Are you a VSQG, SQG, or LQG?
Your EPA generator category sets which hazardous-waste rules apply to you. Enter roughly how much you generate a month and get your likely status — and what it requires.
1. How much RCRA-hazardous waste does your site generate per month?
Count all RCRA-hazardous waste — including hazardous pharmaceutical waste (P-, U-, and characteristic drugs).
2. How much ACUTE hazardous waste (P-listed) per month?
P-listed drugs — e.g., warfarin ≥ 0.3%, nicotine, physostigmine, epinephrine base — plus their contaminated residues and containers.
Educational estimate based on the federal RCRA thresholds (40 CFR 262.13). Your state may count waste differently or set stricter rules, and a formal generator-status determination is the facility’s responsibility. Note EPA’s Subpart P changed how many facilities count hazardous waste pharmaceuticals — see how, or ask our team.
Why generator status matters
RCRA scales its requirements to how much hazardous waste you produce. A VSQG has the lightest obligations; an LQG carries full manifesting, reporting, training, and contingency-planning duties. Misjudging your category — or letting acute (P-listed) waste quietly push you into a higher tier — is a common and expensive compliance gap. If your facility generates hazardous drugs, see RCRA hazardous drug disposal and the Subpart P rule that governs how you count them.
Frequently asked questions
What are the RCRA generator categories?
EPA classifies hazardous-waste generators into three tiers by monthly quantity (40 CFR 262.13): Very Small Quantity Generator (VSQG, ≤100 kg/month and ≤1 kg/month acute), Small Quantity Generator (SQG, 100–1,000 kg/month), and Large Quantity Generator (LQG, ≥1,000 kg/month or >1 kg/month acute).
Does hazardous pharmaceutical waste count toward my generator status?
Under EPA's Subpart P rule (40 CFR 266), healthcare facilities and reverse distributors that manage their hazardous waste pharmaceuticals under Subpart P do not count those pharmaceuticals toward their generator-status determination. Non-pharmaceutical hazardous waste still counts. The result here is an educational estimate — confirm how your state applies it.
What is acute hazardous waste?
Acute (P-listed) hazardous wastes are the most dangerous category — even a small amount pushes you up a tier. Generating more than 1 kg per month of acute hazardous waste makes a facility a Large Quantity Generator regardless of total volume.
Can my generator status change month to month?
Yes — status is based on how much you generate in a calendar month, so a facility can move between categories. Many facilities manage to the requirements of the highest category they realistically hit to stay consistently compliant.