Hazardous Waste Compliance Manager™

This comprehensive RCRA training courses prepares you to properly identify, accumulate, transport, and dispose of hazardous waste.

Master RCRA.

Accumulating, managing, and shipping hazardous waste in full compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requires an understanding of requirements that apply at generation, accumulation, storage, transportation, and disposal stages. This annual course delivers a breakdown of current requirements, presented within a context that simplifies understanding.

RCRA training is required for hazardous waste personnel.

  • Large Quantity Generators must provide training to hazardous waste personnel within 6 months of hire or assignment. Untrained personnel may not perform hazardous waste functions unsupervised until training is complete (40 CFR 262.17(a)(7)(ii)).
  • Large Quantity Generators must provide repeat hazardous waste training annually (40 CFR 262.17(a)(7)(iii)).
  • Small Quantity Generators must similarly provide training to ensure hazardous waste personnel are “thoroughly familiar with proper waste handling and emergency procedures, relevant to their responsibilities during normal facility operations and emergencies (40 CFR 262.16(b)(9)(iii)).

Our Hazardous Waste Compliance Manager™ training course provides both beginning and returning waste generators, handlers, and managers with the tools and understanding needed to meet federal and state training requirements and master the complexities of RCRA, while avoiding the confusion and faulty interpretations that can lead to regulatory pitfalls. This course incorporates a series of presentations, in-depth discussions, and practical exercises designed to guide participants towards mastery of RCRA.

Who should attend this course?

This is the Aarcher Institute’s most detailed presentation of hazardous waste requirements, but the context provided and the opportunity to adjust participation by registering only for selected days makes this course a great pick for anyone with hazardous waste responsibilities. Annual attendance ensures you stay current with changing RCRA regulations and help your company comply with the training requirements under 40 CFR 262.17(a)(7) and 49 CFR 172.704 Subpart H. This course is valuable for EH&S managers, environmental compliance specialists, environmental consultants and engineers, operations managers, and anyone involved in the generation, accumulation, management, or disposal of wastes.

What is the format of the course?

The Hazardous Waste Compliance Manager™ training course presents the framework of RCRA and the specific requirements of its implementing regulations. Each day builds on the last as the instructor presents the material using a combination of slide sets, references to reference materials, exercises, and discussions of real challenges faced by others. The class participates in a virtual “walkthrough” of a hazardous waste generating facility.

Courses are held in pleasant and easily accessible locations, and training venues are selected to allow you to escape distractions and focus on the presented material in a professional setting. All locations offer wireless service and Internet access so you can stay connected.  Because our instructors teach exclusively for the Aarcher Institute, using our exclusive content, course modules are presented in logical sequences and information is not fragmented and does not overlap. Discussions among instructors and attendees explore unique environmental management challenges and proven compliance strategies. All attendees are encouraged to ask questions throughout the course.

What does this course deliver?

The Hazardous Waste Compliance Manager™ provides participants with a solid foundation for identifying, characterizing, accumulating, and disposing of hazardous waste. Completion of this course ensure you are well-equipped to manage hazardous waste in a manner that is compliant and minimizes risks to your organization.

You will leave the course with a hard copy of all presentation materials, instructor contact information for future questions, and your notes from the presentations and discussions.

At completion of the course, you will receive a certificate for your records. If you maintain professional credentials requiring continuing education credits, this Hazardous Waste Compliance Manager™ has been approved by all environmental, safety, legal, and engineering certifying bodies.

Why choose Aarcher’s hazardous waste training course?

We understand that you have a choice of environmental regulatory training options, including self-paced on-line slide sets, webinars, conferences, update bulletins, and instructor-led, live courses. We believe the most effective learning experience is created from live courses, where attendees are able to spend a few days focusing on a topic, guided by expert instructors presenting material in a personal and engaging manner, responding to questions, and encouraging students to share personal perspectives and experiences with one another.

This course was developed by practicing hazardous waste consultants who work regularly with commercial and industrial clients. The presented material and example compliance challenges have been continually refined. Instructors have contributed compliance recommendations and insights on various topics.

The training materials in this course are owned by the Aarcher Institute and not available through any other source. As we evolve and improve our team, we select our instructors very carefully, just as we do our course materials. Our instructors are highly qualified, practicing EH&S professionals and compliance experts who have been carefully selected based on their regulatory knowledge, relevant perspectives, professionalism, and demonstrated training ability. We are proud of our exclusive instructor team.

What’s covered in the course?

Taking this course will greatly increase your confidence level by having identified all applicable RCRA requirements for your organization and gaining a comprehensive understanding of RCRA and practical tips to use back on the job. You will receive bound course handout materials, which becomes a useful desk book for later reference.

Topics Covered Include:

  • Hazardous Waste Identification and Characterization
  • Understanding Legal Responsibilities and the Structure of RCRA
  • EPA Enforcement and Avoiding Common Violations
  • Hazardous Waste Identification and Characterization
  • Hazardous Waste Recycling Exclusions (including requirements and reliefs under EPA’s 2015 Definition of Solid Waste)
  • Generator Requirements
  • On-Site Storage Options (90/180 day storage, Satellite Storage)
  • Used Oil Management
  • “Special Hazardous Wastes” (Universal Wastes, Electronic Wastes, Aerosol Cans, and Solvent-contaminated Wipes)
  • Treating Hazardous Waste
  • Shipping Hazardous Waste
  • Hazardous Waste Manifest (e-manifest update)
  • Release Reporting
  • Land Disposal Restrictions (Treatment Standards and Underlying Hazardous Constituents)
  • Air Emissions under Subparts AA, BB, and CC
  • Remediation, Demolition, and Spills (Managing Contaminated Media and Debris from Spills and Spill Residues, Demolition Projects)
  • RCRA Update
  • Emergency/Contingency Plan Preparation

What will I receive?

You will be provided with a course binder, example documents, reference materials, and other tools that will be valuable after the course.

Upon successful completion of the workshop, students can earn up to 36 CEUs.

Register for All or Some Days!

DAY ONE: "Identifying and characterizing Wastes Accurately" - 8:15 – 4:15  

  • Class Introductions and Course Overview
  • Hazardous Waste Management Challenges & RCRA Historical Context
  • Virtual Facility Tour
  • Identifying Discarded Materials & Solid Wastes
  • Recycling and Definition of Solid Waste 2015
  • Characteristic Hazardous Wastes
  • Listed Hazardous Wastes (F,K, P, and U)
  • Mixture Rule & Derived-From Rule
  • Solid Waste Exclusions and Exemptions
  • Case Study

DAY TWO: "Waste Accumulation & Management" - 8:15 – 4:15

  • Generator Classifications
  • Accumulation (Satellite) including “at or near the point of generation” & “under the control of”
  • Accumulation (Central-90/180 Day)
  • Container Management
  • Tanks/Impoundments/Piles
  • Air Emissions Required Controls (Subpart AA, BB & CC)
  • Accumulation & Management: Practical Tips and Strategies
  • Universal Wastes, e-Wastes, Aerosol Cans & Solvent-Contaminated Wipes, Used Oil Management
  • Recordkeeping
  • RCRA Training Requirements
  • Release Reporting Requirements

DAY THREE: "Transfer & Disposal" - 8:15 – 4:15

  • Manifests & e-Manifests
  • Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR)
  • LDR – Hazardous Waste Treatment Standards
  • LDR – Universal Treatment Standards & UHCs
  • LDR Examples
  • Application of D-codes to F, K, P & U Wastes
  • Dilution Solutions
  • Allowable Onsite Treatment of Hazardous Wastes by Generators
  • Case Study

DAY FOUR: "Advanced RCRA Compliance" - 8:15 – 4:15

  • Sampling and Characterization of Wastes
  • Demolition and Debris Management
  • Contingency Plans
  • RCRA Inspections: Preparation and Participation
  • Common RCRA Violations/Compliance Strategies and Recommendations
  • “Contained-in” Policy
  • Spills & Residues
  • Corrective Actions
  • Recent Rule Making & Proposed Changes

DAY FIVE: "Applied Team Exercises" - 8:15 – 3:00

  • Guided real-life application of challenging RCRA compliance strategies, performed individually and in teams

Rita Dorward, CHMM, is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) and ISO 14001 Certified Lead Auditor. She has over 33 years’ experience working in industry and consulting as a regulatory environmental compliance specialist with expertise in hazardous waste.

Ms. Dorward has developed and conducted numerous hazardous waste training courses for DoD and commercial clients to meet RCRA compliance as hazardous waste generators and has developed and implemented hazardous waste management plans (HWMP) as part of that training.  Ms. Dorward has written and presented DOT hazardous waste manifest training at the annual Air Force Environmental, Safety, and Occupational Health (ESOH) Symposium for 2010, 2011, and 2012. Her background includes ensuring RCRA regulatory compliance at a large RCRA-permitted aerospace manufacturing facility with responsibilities in day-to-day compliance with hazardous waste generation, PCB and asbestos waste management, and hazardous waste characterization, storage, transportation/shipping, and disposal.  She also conducted and tracked RCRA training for nearly 3,000 operational personnel.  Industrial processes included aerospace engineering, research and development, and manufacturing.


Craig J. Schwartz, CHMM, CPEA, CET, is an environmental regulatory compliance specialist, with more than 20 years hands on experience assisting clients achieve and maintain compliance with environmental laws and regulations, including RCRA. He is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) and a Certified Professional Environmental Auditor  (CPEA). Craig has provided environmental compliance support and troubleshooting to more than 250 private companies and federal agencies, ranging from steel mills to the US Army. He has led environmental compliance assistance audits for more than 350 facilities in 42 states, and has been approved by the USEPA and several states as a third-party compliance evaluator. He maintains deep expertise in hazardous waste management and compliance strategies. Craig is an experienced instructor, having delivered more than 50 courses to nearly 1,000 students, and has achieved recognition as a Certified Environmental, Safety, and Health Trainer (CET).


Bill Decker, PE, is a registered professional engineer in 32 States and has extensive environmental regulatory compliance experience related to hazardous waste management under RCRA. He has more than 25 years experience evaluating compliance and preparing Hazardous Material & Waste Management Plans and Waste Analysis Plans. Bill has presented more than 30 training courses and bring a hands-on, practical perspective to complex hazardous waste management challenges.