Governing Law and Regulations
Regulatory Agencies
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) Waste Management Division
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1
See ADDRESSES & CONTACTS for addresses and telephone numbers.
See national section for basic information and federal regulations.
Comparison: State vs. Federal
• Rules. New Hampshire's listed waste rules are stricter than the federal regulations as the state has adopted the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) listed wastes found at 40 CFR 261 and has added state-only hazardous wastes. See the national section LISTED WASTES for federal listed waste information.
If a waste cannot be identified in one of the state hazardous waste lists, it still might be hazardous because it exhibits one or more characteristics of hazardous waste—ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity. See the national sections CHARACTERISTIC WASTE and HAZWASTE DETERMINATION (CLASSIFICATION) for additional information on hazardous waste identification and classification.
New Hampshire does not have U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) authority to delist RCRA wastes generated at specific facilities. Petitions to delist RCRA wastes must be filed with EPA Region 1. See the state section DELISTING PETITIONS for delisting information that must be provided to DES.
• Administration and enforcement. The Waste Management Division of DES administers and enforces the state's hazardous waste rules.
State Requirements