Hazardous waste

The federal government uses the term "hazardous waste" for what Washington terms "dangerous waste." Dangerous waste includes more wastes than are in the federal hazardous waste definition because Washington's rules are more protective.
The federal government uses the term "hazardous waste" for what Washington terms "dangerous waste." Dangerous waste includes more wastes than are in the federal hazardous waste definition because Washington's rules are more protective.

Search Blog Posts

71 results.

What’s in a name: Defining the problem with nuclear waste

Two developments herald potential major changes in the long-term federal effort to clean up the highly contaminated Hanford nuclear reservation.

Defending the public's right to comment on Hanford decisions

We will always defend the public's right to provide input on Hanford decisions.

Hitting the brakes on copper pollution

June is Orca Awareness Month, so it’s a great time to become aware of the impacts pollution coming from things like vehicle brakes can have.

Progress on the persistent problem of PCBs

PCBs were banned over 40 years ago, yet they still linger. Washington is making progress toward getting PCBs out of the environment

Testing for toxics

New testing by our product testing team found chemicals that could be toxic in children’s products.

New study finds widespread PFAS contamination – but also signs of progress

Per- and poly- fluorinated alkyl substances (aka PFAS, PFCs, PFOS) are building up in waterways and fish, but phasing them out could decrease chemical exposure.

Mercury in retrograde: Tracking down a toxic threat

Cleaning up mercury contamination and getting mercury out of the environment has been a priority at Ecology for decades

At Hanford, the alphabet soup is a real stew
As the newbie communication manager for Ecology's Nuclear Waste Program, I've been swimming upstream in an alphabet torrent.
Mercury waning: Online oversight reduces sales of devices containing toxic metal
Mercury is a neurotoxin that Washington banned in 2003. To ensure retailers don't sell mercury-containing items to Washingtonians, our product testing staff buys and tests products for compliance.
Cleaning up: Bacteria to the rescue? A pilot study may tell us

We are overseeing a study by Boeing at its Boeing Auburn site to see if a new process using bacteria could be effective at cleaning up contaminated groundwater