RCRA Generators

Facilities that generate hazardous waste under RCRA, tiered by monthly generation volume (larger generators must notify EPA or the state; the smallest tier appears in the data mostly through state requirements or voluntary filings):

• LQG: Large Quantity Generator (1,000 kg/month or more, or far smaller amounts of acute hazardous waste)
• SQG: Small Quantity Generator (100 to 1,000 kg/month)
• VSQG: Very Small Quantity Generator (under 100 kg/month), called CESQG (Conditionally Exempt SQG) before the 2016 Generator Improvements Rule. Both labels survive in vendor reports.
• Non-generator / no longer reporting: a facility that once notified and has since dropped off

In a Phase I ESA

The ASTM E1527-21 search scope is subject property and adjoining properties only. Generator status matters as a signal about operations at and next to the site, not across a radius.

A generator listing is a notification, not a release. It tells you the facility handles (or handled) hazardous waste and roughly at what scale, which tells you what to look for in site reconnaissance and interviews: waste streams, storage areas, floor drains, disposal practices. A dry cleaner listed as an SQG for spent perchloroethylene is a classic example. The listing itself is routine; the operation it evidences is the real subject of inquiry. Historical generator status at a property with no current operations is a flag for past use.

Where the data lives

EPA RCRAInfo holds notifications, handler details, and inspection and violation history.