RCRA Changes in 2025 Every Generator Should Watch

June 11, 2025

2025 is shaping up to be another active year for regulatory changes in the hazardous waste industry. The EPA has signaled movement on two significant updates to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), both of which could have a major impact on how generators manage compliance, costs, and operations.

At WasteLinq, we’re focused on helping generators stay ahead of evolving regulations—not just to check a box, but to create safer, more efficient, and more transparent waste management programs. Here’s what we’re watching closely:

The RCRA Definition of Hazardous Waste May Be Getting Smarter

EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management has indicated it will revisit the core definitions that underpin hazardous waste classification under RCRA. This comes in part from growing industry pressure to align the regulations with modern scientific understanding and to streamline the decision-making process.

What does that mean for generators?

  • Expect more clarity (and more complexity). Any redefinition is likely to involve additional qualifiers or revised thresholds based on toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation potential.

  • More reliance on data. EPA is moving toward a more data-informed regulatory model. If finalized, this rule could push generators to rethink how they document and justify waste determinations.

  • Profile accuracy becomes critical. When the rules change, the margin for error narrows. Inaccurate or incomplete waste profiles could result in misclassification—and costly enforcement action.

How WasteLinq helps: With Profile Assist, WasteLinq applies AI to assist in waste characterization and profile completion, ensuring you align with current and emerging regulatory standards—without the administrative burden.

Better Hazardous Waste Data Through the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest (e-Manifest) Modernization

EPA is also advancing its modernization of the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest (e-Manifest) system, with a focus on expanding real-time tracking and improving data quality.

This initiative has two goals:

  • Better transparency. EPA wants stakeholders—from generators to the public—to have more timely access to accurate hazardous waste data.

  • Improved enforcement and analytics. Modernizing the e-Manifest supports broader environmental justice and risk management efforts.

For generators, this means:

  • You’ll be more visible. Expect increased scrutiny of inconsistencies between waste profiles, manifests, and actual disposal data.

  • Manual processes become a liability. The more time you spend re-entering or reconciling data, the more room there is for costly mistakes.

How WasteLinq helps: With built-in manifest management, order tracking, and shipment auditing, WasteLinq centralizes your compliance data and automates documentation. Everything ties back to a single, unified profile—making it easier to stay in compliance and prove it.

Stay Ready, Stay Ahead

We don’t believe in compliance for compliance’s sake. We believe in making it easier for generators to do things right—through software that’s simple, connected, and transparent.

The regulatory landscape will always evolve. The question is: will your tools evolve with it?

Let’s make sure they do.

👉 Schedule a demo to see how WasteLinq can help you prepare for what’s next.