U151 RCRA waste code Liquid silver metal from thermometers & switches, thrown away unused.
- Free, no account
- Based on 40 CFR 261.33 and EPA guidance
- Nothing is stored
Find a federal hazardous waste code
U151, Mercury.
U-listed waste
Mercury
U-list unused product.
ComplyOnSiteIs U151 hazardous waste?
Yes, when the listing applies. U151 covers unused mercury that is thrown away, including off-specification product and qualifying residues. It is a U-listed waste, not an acute P-listed one, so the listing depends on the product and how it is discarded, not on a TCLP result alone.
When it applies, U151 is nonacute hazardous waste. On a required hazardous waste manifest, put U151 in Item 13. For VSQG exemptions and empty-container rules and pharmaceutical containers, follow the linked guides.
What does U151 cover?
This covers unused mercury thrown away pure or technical grade, or in a formulation where it is the only active ingredient. Off-specification batches, residues in non-empty containers and spill cleanup residues of those products count too. Inactive ingredients don't stop it being the only active ingredient.
- CAS
- 7439-97-6
- Table entries
- Mercury
- Hazard codes in the record
- T (toxic)
- Rule
- 40 CFR 261.33(f)
Is mercury waste always U151?
| Code | When it fits |
|---|---|
| U151 | The unused chemical is thrown away, pure or technical grade or as the sole active ingredient. Qualifying product residues count too. |
| D009 | The TCLP extract of the waste holds mercury at 0.2 mg/L or more. The product listing may also apply. |
| Characteristic waste (D001–D043) | A used chemical or a different formulation meets a hazardous waste characteristic. Any process listings that apply need assessing too. |
A listed unused product can also exhibit a characteristic, so both rows can apply. Having this chemical in a manufacturing waste doesn't make the waste U151. What counts is the waste’s origin, formulation and use history. Mixing listed waste with solid waste, or treating it, generally doesn't remove the listing. That takes an applicable exclusion, exception or approved delisting.
Which codes sit beside U151?
| Code | What it is |
|---|---|
| U147 | Maleic anhydride |
| U148 | Maleic hydrazide — a plant growth regulator and herbicide |
| U149 | Malononitrile |
| U150 | Melphalan — a chemotherapy drug |
| U152 | Methacrylonitrile |
| U153 | Methanethiol |
| U154 | Methanol |
| U155 | Methapyrilene |
Sources
- 40 CFR 261.33 — Discarded commercial chemical products, off-specification species, container residues, and spill residues thereof
- 40 CFR 261.3 — Definition of hazardous waste
- 40 CFR 261.7 — Residues of hazardous waste in empty containers
- 40 CFR 260.10 — Definitions
- 40 CFR 262.14 — Conditions for exemption for a very small quantity generator
- 40 CFR 262.20 — General requirements
- 40 CFR 266.507 — Residues of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals in empty containers
- Hazardous Waste Manifest Instructions
- 40 CFR 261.24 — Toxicity characteristic