Section 727.270 Use and Management of Containers

a) Applicability of This Section. This Section applies to the owner or operator of a facility that treats or stores hazardous waste in containers under a RCRA standardized permit pursuant to Subpart J of 35 Ill. Adm. Code 703, except as provided in Section 727.100(a)(2).

BOARD NOTE: Subsection (a) is derived from 40 CFR 267.170 (2017).

b) Standards Applicable to Containers. Standards apply to the condition of containers, to the compatibility of waste with containers, and to the management of containers holding hazardous waste.

1) Condition of Containers. If a container holding hazardous waste is not in good condition (for example, it exhibits severe rusting or apparent structural defects) or if it begins to leak, the facility owner or operator must undertake either of the following actions:

A) It must transfer the hazardous waste from the defective container to a container that is in good condition; or

B) It must manage the waste in some other way that complies with the requirements of this Part.

2) Compatibility of Waste with Containers. To ensure that the ability of the container to contain the waste is not impaired, the facility owner or operator must use a container made of or lined with materials that are compatible and will not react with the hazardous waste to be stored.

3) Management of Containers

A) The facility owner or operator must always keep a container holding hazardous waste closed during storage, except when it adds or removes waste.

B) The facility owner or operator must never open, handle, or store a container holding hazardous waste in a manner that may rupture the container or cause it to leak.

BOARD NOTE: Subsection (b) is derived from 40 CFR 267.171 (2017).

c) Inspection Requirements. At least weekly, the facility owner or operator must inspect areas where it stores containers, looking for leaking containers and for deterioration of containers and the containment system caused by corrosion or other factors.

BOARD NOTE: Subsection (c) is derived from 40 CFR 267.172 (2017).

d) Standards Applicable to the Container Storage Areas

1) The facility owner or operator must design and operate a containment system for its container storage areas according to the requirements in subsection (d)(2), except as otherwise provided by subsection (d)(3).

2) The design and operating requirements for a containment system are the following:

A) A base must underlie the containers that is free of cracks or gaps and is sufficiently impervious to contain leaks, spills, and accumulated precipitation until the collected material is detected and removed;

B) The base must be sloped, or the containment system must be otherwise designed and operated to drain and remove liquids resulting from leaks, spills, or precipitation, unless the containers are elevated or are otherwise protected from contact with accumulated liquids;

C) The containment system must have sufficient capacity to contain 10 percent of the volume of all containers placed in it, or the volume of the largest container, whichever is greater. This requirement does not apply to containers that do not contain free liquids;

D) The owner or operator must prevent run-on into the containment system, unless the collection system has sufficient excess capacity to contain the liquid, in addition to that required by subsection (d)(2)(C); and

E) The owner or operator must remove any spilled or leaked waste and accumulated precipitation from the sump or collection area as promptly as is necessary to prevent overflow of the collection system.

3) Except as provided in subsection (d)(4), the owner or operator does not need a containment system, as defined in subsection (d)(2), for storage areas that store containers holding only wastes with no free liquids if either of the following conditions are fulfilled:

A) The storage area is sloped or is otherwise designed and operated to drain and remove liquid resulting from precipitation; or

B) The containers are elevated or are otherwise protected from contact with accumulated liquid.

4) The facility owner or operator must have a containment system defined by subsection (d)(2) for storage areas that store containers holding F020, F021, F022, F023, F026, and F027 wastes, even if the wastes do not contain free liquids.

BOARD NOTE: Subsection (d) is derived from 40 CFR 267.173 (2017).

e) Special Requirements for Ignitable or Reactive Waste

The facility owner or operator must locate containers holding ignitable or reactive waste at least 15 meters (50 feet) from its facility property line. The owner or operator must also follow the general requirements for ignitable or reactive wastes that are specified in Section 727.110(h)(1).

BOARD NOTE: Subsection (e) is derived from 40 CFR 267.174 (2017).

f) Special Requirements for Incompatible Wastes

1) The facility owner or operator must not place incompatible wastes or incompatible wastes and materials (see appendix V to 40 CFR 264, incorporated by reference in 35 Ill. Adm. Code 720.111(b), for examples) in the same container, unless it complies with Section 727.110(h)(2).

2) The facility owner or operator must not place hazardous waste in an unwashed container that previously held an incompatible waste or material.

3) The facility owner or operator must separate a storage container holding a hazardous waste that is incompatible with any waste or with other materials stored nearby in other containers, piles, open tanks, or surface impoundments from the other materials, or protect the containers by means of a dike, berm, wall, or other device.

BOARD NOTE: Subsection (f) is derived from 40 CFR 267.175 (2017).

g) Requirements for Stopping the Use of Containers. The facility owner or operator must remove all hazardous waste and hazardous waste residues from the containment system. The owner or operator must decontaminate or remove remaining containers, liners, bases, and soil containing, or contaminated with, hazardous waste or hazardous waste residues.

BOARD NOTE: Subsection (g) is derived from 40 CFR 267.176 (2017).

h) Air Emission Standards. The facility owner or operator must manage all hazardous waste placed in a container according to the requirements of Subparts AA, BB, and CC of 35 Ill. Adm. Code 724. Under a RCRA standardized permit, the following control devices are permissible: a thermal vapor incinerator, a catalytic vapor incinerator, a flame, a boiler, a process heater, a condenser, or a carbon absorption unit.

BOARD NOTE: Subsection (h) is derived from 40 CFR 267.177 (2017).

(Source: Amended at 42 Ill. Reg. 24055, effective November 19, 2018)