Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest

Shipments of hazardous waste must be documented by a Federal Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest.  Generators, transporter and receiving facilities, including hazardous waste Treatment Storage and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs) must sign the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest to document the chain-of-custody as part of the cradle-to-grave tracking requirement. As of June 30, 2018, the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest is available in either a paper form or an electronic form

Paper Version of the Manifest Form

  • This form is designated as EPA Form 8700-22 (Rev. 12-17) in the lower left corner and is a 5-part form.
  • Manifests may be purchased from any of the EPA-approved Manifest Printers listed on the EPA website. A transporter may also provide a generator with the federal Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest Form and can help with the preparation of the form. The instructions are on the back of each form. Because the form is a 5-part form, press firmly or type, to ensure all copies are legible.
  • Prior to June 30, 2018, the paper version of the federal Uniform Hazardous Waste manifest was a 6-part form. Generators, transporters and hazardous waste facilities may continue to use the obsolete 6-part paper form if it is still available. If a user wishes to use the obsolete 6-part form, they should undertake measures to minimize cinfusion in their use, such as applying a pre-printed adhesive label to the top copy with the accurate copy distribution language, "DESIGNATED FACILITY to EPA's e-Manifest System."

e-Manifest (electronic version of the Manifest form)

US EPA RCRA e-Manifest System: U.S. EPA, in coordination with states, industry, and related stakeholders, has developed a national system known as "e-Manifest" for tracking hazardous waste shipments electronically. The e-Manifest system provides the option of using a paperless electronic manifest as part of the nation’s “cradle-to-grave” hazardous waste tracking requirement.  As of June 30, 2018, e-Manifests may be used in lieu of the paper Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest form to track shipments of hazardous waste from the site of generation to its final disposal or destination facility. For more information about the e-Manifest system see EPA’s e-Manifest Web Page or refer to the EPA Fact Sheets below modified specifically for Maine.

RCRA Industry Users Registration Guide for myRCRAid, Biennial Report and eManifest: This guide describes the RCRA Industry Apps and how to register with EPA to use the e-Manifest System, obtain or update a hazardous waste generator or facility site-specific EPA ID#, and file a generator’s or facility’s Biennial Report (BR) electronically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Need to Submit Copies of Manifests?

For paper manifests: A copy of the “Generator’s Initial Copy” of the paper manifest must be submitted to the Maine DEP by the generator.  The generator is responsible to make a photocopy of the manifest upon initiating a shipment and submit it to the Department within seven (7) days of the shipment. This requirement is found in the Hazardous Waste Management Rules (hereafter “Maine Rules”), Chapter 857.7(A)(5).  The transporter may send copies of the manifest to the Department as a service to the generator.

Copies of the paper form of the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest should be mailed to:

Hazardous Waste Manifest Section
Bureau of Remediation & Waste Management
Maine Department of Environmental Protection
17 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0017

If a paper manifest is used, the Designated Facility (i.e. Receiving Facility or TSDF) will be required to mail the top copy of the manifest to EPA and will no longer be required to mail a copy to the Maine DEP.

The Designated Facility is required mail the “Designated Facility to Generator” copy to the generator. The “Designated Facility to Generator” is the fully-executed copy signed by the generator, transporter(s), and designated facility. The generator must retain this copy for at least three years.

For e-manifests: If a Maine generator is registered in the US EPA RCRA e-Manifest System and uses an e-Manifest to ship its hazardous waste, then the generator does not need to print-off or mail a paper photo-copy of the manifest to the Maine DEP.

The generator can access, view or retrieve an electronic version of the “Designated Facility to Generator” copy for its records. The “Designated Facility to Generator” copy signed by the generator, transporter(s), and designated facility, is the fully-executed electronic record documenting the generator’s hazardous waste shipment.  The electronic record is retained in the e-Manifest system.

Does Maine Have State Specific Wastes and Waste Codes?

The waste codes as designated in Maine Rules follow the federal coding conventions (D, F, U and P coding, consistent with federal codes) and as such, the corresponding federal code must be entered on the new federal manifest in Item 13 pursuant to the manifest instructions. However, Maine has state-specific waste codes for “state-listed” hazardous wastes (i.e. “state-regulated only”) that are not found in the federal hazardous waste rules (i.e. “not redundant” with federal waste codes). As such, these “state-regulated only/ not redundant” waste codes must be entered on the manifest in Item 13 for shipments of such wastes. The most common example is “M002” which is the Maine waste code for waste Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB), including any chemical substance or combination of chemical substances that contain 50 parts per million or greater of PCBs. See listing of “state-regulated only” waste codes.

In addition, the State of Maine does not incorporate many of the federal exemptions and exclusions to the definition of solid waste and hazardous waste. Hazardous waste sent off-site for recycling or reclamation is not exempt from Maine regulations. Hazardous waste being sent for recycling or reclamation must use a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest to document the shipment. For wastes which are regulated as hazardous waste in Maine, but federally-exempt, the waste codes as designated in Maine Rules must be entered on the manifest in Item 13. Again, Maine Rules identify characteristic hazardous wastes by the same waste codes used under the federal rules (e.g. D001, D002, D003, D004, etc.), and identify listed hazardous waste using the F, P, and U-waste codes similar to the federal coding convention. As noted above, Maine Rules include state-specific wastes, including listings for PCBs (M002) and several P- and U- coded wastes which are not listed federally. For shipment of these wastes in Maine, the waste code as identified in Maine Rules must be entered on the manifest in Item 13. Generators may choose to specify in Item 14 of the manifest that such waste is “state-regulated only”, but this is not required. If a Maine state only hazardous waste is also a DOT hazardous material, the manifest must include the correct US DOT name for the material, the assigned DOT Hazard Class, and the UN/NA ID number. This information can be found in 49 C.F.R. Parts 171-177. If a Maine state-only hazardous waste is not a DOT hazardous material, then state this clearly such as “Maine Regulated Waste / Not DOT Regulated” and describe the material on the manifest.  In this case, “Maine Regulated Waste, liquid or solid, n.o.s.” is an acceptable shipping name. For further guidance on completing the manifest for state-regulated only wastes, see the attached DOT Utah Guidance Letter Note that references to “block 11” in the DOT Utah Guidance Letter now refers to “block 9b” on the current Federal Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest Form. See a sample form.

DOT Utah Guidance Letter (pdf format)

Can We Use Manifests for Shipments of Universal Wastes?

The State of Maine regulates batteries, cathode ray tubes, mercury or lead containing lamps, mercury devices, mercury thermostats, motor vehicle mercury switches, and PCB ballasts as universal waste. Generators of universal wastes must ship and track their waste using a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest, a Uniform Bill of Lading, or an alternative form approved by the Department.

If a Maine generator of universal waste ships using a Maine Uniform Bill of Lading (UBOL) or an alternative approved form, follow the instructions on the back of the form, including item counts, waste codes and the required distribution of the copies of the UBOL (since these may be different than the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest).  

Universal wastes must be identified on the UBOL with the prefix MR followed by the federal or state waste code. For example, mercury containing lamps would use the code MRD009.  For additional examples, see Appendix K of the Universal Waste Handbook.

If a generator chooses to use a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest for a universal waste shipment, then item counts of the waste must be supplied in "Item 14. Special Handling Instructions and Additional Information". If a generator elects to not include this count in item 14, the generator must provide this information in a separate document that they would mail to the Maine DEP with the “Generator’s Initial Copy” of the manifest (if using the paper form of the manifest) or as a separate mailing if using the e-Manifest system.

If the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest is used to ship universal waste (regardless of whether it is on a paper form or via the e-Manifest system), then the Receiving Facility that is accepting the universal waste on a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest will need to be registered with EPA as a Receiving Facility, with an EPA identification number (or obtain one if the Receiving Facility does not already have an EPA ID#), and pay the appropriate fee, as billed by the EPA, for processing the manifest into the EPA’s e-Manifest system.  For more information refer to the Receiving Facility fact sheet.

When Do Waste Oil Shipments Need to Use Manifests?

Waste oil being transported into Maine from out of state must be accompanied by a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest (either on a paper form or via the e-Manifest system). The results from analysis required by the Waste Oil Management Rules, Chapter 860.15(C) may be recorded in Item 14. Special Handling Instructions and Additional Information. If the results are not included on the manifest in Item 14, then a copy of the results must be attached to each copy of the manifest at the time of each copy’s distribution.

If a shipment of waste oil from a storage facility does not meet the specification described in Chapter 860.4(B), then it must be accompanied by a hazardous waste manifest pursuant to Waste Oil Management Rules, Chapter 860.13(B)(2)(b). The results of the analysis may be recorded in Item 14. Special Handling Instructions and Additional Information. If the results are not included on the manifest in Item 14, then a copy of the results must be attached to each copy of the manifest at the time of each copy’s distribution.

Any Receiving Facility, in Maine, that is accepting waste oil from out-of-state on a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest, as required by 06-096 C.M.R. ch. 860, (regardless of whether it is documented on a paper form or via the e-Manifest system) will need to register with EPA as a Receiving Facility, obtain an EPA identification number (if the Receiving Facility does not already have an EPA ID#), and pay the appropriate fee, as billed by the EPA, for processing the manifest into the EPA’s e-Manifest system.  For more information refer to the Receiving Facility fact sheet.

Who Do I Contact for More Information?

If you have any questions regarding Maine’s Rules regarding hazardous waste manifests, you can contact Cherrie Plummer by email or phone at (207) 287-7688.