California: RCRA Generator Improvements in Effect 7/1

California's Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) published a Final Rule on May 17 to revise State hazardous waste laws and regulations to conform the Federal RCRA standards as amended by the 2016 Generator Improvements Rule.

This important update for facilities in California takes effect on July 1 and adds several more-stringent provisions that will immediately impact compliance at sites that generate and store hazardous waste. 

Lion Members: See the complete overview of how the Generator Improvements Rule update will impact compliance in California in the Member Bulletin sent on Monday, May 20. 

California becomes the 40th State (plus Washington D.C.) to adopt part or all of the Generator Improvements Rule. Under RCRA, states with authorized programs—including California and most others—are required to maintain regulations that are "at least as stringent" as the Federal program. This means that the ten remaining states must still adopt the stricter rules added by EPA.


In California, final changes made to the Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations (22 CCR) and the State Health and Safety Code create more restrictive standards for hazardous waste management and add to generators’ responsibilities.  

Areas of the California State hazardous waste management laws and regulations affected by the Generator Improvements Rule include: 

• Generator site notifications to DTSC 
• Contingency planning and emergency preparedness
• Container markings/labels during accumulation and pre-transportation.
• Updates for storing ignitable or reactive wastes at LQG sites.
• Managing incompatible wastes in satellite areas. 

The Final Rule also re-structures the standards for generators to align them with re-shuffled Federal RCRA regulations, moving the rules mainly to new sections of 22 CCR Part 66262.

Lion Members: Find out more about the Final Rule in this Member Bulletin sent on Monday, May 20. 

Tags: California, generator improvements rule, hazardous waste management, RCRA