Hazardous Waste

The Caltrans Hazardous Waste Management program provides statewide assistance to districts with managing contaminants and wastes encountered on highway projects and Caltrans properties. Technical experts assist or supplement district staff in directing assessment, investigation or cleanup activities and developing guidelines for managing these activities. Other activities conducted include, ensuring that the hazardous waste sections of environmental documents prepared for CEQA and NEPA compliance are complete and that contract specifications addressing hazardous waste and substances prepared for construction activities are accurate. If you are seeking information on hazardous material spills, contact the Maintenance Webmaster. This link is not for reporting a spill of a hazardous material on a State highway. If you want to report a spill please call 911 or the California Department of Toxic Substances Control at 1-800-72TOXIC (1-800-728-6942).

Hazardous Waste Management

• Contaminants and Waste

  Frequently, materials are encountered during highway project development that require special management activities such as aerially deposited lead, asbestos, asphalt and concrete grindings or, treated wood waste. Find out more about how we handle this material at this link.

• Contaminated Properties

  Caltrans attempts to avoid acquiring properties where contaminants may exist. The Hazardous Waste Program maintains policy addressing acquisition of these types of properties and management of hazardous materials and contamination during project delivery. View our Acquisition of Contaminated Property policy, Hazardous Material Remediation for Special Funded and Jointly Funded Projects policy, and link to Cal/EPA's list of contaminated sites (Cortese List).

• Links

  These State and Federal agencies regulate or have information about contaminants and waste management.