Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR) program overview

Abstract

The Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) enacted in 1984 required the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate all listed and characteristic hazardous wastes according to a strict schedule and to develop requirements by which disposal of these wastes would be protective of human health and the environment. The implementing regulations for accomplishing this statutory requirement are established within the Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR) program. The LDR regulations (40 CFR Part 268) impose significant requirements on waste management operations and environmental restoration activities at DOE sites. For hazardous wastes restricted by statute from land disposal, EPA is required to set levels or methods of treatment that substantially reduce the waste`s toxicity or the likelihood that the waste`s hazardous constituents will migrate. Upon the specified LDR effective dates, restricted wastes that do not meet treatment standards are prohibited from land disposal unless they qualify for certain variances or exemptions. This document provides an overview of the LDR Program.