(a) The purpose of this part is to establish minimum national criteria under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA or the Act), as amended, for all municipal solid waste landfill (MSWLF) units and under the Clean Water Act, as amended, for municipal solid waste landfills that are used to dispose of sewage sludge. These minimum national criteria ensure the protection of human health and the environment.

(b) These Criteria apply to owners and operators of new MSWLF units, existing MSWLF units, and lateral expansions, except as otherwise specifically provided in this part; all other solid waste disposal facilities and practices that are not regulated under subtitle C of RCRA are subject to the criteria contained in part 257 of this chapter.

(c) These Criteria do not apply to municipal solid waste landfill units that do not receive waste after October 9, 1991.

(d)(1) MSWLF units that meet the conditions of § 258.1(e)(2) and receive waste after October 9, 1991 but stop receiving waste before April 9, 1994, are exempt from all the requirements of this part 258, except the final cover requirement specified in § 258.60(a). The final cover must be installed by October 9, 1994. Owners or operators of MSWLF units described in this paragraph that fail to complete cover installation by October 9, 1994 will be subject to all the requirements of this part 258, unless otherwise specified.

(2) MSWLF units that meet the conditions of § 258.1(e)(3) and receive waste after October 9, 1991 but stop receiving waste before the date designated by the state pursuant to § 258.1(e)(3), are exempt from all the requirements of this part 258, except the final cover requirement specified in § 258.60(a). The final cover must be installed within one year after the date designated by the state pursuant to § 258.1(e)(3). Owners or operators of MSWLF units described in this paragraph that fail to complete cover installation within one year after the date designated by the state pursuant to § 258.1(e)(3) will be subject to all the requirements of this part 258, unless otherwise specified.

(3) MSWLF units that meet the conditions of paragraph (f)(1) of this section and receive waste after October 9, 1991 but stop receiving waste before October 9, 1997, are exempt from all the requirements of this part 258, except the final cover requirement specified in § 258.60(a). The final cover must be installed by October 9, 1998. Owners or operators of MSWLF units described in this paragraph that fail to complete cover installation by October 9, 1998 will be subject to all the requirements of this part 258, unless otherwise specified.

(4) MSWLF units that do not meet the conditions of § 258.1 (e)(2), (e)(3), or (f) and receive waste after October 9, 1991 but stop receiving waste before October 9, 1993, are exempt from all the requirements this part 258, except the final cover requirement specified in § 258.60(a). The final cover must be installed by October 9, 1994. Owners or operators of MSWLF units described in this paragraph that fail to complete cover installation by October 9, 1994 will be subject to all the requirements of this part 258, unless otherwise specified.

(e)(1) The compliance date for all requirements of this part 258, unless otherwise specified, is October 9, 1993 for all MSWLF units that receive waste on or after October 9, 1993, except those units that qualify for an extension under (e)(2), (3), or (4) of this section.

(2) The compliance date for all requirements of this part 258, unless otherwise specified, is April 9, 1994 for an existing MSWLF unit or a lateral expansion of an existing MSWLF unit that meets the following conditions:

(i) The MSWLF unit disposed of 100 tons per day or less of solid waste during a representative period prior to October 9, 1993;

(ii) The unit does not dispose of more than an average of 100 TPD of solid waste each month between October 9, 1993 and April 9, 1994;

(iii) The MSWLF unit is located in a state that has submitted an application for permit program approval to EPA by October 9, 1993, is located in the state of Iowa, or is located on Indian Lands or Indian Country; and

(iv) The MSWLF unit is not on the National Priorities List (NPL) as found in appendix B to 40 CFR part 300.

(3) The compliance date for all requirements of this part 258, unless otherwise specified, for an existing MSWLF unit or lateral expansion of an existing MSWLF unit receiving flood-related waste from federally-designated areas within the major disasters declared for the states of Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota by the President during the summer of 1993 pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq., shall be designated by the state in which the MSWLF unit is located in accordance with the following:

(i) The MSWLF unit may continue to accept waste up to April 9, 1994 without being subject to part 258, if the state in which the MSWLF unit is located determines that the MSWLF unit is needed to receive flood-related waste from a federally-designated disaster area as specified in (e)(3) of this section.

(ii) The MSWLF unit that receives an extension under paragraph (e)(3)(i) of this section may continue to accept waste up to an additional six months beyond April 9, 1994 without being subject to part 258, if the state in which the MSWLF unit is located determines that the MSWLF unit is needed to receive flood-related waste from a federally-designated disaster area specified in (e)(3) of this section.

(iii) In no case shall a MSWLF unit receiving an extension under paragraph (e)(3) (i) or (ii) of this section accept waste beyond October 9, 1994 without being subject to part 258.

(4) For a MSWLF unit that meets the conditions for the exemption in paragraph (f)(1) of this section, the compliance date for all applicable requirements of part 258, unless otherwise specified, is October 9, 1997.

(f)(1) Owners or operators of new MSWLF units, existing MSWLF units, and lateral expansions that dispose of less than twenty (20) tons of municipal solid waste daily, based on an annual average, are exempt from subparts D and E of this part, so long as there is no evidence of ground-water contamination from the MSWLF unit, and the MSWLF unit serves:

(i) A community that experiences an annual interruption of at least three consecutive months of surface transportation that prevents access to a regional waste management facility, or

(ii) A community that has no practicable waste management alternative and the landfill unit is located in an area that annually receives less than or equal to 25 inches of precipitation.

(2) Owners or operators of new MSWLF units, existing MSWLF units, and lateral expansions that meet the criteria in paragraph (f)(1)(i) or (f)(1)(ii) of this section must place in the operating record information demonstrating this.

(3) If the owner or operator of a new MSWLF unit, existing MSWLF unit, or lateral expansion has knowledge of ground-water contamination resulting from the unit that has asserted the exemption in paragraph (f)(1)(i) or (f)(1)(ii) of this section, the owner or operator must notify the state Director of such contamination and, thereafter, comply with subparts D and E of this part.

(g) Municipal solid waste landfill units failing to satisfy these criteria are considered open dumps for purposes of State solid waste management planning under RCRA.

(h) Municipal solid waste landfill units failing to satisfy these criteria constitute open dumps, which are prohibited under section 4005 of RCRA.

(i) Municipal solid waste landfill units containing sewage sludge and failing to satisfy these Criteria violate sections 309 and 405(e) of the Clean Water Act.

(j) Subpart G of this part is effective April 9, 1995, except for MSWLF units meeting the requirements of paragraph (f)(1) of this section, in which case the effective date of subpart G is October 9, 1995.

Unless otherwise noted, all terms contained in this part are defined by their plain meaning. This section contains definitions for terms that appear throughout this part; additional definitions appear in the specific sections to which they apply.

Active life means the period of operation beginning with the initial receipt of solid waste and ending at completion of closure activities in accordance with § 258.60 of this part.

Active portion means that part of a facility or unit that has received or is receiving wastes and that has not been closed in accordance with § 258.60 of this part.

Aquifer means a geological formation, group of formations, or porton of a formation capable of yielding significant quantities of ground water to wells or springs.

Commercial solid waste means all types of solid waste generated by stores, offices, restaurants, warehouses, and other nonmanufacturing activities, excluding residential and industrial wastes.

Construction and demolition (C&D) landfill means a solid waste disposal facility subject to the requirements in part 257, subparts A or B of this chapter that receives construction and demolition waste and does not receive hazardous waste (defined in § 261.3 of this chapter) or industrial solid waste (defined in this section). Only a C&D landfill that meets the requirements of 40 CFR part 257, subpart B may receive very small quantity generator waste (defined in § 260.10 of this chapter). A C&D landfill typically receives any one or more of the following types of solid wastes: Roadwork material, excavated material, demolition waste, construction/renovation waste, and site clearance waste.

Director of an Approved State means the chief administrative officer of a state agency responsible for implementing the state permit program that is deemed to be adequate by EPA under regulations published pursuant to sections 2002 and 4005 of RCRA.

Existing MSWLF unit means any municipal solid waste landfill unit that is receiving solid waste as of the appropriate dates specified in § 258.1(e). Waste placement in existing units must be consistent with past operating practices or modified practices to ensure good management.

Facility means all contiguous land and structures, other appurtenances, and improvements on the land used for the disposal of solid waste.

Ground water means water below the land surface in a zone of saturation.

Household waste means any solid waste (including garbage, trash, and sanitary waste in septic tanks) derived from households (including single and multiple residences, hotels and motels, bunkhouses, ranger stations, crew quarters, campgrounds, picnic grounds, and day-use recreation areas).

Indian lands or Indian country means:

(1) All land within the limits of any Indian reservation under the jurisdiction of the United States Government, notwithstanding the issuance of any patent, and including rights-of-way running throughout the reservation;

(2) All dependent Indian communities within the borders of the United States whether within the original or subsequently acquired territory thereof, and whether within or without the limits of the State; and

(3) All Indian allotments, the Indian titles to which have not been extinguished, including rights of way running through the same.

Indian Tribe or Tribe means any Indian tribe, band, nation, or community recognized by the Secretary of the Interior and exercising substantial governmental duties and powers on Indian lands.

Industrial solid waste means solid waste generated by manufacturing or industrial processes that is not a hazardous waste regulated under subtitle C of RCRA. Such waste may include, but is not limited to, waste resulting from the following manufacturing processes: Electric power generation; fertilizer/agricultural chemicals; food and related products/by-products; inorganic chemicals; iron and steel manufacturing; leather and leather products; nonferrous metals manufacturing/foundries; organic chemicals; plastics and resins manufacturing; pulp and paper industry; rubber and miscellaneous plastic products; stone, glass, clay, and concrete products; textile manufacturing; transportation equipment; and water treatment. This term does not include mining waste or oil and gas waste.

Lateral expansion means a horizontal expansion of the waste boundaries of an existing MSWLF unit.

Leachate means a liquid that has passed through or emerged from solid waste and contains soluble, suspended, or miscible materials removed from such waste.

Municipal solid waste landfill (MSWLF) unit means a discrete area of land or an excavation that receives household waste, and that is not a land application unit, surface impoundment, injection well, or waste pile, as those terms are defined under § 257.2 of this chapter. A MSWLF unit also may receive other types of RCRA Subtitle D wastes, such as commercial solid waste, nonhazardous sludge, very small quantity generator waste and industrial solid waste. Such a landfill may be publicly or privately owned. A MSWLF unit may be a new MSWLF unit, an existing MSWLF unit or a lateral expansion. A construction and demolition landfill that receives residential lead-based paint waste and does not receive any other household waste is not a MSWLF unit.

New MSWLF unit means any municipal solid waste landfill unit that has not received waste prior to October 9, 1993, or prior to October 9, 1997 if the MSWLF unit meets the conditions of § 258.1(f)(1).

Open burning means the combustion of solid waste without:

(1) Control of combustion air to maintain adequate temperature for efficient combustion,

(2) Containment of the combustion reaction in an enclosed device to provide sufficient residence time and mixing for complete combustion, and

(3) Control of the emission of the combustion products.

Operator means the person(s) responsible for the overall operation of a facility or part of a facility.

Owner means the person(s) who owns a facility or part of a facility.

Residential lead-based paint waste means waste containing lead-based paint, which is generated as a result of activities such as abatement, rehabilitation, renovation and remodeling in homes and other residences. The term residential lead-based paint waste includes, but is not limited to, lead-based paint debris, chips, dust, and sludges.

Run-off means any rainwater, leachate, or other liquid that drains over land from any part of a facility.

Run-on means any rainwater, leachate, or other liquid that drains over land onto any part of a facility.

Saturated zone means that part of the earth's crust in which all voids are filled with water.

Sludge means any solid, semi-solid, or liquid waste generated from a municipal, commercial, or industrial wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility exclusive of the treated effluent from a wastewater treatment plant.

Solid waste means any garbage, or refuse, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semi-solid, or contained gaseous material resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations, and from community activities, but does not include solid or dissolved materials in domestic sewage, or solid or dissolved materials in irrigation return flows or industrial discharges that are point sources subject to permit under 33 U.S.C. 1342, or source, special nuclear, or by-product material as defined by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (68 Stat. 923).

State means any of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

State Director means the chief administrative officer of the lead state agency responsible for implementing the state permit program for 40 CFR part 257, subpart B and 40 CFR part 258 regulated facilities.

Uppermost aquifer means the geologic formation nearest the natural ground surface that is an aquifer, as well as, lower aquifers that are hydraulically interconnected with this aquifer within the facility's property boundary.

Waste management unit boundary means a vertical surface located at the hydraulically downgradient limit of the unit. This vertical surface extends down into the uppermost aquifer.

The owner or operator of a municipal solid waste landfill unit must comply with any other applicable Federal rules, laws, regulations, or other requirements.

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (f) of this section, the Director of an approved State may issue a research, development, and demonstration permit for a new MSWLF unit, existing MSWLF unit, or lateral expansion, for which the owner or operator proposes to utilize innovative and new methods which vary from either or both of the following criteria provided that the MSWLF unit has a leachate collection system designed and constructed to maintain less than a 30-cm depth of leachate on the liner:

(1) The run-on control systems in § 258.26(a)(1); and

(2) The liquids restrictions in § 258.28(a).

(b) The Director of an approved State may issue a research, development, and demonstration permit for a new MSWLF unit, existing MSWLF unit, or lateral expansion, for which the owner or operator proposes to utilize innovative and new methods which vary from the final cover criteria of § 258.60(a)(1), (a)(2) and (b)(1), provided the MSWLF unit owner/operator demonstrates that the infiltration of liquid through the alternative cover system will not cause contamination of groundwater or surface water, or cause leachate depth on the liner to exceed 30-cm.

(c) Any permit issued under this section must include such terms and conditions at least as protective as the criteria for municipal solid waste landfills to assure protection of human health and the environment. Such permits shall:

(1) Provide for the construction and operation of such facilities as necessary, for not longer than three years, unless renewed as provided in paragraph (e) of this section;

(2) Provide that the MSWLF unit must receive only those types and quantities of municipal solid waste and non-hazardous wastes which the State Director deems appropriate for the purposes of determining the efficacy and performance capabilities of the technology or process;

(3) Include such requirements as necessary to protect human health and the environment, including such requirements as necessary for testing and providing information to the State Director with respect to the operation of the facility;

(4) Require the owner or operator of a MSWLF unit permitted under this section to submit an annual report to the State Director showing whether and to what extent the site is progressing in attaining project goals. The report will also include a summary of all monitoring and testing results, as well as any other operating information specified by the State Director in the permit; and

(5) Require compliance with all criteria in this part, except as permitted under this section.

(d) The Director of an approved State may order an immediate termination of all operations at the facility allowed under this section or other corrective measures at any time the State Director determines that the overall goals of the project are not being attained, including protection of human health or the environment.

(e) Any permit issued under this section shall not exceed three years and each renewal of a permit may not exceed three years.

(1) The total term for a permit for a project including renewals may not exceed twenty-one (21) years; and

(2) During permit renewal, the applicant shall provide a detailed assessment of the project showing the status with respect to achieving project goals, a list of problems and status with respect to problem resolutions, and other any other requirements that the Director determines necessary for permit renewal.

(f) Small MSWLF units. (1) An owner or operator of a MSWLF unit operating under an exemption set forth in § 258.1(f)(1) is not eligible for any variance from §§ 258.26(a)(1) and 258.28(a) of the operating criteria in subpart C of this part.

(2) An owner or operator of a MSWLF unit that disposes of 20 tons of municipal solid waste per day or less, based on an annual average, is not eligible for a variance from § 258.60 (b)(1),except in accordance with § 258.60(b)(3).