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HomeHealth and Safety CodeDiv. 101Pt. 3Ch. 2Art. 2§ 101075 Hazardous Waste Definition

§ 101075 Hazardous Waste Definition

Health and Safety Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 101075 Hazardous Waste Definition

This law tells us what counts as “hazardous waste” and what counts as “waste.”

Key Takeaways

  • •Hazardous waste is any waste that can cause death, serious illness, or big health or environmental problems.
  • •Waste is anything that a company throws away or that spills, leaks, or escapes during making, moving, or storing something.
  • •If waste isn’t handled right, it can become a big danger to people and the planet.

Example

A factory accidentally leaks a tank of toxic chemicals into a nearby stream.

The leaked chemicals are “waste” because they spilled from the plant, and they are “hazardous waste” because they could make people sick or hurt the environment if they aren’t cleaned up properly.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 101075 Hazardous Waste Definition

As used in this article: (a)  “Hazardous waste” means a waste, or combination of wastes, that because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics may do any of the following: (1)  Cause, or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, or incapacitating reversible, illness. (2)  Pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, or disposed of, or otherwise managed. (b)  “Waste” means either of the following: (1)  Any material for which no use or reuse is intended and that is to be discarded. (2)  Any material that spills, escapes, or is released from any manufacturing, industrial, commercial, or other plant, facility, or process, or that escapes or is released during the transporting or transferring from one place to another, or during the pumping, processing, storing, or packaging of any material in, to, or from such a plant, facility, or process, or that enters or may enter an uncontained air space or a surface water course that is not totally contained on the contiguous property of the plant, facility, or process, or which enters, or may enter, the groundwater underlying such plant, facility, or process. (Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 1996.)

Last verified: January 11, 2026

Key Terms

hazardous wastewastehuman healthenvironmentmortalityserious illnesssubstantial hazardimproperly managed

Related Statutes

  • § 101080 Hazardous Waste Health Emergency
  • § 25110.4 Hazardous Waste Buffer Zones
  • § 25113 Waste Disposal Definition
  • § 25124 Waste Definition And Classification
  • § 100250 Department Laboratory Requirements

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Health and Safety Code. Section 101075.
View Official Source