We use cookies to improve your experience and understand how the site is used. Privacy Policy

HomeRCRA CodesD ListD003
D List — Characteristic Hazardous Wastes Reactive (characteristic)

RCRA Hazardous Waste Number

D003

Reactive waste - unstable, water-reactive, cyanide- or sulfide-bearing, or explosive wastes

Official source: 40 CFR Part 261 (eCFR)

Have a D003 stream? See the dossier that replaces the feasibility study.

See the validation dossier
Specialist recoveryDeactivation treatment
Specialist recoveryCyanide destruction with metals recovery
Simulate this stream

Hazard Basis

Reactive (characteristic)

Regulation

40 CFR Part 261

Need recovery options for a D003 stream?

Map recovery routes for D003

Classification

See the full D list

Wastes that are hazardous because of what they do, not where they come from: ignitability (D001), corrosivity (D002), reactivity (D003), or toxicity (D004-D043, defined by TCLP contaminant thresholds). Any industrial waste stream can carry a D code.

How D003 is handled

01

A D code is determined by testing, not by source: TCLP for toxicity (D004-D043), flash point for ignitability (D001), pH for corrosivity (D002).

02

Characteristic wastes can exit hazardous status when the characteristic is removed - treatment to below the regulatory level is a recognized compliance path.

03

Generators must count D-coded streams toward their monthly generator status (VSQG / SQG / LQG).

Other D-list codes

D001Ignitable waste - liquids with flash point below 60 C (140 F), ignitable solids, oxidizers, and ignitable compressed gasesD002Corrosive waste - aqueous wastes with pH at or below 2 or at or above 12.5, or liquids that corrode steel faster than 6.35 mm per yearD004Toxicity characteristic waste - Arsenic at or above 5.0 mg/L (TCLP)D005Toxicity characteristic waste - Barium at or above 100.0 mg/L (TCLP)D006Toxicity characteristic waste - Cadmium at or above 1.0 mg/L (TCLP)D007Toxicity characteristic waste - Chromium at or above 5.0 mg/L (TCLP)D008Toxicity characteristic waste - Lead at or above 5.0 mg/L (TCLP)D009Toxicity characteristic waste - Mercury at or above 0.2 mg/L (TCLP)
View the full D list →

Where can a D003 stream go?

Recognized recovery routes for this waste family, ranked by typical recovery tier. Which route fits depends on your specific stream — composition, volume and region.

Deactivation treatment

Specialist handling

Reactive wastes carry a deactivation treatment standard: the reactivity must be removed under controlled conditions by specialist processors before any downstream management.

40 CFR 268.40 — LDR treatment standards

Cyanide destruction with metals recovery

Specialist handling

Cyanide-bearing reactive streams from plating and heat-treating are treated by specialist processors for cyanide destruction; metal-rich residues can continue to metals reclamation.

40 CFR 261.1(c)(4) — reclamation

These are the typical routes for the D list. Your stream's actual options depend on its composition and where it sits.

See how this gets validated

Simulate your D003 stream

Reactive waste - unstable, water-reactive, cyanide- or sulfide-bearing, or explosive wastes

With a lab analysis, the engine checks the stream against each receiving route's published limits and returns what is supported, what is refused, and why. Without one yet, we tell you which routes it can evaluate and what analysis that needs.

What do you need?

An engineer replies within 1 business day. That reply confirms what is needed to run the dossier and when it can follow. A route the engine does not cover yet is reported as not yet evaluable, with the evidence that would change that.

See what the output looks like: a worked dossier.

Related Resources

Deepen your understanding of industrial symbiosis and circular economy strategies.

Benefits of Industrial SymbiosisWhy turning waste streams into off-taker matches creates measurable economic and environmental valueHow the Engine WorksHow SymbioFlows characterises a residue and checks each route against published standardsCircular Economy GuideA practical introduction to closing material loops between industries