The Division of Hazardous Waste Management implements Ohio's hazardous waste management program.  This program regulates hazardous waste from the point of generation to final disposition ("cradle to grave"), which is required by the 1976 federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

Since 1989, when U.S. EPA authorized Ohio's program, the division has inspected thousands of waste-generating facilities; overseen hundreds of hazardous waste cleanups; executed a visible and effective enforcement program; and provided significant services in the areas of compliance assistance and pollution prevention.  The division also oversees Ohio's Cessation of Regulated Operations program, which requires companies to properly secure their facilities when they go out of business.