hazardous waste

[ haz-er-duhs weyst ]

noun

1. any industrial by-product or discarded commercial product that is potentially harmful to the environment or people and other living organisms because it is ignitable, corrosive, reactive, and/or toxic:

   You can’t throw these flammable old cans of paint thinner in with your regular trash—they need to be treated as hazardous waste.

   We are in compliance with all state regulations that pertain to the containment and disposal of hazardous wastes.

hazardous waste

/ hăz′ər-dəs /

1. A used or discarded material that can damage the environment and be harmful to health. Hazardous wastes include heavy metals and toxic chemicals used in industrial products and processes as well as infectious medical wastes and radioactive materials such as spent nuclear fuel rods.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hazardous waste¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

People of color, often in the lowest-paid jobs, are forced into the cheapest housing, which tends to be next to the busiest streets, in communities closer to polluting industries and hazardous waste sites.

From Time

AB 762 requires charter schools and private schools to follow the same siting requirements as public schools for evaluating a school site for potential hazardous substances, hazardous emissions, or hazardous waste.

From Voice of San Diego

Once again, utilities escaped the hazardous waste label for coal ash.

From ProPublica

Given those low percentages and the limited oversight by states, EPA officials recommended tougher coal ash regulations — ones that stopped short of reclassifying coal ash as a hazardous waste.

From ProPublica

The EPA considered whether coal ash should be classified as a hazardous waste.

From ProPublica

This will provide for a "super-fund" to cover hazardous waste cleanup costs.

From Project Gutenberg

One of the most pressing problems to come to light in the past four years has been improper hazardous waste disposal.

From Project Gutenberg

To reduce the threat posed by abandoned hazardous waste dumps, EPA will spend $410 million.

From Project Gutenberg