The term heavy metal refers to a group of toxic metals including arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, silver, and zinc. Heavy metals often are present at industrial sites at which operations have included battery recycling and metal plating.
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA, is a law that addresses the safe and environmentally responsible management of hazardous waste in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which oversees RCRA compliance, defines waste as hazardous if it meets certain criteria. To qualify as hazardous or RCRA waste, a substance must first be a solid waste. It must then fit the EPA’s definition of a “listed” or “characteristic” waste. Stabilization – Conversion of the active organic matter in sludge into inert, harmless material.