Characteristic waste is a type of hazardous waste material that exhibits any or all of the following properties: * ignitability - the material’s propensity to combust * corrosivity – the material’s propensity to damage or destroy other substances via a chemical reaction when the former comes into contact with the latter * reactivity – the material’s propensity to cause a chemical reaction * toxicity – the material’s propensity to cause injury to organs, or even death, of a living organism