legislation & regulations

Ministry of Environment

Protocol for Management of PCB Contaminated Hazardous Waste

Procedure Manual
Volume 8, Section 7, Subsection 05.06
December 5, 1996 - Revised September 15, 2004

Purpose

1.0 Introduction

Sections 19.(2)(b), 19.(3), 21.(3)(b) and 21.(4) of the Hazardous Waste Regulation allow an owner of the residue to dispose the residue from treatment, incineration or thermal treatment process at a landfill or manage it by some other approved management option if the owner demonstrates to the satisfaction of a director that the residue is not a hazard to human health or the environment as determined by a test protocol or method approved by a director under section 53.(1) of the regulation.

Under the provisions of section 53.(1) of the Hazardous Waste Regulation, the following protocol is approved for demonstrating that residues generated in the treatment of hazardous waste containing PCBs are suitable for the management options specified in Table 1.

2.0 Protocol

2.1 The sampling of residue must comply with the following:

  1. the samples must be representative of the total solid residue quantity and the number of samples must be sufficient to characterize the volume of residue, given the variability of the results;
  2. samples should be discrete (not composites);
  3. a quality assurance/quality control program must be used which includes appropriate analysis of duplicate samples;
  4. a director of waste management in your area may require additional sampling and analysis to ensure that treatment of PCBs has not generated daughter products that may be harmful to human health or the environment.

2.2 For the purposes of sections 19.(2)(b), 19.(3), 21.(3)(b), and 21.(4), a director may authorize removal of residue from a treatment, incineration or thermal treatment facility if the residue and the proposed deposition method meets the guidelines in Table 1 (attached). A director may place additional restrictions on the final location of the residue deposit.

2.3 If the residue from the PCB treatment process is a hazardous waste or does not meet the guidelines in Table 1, it must be managed as a hazardous waste.

This procedure places:

  • None

Staff, organizations directly affected:

  • Environmental Protection Division
  • Regional Operations Branch

Policy cross-references:

  • Hazardous Waste Regulation
  • Contaminated Sites Regulation

Other cross-references:

  • None

Table 1. Guidelines for Management of Residue from Treatment of PCB Waste

Allowed Options for Depositing Treatment Residue
Source of Residue
Specified Land Use
Agricultural
Land
Urban Park/ Residential Land
Commercial
Land
Industrial
Land
Landfill
From On-site Treatment of PCB Contaminated Soil
Allowed if PCB
< 0.5 mg/kg (1)
Allowed if PCB
< 5 mg/kg (1)
Allowed if PCB
< 15 mg/kg (1)
Allowed if PCB
< 50 mg/kg (1)
Allowed if PCB
< 50 mg/kg (1)
From Off-site Treatment of PCB Contaminated Soil
Not Allowed
Not Allowed
Not Allowed
Not Allowed
Allowed if PCB
< 50 mg/kg (1)
From On-site or Off-site Treatment of PCB Waste (excluding soil)
Not Allowed
Not Allowed
Not Allowed
Not Allowed
Allowed if PCB
< 50 mg/kg (1)

 

Note: (1) measured as a total concentration of PCBs in the residue by an approved method.