The analysis focused on methods of crime commission, skills required for crime commission, patterns of criminal network relationships, and degree of crime syndicate involvement. This study found that hazardous waste crimes generally occurred within small, informal networks of waste generators, waste transporters, and employees of treatment/storage/disposal (TSD) facilities. Efforts by criminal syndicates to enter infiltrate this arena have failed largely due to features of criminal commission methods and to the fragmentation of hauling and TSD firm interests. TSD facility offenses were often committed under approval of executive officers of the facilities who turned to illegal disposal as a response to their inability to manage proper waste treatment economically. TSD facilities tended to evolve gradually from legitimate to illegitimate operations through expansion of the types of wastes accepted for disposal for which the facility was incapable of treating, storing, or disposing of properly. The transition from part-time profession-related violator to full-time criminal offender was a result of operators' misjudgment of legitimate business parameters prior to entering the hazardous waste disposal business, underestimation of regulation impact in shaping these parameters, and the exploitation of opportunities to violate these parameters via criminal activity. 16 tables, 5 figures, 75 references, and 3 appendixes