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Waste Designation Decision Matrix - Ignitable Determination

This is the waste designation decision matrix provided by the Small Business and Local Government Assistance Program to aid businesses in deciding how certain wastes must be handled.

This matrix is provided as an assistance tool. It cannot be used as a substitute for following applicable city, state, and federal laws.

Is your waste ignitable?YES NO

Ignitable Wastes

The rationale for including ignitability as a characteristic (see characteristic wastes) of hazardous waste is that fire is clearly a threat to human health and to the environment, both directly and from products of combustion.

Wastes that exhibit the characteristic of ignitability are assigned the EPA waste number D001. The criteria for this characteristic is that the material is a waste that:

  1. Is a liquid (other than an aqueous solution containing less than 24 percent alcohol by volume) with a flash point* less than 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) as determined by either the Pensky-Martens or Setaflash closed cup tester or by another equivalent method; or
  2. Is NOT a liquid and is capable, under standard conditions, of causing a fire through friction, absorption of moisture or spontaneous chemical changes and, when ignited, burns so vigorously and persistently that it creates a hazard; or
  3. Is an ignitable compressed gas as defined by the Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations at 49 CFR 173-115; or,
  4. Is an oxidizer as defined in the DOT regulations at 49 CFR 173.127.

* Material Safety Data Sheets often provide the flashpoint for a product.