Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) Practice Exam

The primary goal of hazardous waste management is to minimize risks to human health and the environment. This involves implementing practices and strategies that effectively manage hazardous materials throughout their lifecycle—from generation to disposal—ensuring that they do not pose a threat to public health, ecosystems, or the environment at large.

Strategies aimed at minimizing these risks include proper identification, safe handling, storage, treatment, and disposal of hazardous waste. Regulations, such as those enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States, are designed to protect human health and the environment by regulating hazardous waste management practices.

While recycling can be a positive goal, it is not applicable to all hazardous wastes, as some materials cannot be recycled safely. Furthermore, storing waste indefinitely is not a sustainable solution and does not address the risks associated with hazardous waste. Maximizing profit from waste disposal runs contrary to the fundamental purpose of protecting health and the environment, making it clear that the priority in hazardous waste management is risk minimization.