Other factors must be considered,
however, before evaluating the actual hazard that a waste's chemical composition poses.
Regulation of certain wastes may be impractical, unfair, or otherwise undesirable, regardless of
the hazards they pose. For instance, household waste can contain dangerous chemicals, like
solvents and pesticides, but making households subject to the strict RCRA waste management
regulations would create a number of practical problems. Congress and EPA exempted or
excluded certain wastes, like household wastes, from the hazardous waste definition and
regulations. Determining whether or not a waste is excluded or exempted from hazardous waste
regulation is the second step in the RCRA hazardous waste identification process. Only after
determining that a solid waste is not somehow excluded from hazardous waste regulation should
the analysis proceed to evaluate the actual chemical hazard that a waste poses. The module
entitled Solid and Hazardous Waste Exclusions explains which wastes are excluded from
hazardous waste regulation.