Abstract: Hazardous waste management is especially important for solid waste management, in which the hazardous waste exemption management system is an effective method to reduce environmental risk of hazardous waste. The hazardous waste exemption management systems at home and abroad were investigated. The results show that the hazardous waste exemption management system in the United States is relatively completed, in which hazardous wastes exemption management can be divided into five types, i.e. categories excluding, conditional exemption for small generating sources, exemption for the low environmental risk, exemption under mixed and derived conditions, and exemption for individual waste generating sources. In Europe, the hazardous waste exemption management is far behind the mature system like the United States both on the techniques and mechanisms. In China, the architecture of hazardous waste exemption management system has not been formed. It was suggested that lessons should be drawn from hazardous wastes exemption management experience in developed countries, so as to study the hazardous waste management theories and practices, and to establish the hazardous waste exemption management system in China.