishers and compressed gas cylinders

Pressurized containers that can explode if crushed or burned with debris. They are returned to the supplier, or emptied and recycled, before demolition. Older extinguishers can hold halon, which must be recovered rather than released.

Lead-acid batteries

Batteries from vehicles, forklifts and backup power systems. They are recycled, never landfilled. Industry figures put their recycling rate at about 99 percent, among the highest of any product.

Mercury switches and thermostats

Older thermostats, tilt switches and some gauges contain mercury. They are removed before demolition and recycled as universal waste. A single old thermostat can hold about 3 grams of mercury.

PCB ballast

The ballast in an older fluorescent light fixture, the part that regulates power to the lamps. Ballasts made before 1979 may have PCBs in their small capacitor and are disposed of as regulated waste; newer ones are labeled “No PCBs.” Leaking ballasts are handled as PCB waste, and intact ones are usually drummed for incineration or recycling.

PCB caulk

Caulk and sealants from roughly 1950 to 1979 that may contain PCBs. Material at 50 parts per million or more is federally regulated and disposed of as PCB waste. The U.S. banned PCB manufacturing in 1979.

Refrigerant recovery

Removing refrigerant from air conditioners, refrigerators and coolers, by an EPA-certified technician, before the equipment is scrapped or demolished. Venting refrigerant is illegal under the federal Clean Air Act, and scrap yards ask for proof of recovery.

Treated wood waste (TWW)

Wood treated with preservatives such as CCA, creosote or pentachlorophenol, including fence posts, decking, utility poles and railroad ties. California requires it to be kept separate, labeled and disposed of only at landfills approved to accept it. It can’t be burned, chipped into mulch or used as firewood.

Used oil and antifreeze

Fluids drained from equipment, tanks and vehicles. California regulates used oil as hazardous waste unless it is recycled, and antifreeze must be recycled or disposed of as hazardous waste. One gallon of used oil can contaminate a million gallons of fresh water, according to EPA.

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