What defines a hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)?

A hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is defined primarily not by CERCLA but rather by the specific criteria established within RCRA itself. The definition of hazardous waste under RCRA includes waste that exhibits certain characteristics, such as being ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic, or that is listed as hazardous waste.

The correct answer should focus on how hazardous waste is specifically categorized and regulated under RCRA, rather than referring to other environmental regulations unrelated to the direct definition of hazardous waste. For instance, recycling regulations under the first choice relate to recovery and reuse efforts, while corrective action requirements are about how to manage cleanups of hazardous sites, which do not define hazardous waste directly. Likewise, while CERCLA deals with the cleanup of hazardous waste sites and provides management criteria for hazardous substances, it is a separate legislative framework from RCRA and doesn't specifically define what constitutes hazardous waste. NEPA covers environmental impact assessments but does not deal with hazardous waste definitions.

Understanding that the RCRA outlines the criteria for hazardous waste helps clarify the specific context and avoids confusion with related, yet distinct, environmental acts and regulations.