Texas: Number One in Hazardous Waste Production
By Lily Auliff

In 1999, Texas industries produced about 15 million tons of hazardous waste, excluding hazardous wastewaters - more than one-third of all such waste in the United States, according to records from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The multitude of chemical manufacturers, petroleum refineries, and other industries in the region produces a large portion of this toxic refuse. In fact, Harris, Brazoria, and Galveston counties are the top three hazardous waste producers in Texas, together creating almost two-thirds of the state’s total, according to Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) totals.

The term hazardous waste refers to any waste that requires special handling because it presents a serious threat to human health and the environment. The EPA classifies about 450 specific types of refuse as hazardous. Wastes are also deemed hazardous if they are ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic.

Dirty Businesses

Who makes all this toxic trash? More than 50 percent of the state’s hazardous waste comes from the manufacture of chemical and allied products, according to TNRCC. Petroleum refining is responsible for another 40 percent; electric, gas, and sanitary services for almost 4 percent; and transportation and utilities for 1 percent.

The term hazardous waste refers to any waste that requires special handling because it presents a serious threat to human health and the environment.

Regulated But Not Limited
Several federal and state laws guide hazardous waste management in Texas. These laws regulate how the waste is treated, transported, stored, and disposed of, but not the amount produced. Hazardous waste producers do pay a per-ton fee to TNRCC to fund permit and assessment programs, but the total cost per company is limited.

Texas’ Waste Reduction Policy Act does require industry to develop a waste reduction plan. “Whether you actually implement that plan, that’s really up to you. It’s all voluntary,” explains Cyrus Reed, Project Director at the Texas Center for Policy Studies. “But, I think it’s a good thing because it at least forces companies to think about this issue.”

Companies may also participate in the Texas Clean Industries 2000 program, in which they voluntarily agree to reduce waste generation.

Underground Near You
There are many ways to treat and dispose of hazardous waste, and some are considered safer than others.

The majority of the state’s hazardous waste is injected thousands of feet below the ground into the Earth’s pores. Although most agree the deep-well injection process is safer than traditional landfilling, it is not without critics who contend that groundwater contamination could occur.

A large portion of hazardous waste is incinerated, which reduces or eliminates its hazardous characteristics. This, of course, increases toxins released into the air.

A smaller but significant amount of hazardous waste is disposed of in landfills, surface impoundments, waste piles, and through land treatment. Facilities for land disposal have a history of leaking and contaminating soil, surface water, and groundwater. Between 1989 and 1997 there were about 560 hazardous and nonhazardous waste land disposal sites in Texas where groundwater was contaminated with hazardous or other industrial waste products, according to TNRCC.

Contaminated Sites
The region also has a relatively high concentration of sites contaminated by hazardous materials. There are currently 17 sites in Harris County that are on the EPA’s National Priorities List for the Federal Superfund or the Texas State Superfund List. The county is among the top ten counties in the United States with the most Superfund sites. Scores of other contaminated sites, such as brownfields, exist as well, but are not officially tracked.

Of utmost concern is the 1995 expiration of a special tax on industry that financed Superfund clean-up efforts. Congress and the Bush administration have been reluctant to renew the tax and the Superfund funds are dwindling. “That has real implications for what gets cleaned up in Texas,” says Reed. “It means that a lot of sites that we’d hope would have been cleaned up under federal Superfund laws will probably either never be cleaned up or they’ll be switched to the Texas Voluntary Cleanup Program.” Although this program can work well for sites that normally would not qualify for national Superfund status, notes Reed, it does not involve as public a process as Superfund, and sites are generally not cleaned to as high a standard.

Public Participation
How can citizens reduce the amount of hazardous waste generated? First, reduce consumption. “We all generate hazardous waste,” Reed points out. Industrial processes that create material goods and refine petroleum products turn out the vast majority of hazardous wastes. Simple steps like buying less stuff and driving more fuel efficient cars can help. Pushing for higher efficiency standards on autos and appliances is also important.

Reed also suggests getting directly involved with the companies that produce hazardous waste. Many industries have outlined methods for public participation in their waste reduction plans. “While some of it may be window dressing, it is an opportunity to find out about the waste that is generated and about what they’re doing to both clean it up and reduce it,” he explains.

To learn more about hazardous waste in Texas, visit the Texas Environmental Profiles website at www.texasep.org.