Waste Management Program fact sheet
Division of Environmental Quality Director: Kyra Moore
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This fact sheet is for hazardous waste transporters who operate a hazardous waste transfer facility. This fact sheet is a summary of Code of Federal Regulations 40 C.F.R. § 263.12 and Code of State Regulations 10 CSR 25-6.263(2)(A)10 and should not be used in place of state and federal laws and regulations. For an inspection checklist you may use to self-audit your operations, see Hazardous Waste Transporter and Transfer Facility Checklist MO 780-2107.  This checklist includes requirements for licensed hazardous waste transporters and shipping hazardous wastes that are not included in this fact sheet. 

For more information about used oil transportation and transfer facilities, please review the department's Used Oil Transporters fact sheet. For more information on Solid Waste transfer facilities, please review the Missouri Solid Waste Transfer Stations fact sheet.

What is a transfer facility?

A transfer facility is any transportation-related facility where loads of hazardous waste are held during the normal course of shipping. A transfer facility can be any of the following:

  • Loading docks
  • Parking areas
  • Storage areas
  • Other similar areas

Hazardous waste shipped within or into Missouri must reach its destination or leave the state within 10 calendar days. For this reason, transfer facilities can be used for short-term storage between hazardous waste transporters and loads. One transporter can leave waste for another transporter to pick up. A transporter may also combine several small loads into one large load for long distance shipping. However, the contents of separate containers of hazardous waste cannot be combined at a transfer facility.

Why is this important to know?

According to state hazardous waste transportation regulations, the transfer facility operator must have a valid Hazardous Waste Transporter License. Only a licensed hazardous waste transporter may operate a transfer facility in Missouri. For more information, contact the Missouri Department of Transportation or MoDOT, at 866-831-6277, at their website or the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Waste Management Program at 573-751-5401.

What if my hazardous waste shipping business has a transfer facility?

You should include your transfer facility in your hazardous waste management practices. The following are required for your hazardous waste transfer facility:

Note: Used oil transfer facilities are regulated under 10 CSR 25-11.279.

General requirements - Assure you have registered with the state and have obtained a 12 digit Environmental Protection Agency identification number and that you have a valid Missouri hazardous waste transporter license. 

Before transport - Before transporting or offering hazardous waste for transportation off-site, package the waste in accordance with applicable U.S. Department of Transportation regulations on packaging under 49 C.F.R. Parts 173, 178 and 179.

The contents of separate containers of hazardous waste may not be combined at a transfer facility. If containers are over packed, the label must be identical to the label on the original shipping container.

Hazardous waste storage for containers -  Have a secondary containment system designed, maintained and operated as follows:

  • With a base under all containers that is free of cracks or gaps and is sufficiently impervious to contain leaks, spills and accumulated precipitation until the collected material is detected and removed.
  • With a base that is sloped or designed and operated to drain and remove liquids resulting from leaks, spills or precipitation, unless the containers are elevated or are otherwise protected from contact with accumulated liquids.
  • With a capacity equal to 10% of the containerized waste volume or the volume of the largest container, whichever is greater.  Containers that do not contain free liquids need not be considered in this calculation.
  • To prevent run-on into the containment system unless the collection system has sufficient excess capacity in addition to that required in part (2)(A)10.D.(I) of this rule to contain any run-on that might enter the system.
  • Spilled or leaked waste and accumulated precipitation must be removed from the sump or collection area as necessary to prevent overflow of the collection system
  •  The containment system must be inspected as part of the weekly inspections required by 40 C.F.R. § 265.174, incorporated by reference in 10 CSR 25-7.265(1).

For ignitable, reactive, incompatible or volatile wastes at a transfer facility, the transporter must:

  • Take precautions to prevent accidental ignition or reaction of ignitable or reactive wastes  .
  • Separate and protect these wastes from sources of ignition or reaction including, but not limited to, open flames, smoking, cutting and welding, hot surfaces, frictional heat, sparks (static, electrical or mechanical), spontaneous ignition (that is, from heat-producing chemical reactions) and radiant heat.
  • While ignitable or reactive waste is being handled, the transporter must confine smoking and open flame to specially designated locations. No Smoking signs must be conspicuously placed wherever there is a hazard from ignitable or reactive waste.

Required equipment – The transfer facility must have the following equipment, unless one of the hazards posed by the waste handled at the facility requires a particular kind of equipment listed below:

  • An internal communications or alarm system capable of giving immediate emergency instructions (voice or signal) to facility personnel.
  • A device, such as a telephone or a hand-held two-way radio (immediately available at the scene of operations) capable of calling for emergency assistance from local police departments, fire departments or state or local emergency response teams.
  • Portable fire extinguishers, fire control equipment (including special extinguishing equipment, such as those using foam, inert gas or dry chemicals); spill control equipment and decontamination equipment.
  • Safety equipment, such as fire blankets, gas masks and self-contained breathing apparatus.
  • Water at adequate volume and pressure to supply water hose streams or foam-producing equipment or automatic sprinklers or water spray systems.

Storage and Transportation Time Limits and Conditions –

  • A hazardous waste transported intrastate or into the state by motor carrier must arrive at its destination in 10 calendar days or less from the date the initial transporter signs the manifest or when the waste first enters the state, unless departmental approval is obtained prior to the expiration of the10-day period.
  • A hazardous waste destined for out-of-state treatment, storage or disposal must leave the state in 10 calendar days or less from the date the initial transporter signs the manifest unless departmental approval is obtained prior to the expiration of the 10-day period.
  • A hazardous waste transported through the state by motor carrier shall pass through the state in 10 calendar days or less unless departmental approval is obtained prior to the expiration of the 10-day period.

A transfer facility shall not be the same facility as designated in item 9 of the manifest.

Closure Requirements for Transfer Facilities
At closure of the storage area, a transporter must remove and properly dispose of all hazardous waste and hazardous residues. Closure must occur when the storage of hazardous wastes has not occurred or is not expected to occur for one year or when the transporter’s license lapses, whichever first occurs.

What should I do to protect air quality while operating my transfer facility?

Transfer facilities can affect air quality in several ways. Odor and dust emissions from these facilities concern those living in nearby communities. Every transfer facility has neighbors, whether they are industrial, commercial, residential or vacant land. All operations should take the protection of surrounding air quality into consideration.

Transfer facilities should employ a combination of planning, design and operating practices to help minimize impacts on the surrounding community. Listed below are several engineering designs and operating practices that transfer facilities should consider employing to mitigate facility impacts on air quality.

Odor Prevention

  • Remove all waste at the end of each operating day. Do not allow any waste to remain on-site overnight.
  • Frequently clean and wash down the tipping floor or surge pit.
  • Install misting systems with deodorants to mask or neutralize odors. Be prepared to make seasonal adjustments as needed to control odors.
  • Install ventilation systems with air filters or scrubbers.
  • Plant vegetative barriers, such as trees, to absorb and disperse odors.
  • Use odor vestibules on truck entrances and exits. Odor vestibules are 2-door systems in which the outer door closes before inner door opens to prevent odors from escaping.
  • Install plastic curtains on entrances and exits to contain odors when doors open to allow vehicles to enter or exit.
  • Use biofilters, which pass odorous air through organic matter, such as wood chips, mulch or soil, to capture odor molecules. Bacteria in biofilters consume and neutralize odor molecules.
  • Set up a community odor complaint telephone line and respond to community complaints.

Preventing Dust and Air Emissions

Air emissions at transfer facilities result from dusty wastes delivered to the transfer facility, exhaust (particularly diesel) from mobile equipment, such as trucks and loaders, driving on unpaved or dusty surfaces and cleanup operations such as street sweeping. As with odor control, proper design and operating procedures help minimize air emissions, including:

  • Paving all traffic carrying surfaces.
  • Keeping paved surfaces clean and making sure any street sweeping operations use sufficient water to avoid stirring up dust.
  • Restricting vehicles from using residential streets.
  • Selecting alternative fuel or low-emission equipment or retrofitting facility equipment with oxidation catalysts and particulate traps.
  • Working with truck fleet operators to reduce exhaust emissions through the retrofit of emission control devices, use of cleaner fuels and use of alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., compressed natural gas).
  • Installing misting systems to suppress dust inside the building or using a hose to spray dusty wastes as they are unloaded and moved to the receiving vehicles. In rural areas, small facilities might not have a readily available water supply or might have to rely on a portable water supply for housekeeping needs.
  • Maintaining engines in proper operating condition by performing routine tuneups.
  • Considering the purchase of newer generation, low-emission diesel engines.
  • Minimizing idling of equipment by turning off engines when not in use.
  • Cleaning truck bodies and tires to reduce tracking of dirt onto streets.
  • Maintaining building air filtering systems so they perform effectively.

What should I do when I close my transfer facility?

When you close your transfer facility you must remove and correctly dispose of all hazardous waste and residues. You must close your transfer facility if hazardous waste has not been transferred or is not expected to be transferred at that location for one year or when your hazardous waste transporter license lapses, whichever happens first.

How to Obtain Copies of Hazardous Waste Laws and Regulations

Nothing in this document may be used to implement any enforcement action or levy any penalty unless promulgated by rule under chapter 536 or authorized by statute.

For more information