# Waste Materials > Waste Materials means any discarded, abandoned, solid, semi-solid, or liquid material, including non-hazardous putrescible and non-putrescible solid waste **Term:** Waste Materials **Last updated:** 2026-07-29 ## Definition ## What Waste Materials Means in a Contract Waste Materials is a defined term used to capture the full range of discarded or unwanted substances that arise from a party's activities under an agreement. It typically covers solid, semi-solid, and liquid materials, and expressly includes both putrescible waste, meaning organic matter that decomposes, and non-putrescible waste such as packaging, debris, or construction offcuts. Recyclable materials are often folded into the definition as well, so that the party responsible for waste handling cannot argue that recoverable items fall outside the scope of the clause. The purpose of defining this term precisely is to remove ambiguity about who owns the obligation to manage, store, transport, or dispose of these materials once they are generated. Contracts that involve physical operations, whether construction, manufacturing, retail, or facilities services, rely on this definition to allocate responsibility and cost for waste streams that would otherwise be a source of dispute. ## How Waste Materials Is Defined or Measured Most agreements define Waste Materials broadly by physical state (solid, semi-solid, liquid) and then narrow the scope by excluding hazardous waste, which is usually addressed separately under its own defined term and regulatory regime. This separation matters because hazardous waste is governed by stricter handling, labeling, and disposal rules under the law governing the contract, while non-hazardous waste can often be managed through standard commercial waste services. Measurement in practice tends to focus on volume or weight generated over a billing period, particularly where a waste management vendor charges based on collection frequency or container size. Some contracts also require the generating party to segregate recyclable materials from general waste, which can affect both the measurement method and the pricing structure. - Physical state: solid, semi-solid, or liquid - Organic content: putrescible versus non-putrescible - Recoverability: recyclable versus non-recyclable - Hazard classification: hazardous materials are typically carved out and addressed separately ## Where Waste Materials Appears in Agreements The term appears most commonly in service agreements between a waste hauler and a customer, such as a