Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22a-115 (2026)

(1) “Hazardous waste” means any waste material which may pose a present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly disposed of, treated, stored, transported, or otherwise managed, including (A) hazardous waste identified in accordance with Section 3001 of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (42 USC 6901 et seq.), (B) hazardous waste identified by regulation by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and (C) polychlorinated biphenyls in concentrations greater than fifty parts per million, but does not mean by-product material, source material or special nuclear material, as defined in section 22a-151, or scrap tires;

(2) “Hazardous waste facility” means land and appurtenances thereon or structures used for the disposal, treatment, storage or recovery of hazardous waste;

(3) “Disposal” means the incineration, long-term storage or treatment of hazardous waste, or the discharge, deposit, injection, dumping or placing of hazardous waste into or on land or water so that such hazardous waste or any hazardous constituent of such hazardous waste enters the environment, is emitted into the air, or is discharged into any waters, including groundwaters;

(4) “Treatment” means a method, technique or process, including neutralization, designed to change the physical, chemical or biological character or composition of hazardous waste, in order to neutralize such waste or render such waste nonhazardous, safer for transport, amenable to recovery, amenable to storage or reduced in volume;

(5) “Short-term storage” means the holding of individual containers of hazardous waste in such a manner as not to constitute disposal of such hazardous waste;

(6) “Long-term storage” means the holding of more than fifty-five gallons or five hundred pounds, whichever amount is greater, of hazardous waste at one site for longer than one year;

(7) “Municipality” means a city, town or borough of the state;

(8) “Person” means any individual, corporation, nonstock corporation, limited liability company, joint venture, public benefit corporation, partnership, association, trust or estate, the state and its agencies and political subdivisions, the federal government and its agencies, and any other entity, public or private, however organized;

(9) “Modification” means (A) any change or alteration in the design, capacity, process or operation of an existing hazardous waste facility requiring a new permit from the commissioner pursuant to chapter 445, 446c, 446d or 446k, that the council deems significant or (B) any change or alteration in the approved design, capacity, process or operation of a hazardous waste facility constructed or operating pursuant to this chapter that the council deems significant. Such change or alteration may include but is not limited to a change or alteration in the volume or composition of hazardous waste disposed of at such facility. The routine maintenance, repair or replacement of the individual components at a hazardous waste facility that is necessary for normal operation or a change or alteration at a hazardous waste facility ordered by a state official in the exercise of his statutory authority shall not be deemed to be a modification;

(10) “Council” means the Connecticut Siting Council established under section 16-50j;

(11) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection;

(12) “Closure period” means the first one hundred eighty days after the hazardous waste facility receives its final volume of hazardous waste or any other period fixed by the council according to this chapter and sections 16-50j and 16-50v;

(13) “Postclosure period” means the first thirty years after the date of completing closure or any other period fixed by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection according to this chapter and sections 16-50j and 16-50v;

(14) “Permanent council members” means the membership for proceedings under this chapter, consisting of the Commissioners of Public Health and Emergency Services and Public Protection or their designees, five members appointed by the Governor and one designee each of the speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate;

(15) “Development and management” means a plan required at the council's discretion, prepared by the applicant in conjunction with council staff, specifying how project construction will comply with siting orders issued by the council. It includes a statement of the management and administrative program for the operation of the proposed facility with the identity of the person to be responsible for operation, a resume of the person's qualifications and experience, and a statement of the number, duties, qualifications, and experience of all personnel to be involved in the processing, treatment, transfer, storage, recovery, or disposal of hazardous waste;

(16) “Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act” means the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (42 USC 6901 et seq.) and implementing regulations as amended from time to time;

(17) “Recovery” means a method, technique or process designed to produce materials or substances from hazardous waste for reuse, offering for sale, or sale;

(18) “Existing hazardous waste facility” means a hazardous waste facility in operation on or before June 1, 1983, or which had received all necessary state permits for hazardous waste disposal on or before July 1, 1981.

(P.A. 80-472, S. 1, 14; P.A. 81-369, S. 2, 20; P.A. 83-235, S. 1, 6; P.A. 84-546, S. 69, 173; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-79, S. 94, 189; 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 99-225, S. 30, 33; P.A. 11-80, S. 1; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-2, S. 110; P.A. 17-214, S. 16.)

History: P.A. 80-472 effective July 1, 1981, with respect to this section; P.A. 81-369 redefined “hazardous waste” to include waste identified by regulation by environmental protection department and polychlorinated biphenyls in certain concentrations, deleted spilling and leaking of waste in definition of “disposal”, deleted definition of “board” and defined “council”, “commissioner”, “closure period”, “postclosure period”, “permanent council members”, “development and management”, “Federal Resource Recovery and Conservation Act” and “recovery”; P.A. 83-235 repealed the definition of “storage” and replaced it with definitions for “long-term storage” and “short-term storage”, deleted municipalities from definition of “person”, revised the definition of “modification” and defined “existing hazardous waste facility”; P.A. 84-546 made technical changes in Subdiv. (8); P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner of health services with commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-79 redefined “person” to include a limited liability company, effective May 31, 1995; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 99-225 amended Subdiv. (1) to specify that by-product, source or special nuclear materials and scrap tires are not within the definition of “hazardous waste”, effective June 29, 1999; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” and “Department of Environmental Protection” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection” and “Department of Energy and Environmental Protection”, respectively, effective July 1, 2011; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-2 replaced reference to Commissioner of Public Safety with reference to Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, effective June 15, 2012; P.A. 17-214 amended Subdiv. (8) to redefine “person” by adding “nonstock corporation,”, effective July 1, 2017.

Cited. 207 C. 706; 215 C. 292; 239 C. 284.