RCRAInfo is EPA's comprehensive information system, providing access to data supporting the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 and the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) of 1984. The RCRAInfo system enables cradle-to-grave waste tracking of many types of information regarding the regulated universe of RCRA hazardous waste handlers. RCRAInfo characterizes facility status, regulated activities, and compliance histories in addition to capturing detailed data on the generation of hazardous waste from large quantity generators and on waste management practices from treatment, storage, and disposal facilities.
It is the responsibility of the US EPA and State agencies, of which many have been delegated the authority to implement RCRA within their respective State, to input and manage specific RCRA handler identification and program activity data into RCRAInfo. Usually, the agency responsible for the work owns the data that tracks the work. Mandatory data elements must be entered into RCRAInfo within 30 days of the occurrence of an activity (or within 60 days for States that have their own State data systems and must translate the information to RCRAInfo). RCRAInfo data are increasingly being relied on by many stakeholders for a wide variety of purposes. As a national program, we must ensure that data collected, stored, and reported are of the utmost quality in order to support sound analyses and decisions.
Click here to see a memo that articulates the longstanding expectations and data entry standards for RCRAInfo data reporting requirements.
The RCRAInfo system was preceded by the Hazardous Waste Management Data System (HWDMS) created and used in the 1980's and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Information System (RCRIS) created and used in the 1990's. A brief evolution of the RCRAInfo application is presented below:
| RCRAInfo Version | Deployment Date | Brief Description | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Fall 2000 | Initial Deployment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | June 2002 | Re-design of the Handler Module based on the WIN/INFORMED: Universe Identification, Waste Activity Monitoring, Program Area Analysis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | July 2003 | Re-design of the Compliance, Monitoring, and Enforcement (CM&E) Module based on the WIN/INFORMED: Handler Monitoring and Assistance Program Area Analysis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | July 2005 | Re-design of the Permit, Closure, and Post-Closure and Corrective Action Modules, and the creation of the Financial Assurance and GIS Modules based on the WIN/INFORMED: Permitting and Corrective Action Program Area Analysis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | December 2010 | Re-design of the Handler Module | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | December 2016 - Current |
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RCRAInfo Version 6 (V6) is EPA's latest iteration of the RCRAInfo software. V6 offers an upgrade in technology and a new look-and-feel to the user interface. Some of the advantages that users will realize are:
Expanded Accessibility
Simplified Data Entry and Retrieval
Improved Data Management and Ownership
Enhanced Data Presentation
One significant advantage of V6 is the expanded accessibility. Users will be able to access RCRAInfo from nearly any device (desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones), as well as from all popular browsers (Edge, Chrome, Safari, FireFox, and Opera).
The new look-and-feel of the user interface will enhance the user experience and foster consistency throughout the data. Features such as type-ahead, yes/no slide boxes, and multi-select drop-down lists will simplify the data entry process. V6 also incorporates a "save as you go" feature that allows users to save incomplete data until such time that the information can be completed. As always, business rules are enforced by the application to ensure the correctness of all data entered.
In previous versions of RCRAInfo, a data record was owned by a single entity (Region or State) and only a user associated with that entity could manipulate that record. In V6, complete ownership of the data has been given to the appropriate entity whereby if the entity feels it appropriate to give access of their data to a user outside of their entity, they have the capability to do so. For example, if Vermont owns their handler data, but wants to allow Region 1 to also manipulate this data, Vermont can grant Region 1 the permissions to do just that.
V6 also improves data viewing for program staff and management. The new screens provide superior data presentation for on-line viewing of the data, often eliminating the need to generate and print a report.
Click here to access the complete on-line help in PDF format. This format is provided to assist with printing all or portions of the help documentation.