Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    • Environmental Topics
    • Air
    • Bed Bugs
    • Cancer
    • Chemicals, Toxics, and Pesticide
    • Emergency Response
    • Environmental Information by Location
    • Health
    • Land, Waste, and Cleanup
    • Lead
    • Mold
    • Radon
    • Research
    • Science Topics
    • Water Topics
    • A-Z Topic Index
    • Laws & Regulations
    • By Business Sector
    • By Topic
    • Compliance
    • Enforcement
    • Laws and Executive Orders
    • Regulations
    • Report a Violation
    • Environmental Violations
    • Fraud, Waste or Abuse
    • About EPA
    • Our Mission and What We Do
    • Headquarters Offices
    • Regional Offices
    • Labs and Research Centers
    • Planning, Budget, and Results
    • Organization Chart
    • EPA History

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Hazardous Waste
  3. Hazardous Waste Management
  4. Cleanups

Hazardous Waste Cleanup Program 2020 Goals Closeout

New Name, Same Mission

In October 2024, EPA changed the name of its “Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Action Program” to the “Hazardous Waste Cleanup Program.” This rebranding is intended to increase broad understanding of the purpose of the program.

On this page: 

  • Background
  • 2020 Hazardous Waste Cleanup Program Goals Results

Background

The current Hazardous Waste Cleanup Program has been driven by aspirational goals that were focused on meeting certain cleanup measures by the year 2020. These ambitious goals were to meet three important milestones at 95 percent of facilities:

  • Human Exposures Under Control.
  • Migration of Contaminated Groundwater Under Control.
  • Remedy Construction.

Find hazardous waste cleanup resources in this table.

Progress is measured first and foremost by protecting public health through controlling human exposure to contamination. The next steps, including controlling the migration of contaminated groundwater and having cleanup technologies constructed and operational, are also important to achieve long-term protection.

Front loader digging up contamination.

The Ready for Anticipated Use measure is an interim measure that enables EPA and States to track cleanups determined to be protective for current and reasonably anticipated uses.


2020 Hazardous Waste Cleanup Program Goals Results

Check out our  RCRA Corrective Action 2020 Goals Closeout Fact Sheet (pdf) (170.27 KB)

EPA, states, and territories:

  • Completed determinations that 95 percent of facilities ensured that communities were not exposed to unacceptable levels of contaminants.
  • Completed determinations that 91 percent of facilities ensured that contaminated groundwater was not spreading and further contaminating groundwater resources.
  • Ensured that 74 percent of facilities completed construction of the final remedy and made sure it was designed to achieve long-term protection of human health and the environment.

These are major achievements and reflect impressive performance in terms of the effectiveness and speed of the Hazardous Waste Cleanup Program. However, EPA knows the work is far from finished. For facilities that have not met these milestones, EPA and the states are actively working to protect the health of the nearby community and environment. 

The 2020 goals demonstrate progress toward achieving the ultimate goal of completing cleanups that are protective for communities and support economic use and redevelopment. This goal can take time to achieve, so measuring and showing interim progress is important. The results also reflect that reaching the remedy construction milestone, which involves detailed site assessment, technical evaluation and selection of remedy options, and community engagement, is particularly challenging; the Hazardous Waste Cleanup Program still has much work ahead.

For EPA’s current set of cleanup goals, refer to our Hazardous Waste Cleanup Program Vision/ Mission/ Goals for 2030 webpage.

Hazardous Waste

  • Learn the Basics of Hazardous Waste
  • Hazardous Waste Management
    • Generation
    • Identification
    • Definition of Solid Waste
    • Exclusions
    • Characterization
    • Delistings
    • Transportation
    • Permitting
    • Land Disposal Restrictions
      • Treatment Standards
      • Historical Information
      • Frequent Questions About Land Disposal Restrictions
    • Requirements for Importers
    • Requirements for Exporters
    • Recycling
    • Cleanups
      • Baselines for Cleanup Facilities
      • Frequent Questions
      • Guidance for Cleaning Up Groundwater, Soil and Air
      • Guidance for Remediation Waste Management
      • Hazardous Waste Cleanup Program 2020 Goals Closeout
      • Initial Site Assessments
      • Key Rulemakings and Regulations
      • Learn About Hazardous Waste Cleanups
      • Map of Cleanup Progress
      • Measuring Progress
      • Redevelopment Economics
      • Remedy Implementation
      • Sortable, Searchable Table of Resources
      • Technical Hazardous Waste Cleanup Training
      • Toolbox for Facilities Investigation Remedy Selection Track
      • Vision/ Mission/ Goals for 2030
  • Regulations for Certain Wastes
  • EPA Hazardous Waste Initiatives
  • SW-846 Test Methods
  • State Authorization
  • A to Z Directory of Topics
Contact Us About Hazardous Waste
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on January 4, 2025
  • Assistance
  • Spanish
  • Arabic
  • Chinese (simplified)
  • Chinese (traditional)
  • French
  • Haitian Creole
  • Korean
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Tagalog
  • Vietnamese
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Discover.

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Budget & Performance
  • Contracting
  • EPA www Web Snapshot
  • Grants
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Plain Writing
  • Privacy
  • Privacy and Security Notice

Connect.

  • Data
  • Inspector General
  • Jobs
  • Newsroom
  • Regulations.gov
  • Subscribe
  • USA.gov
  • White House

Ask.

  • Contact EPA
  • EPA Disclaimers
  • Hotlines
  • FOIA Requests
  • Frequent Questions
  • Site Feedback

Follow.