California waste code 181 Dry inorganic waste that matches no named solid.

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Based on California Title 22 and DTSC guidance
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Inorganics
Other inorganic hazardous solid

No named inorganic product, catalyst, metal waste or asbestos entry describes the solid.

Hazardous inorganic solid, the catch-all when no inorganic product, catalyst, metal waste or asbestos code fits.

Is California code 181 hazardous waste?

Not from the code alone. The material must first be determined hazardous. California code 181 is not restricted, and a restricted code takes priority over it. A non-restricted code doesn't make a waste non-hazardous.

If the shipment needs the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest, enter 181 in Item 13 for the waste line. Use one California code, plus any federal RCRA codes when the waste is federally hazardous.

Waste is RCRA waste when it meets a federal listing or characteristic and no federal exclusion applies. Non-RCRA waste is hazardous under California rules only. California presumes hazardous waste is RCRA unless the generator shows it isn't, so keep that determination.

What does California code 181 cover?

This is the leftover code for hazardous inorganic solids that no more specific description fits. The broad name doesn't say what makes the waste hazardous, so keep the composition and source. A metal-bearing sludge, machining residue, spent catalyst or asbestos waste has a category of its own.

Official wording: 22 CCR division 4.5, chapter 11, Appendix XII(b)

Is an inorganic solid California code 181?

Code	When it fits
181	The hazardous inorganic solid fits none of the named product, catalyst, metal-waste or asbestos codes.
172	Machining residue or metal dust that holds a metal listed under code 121.
171	Sludge that holds a metal listed under code 121.
611	Contaminated soil determined to be hazardous, including soil from construction rather than a cleanup.

Lead-paint chips or spent abrasive aren't 181 just by name. Confirm the hazardous profile and the code that fits. DTSC's 2024 workshop explained the limits of 181 and proposed more detailed codes. Those proposals don't replace anything in the current Appendix XII list.

Which wastes take California code 181?

Waste	When it’s 181
Other inorganic solid waste	Composition and source rule out the named inorganic-solid codes.

Which codes sit beside California code 181?

Code	What it is
132	Metal-bearing water-based liquid
133	High-organic water-based liquid
134	Low-organic water-based liquid
135	Other water-based hazardous liquid
141	Unused inorganic material
151	Friable or powdered asbestos
161	Used oil-refinery cracking catalyst
162	Other used catalyst