The National Catalogue of Hazardous Wasteis the primary legal document for identifying hazardous wastes and also provides the foundation for its environmental management in China. The non-ferrous smelting industry involves a complex process with numerous side reactions, resulting in diverse solid wastes and complex pollution characteristics. Non-ferrous smelting waste constitutes a significant category within the National Catalogue of Hazardous Waste. However, the practical environmental management of hazardous waste in non-ferrous smelting reveals challenges in identifying solid waste generation points, unclear attributes of solid waste, and uncertain pollution characteristics. To address these issues, this study analyzes the sources of typical hazardous wastes from copper, lead, zinc, and aluminum smelting. It examines the physical and chemical properties, as well as pollution characteristics, of solid wastes at the various production stages, including surface morphology, moisture content, chemical composition, leaching toxicity concentration, etc. Moreover, this research clarifies the environmental risks associated with key types of solid wastes, such as lead filter cake and arsenic residue. The findings from this study support the revision of hazardous waste classification in the smelting processes of copper, lead, zinc, and aluminum, as outlined in the National Catalogue of Hazardous Waste. Acquiring the aforementioned foundational data is crucial for refining the identification of hazardous waste generation points, accurately describing the waste′s source, defining its hazardous characteristics, and proposing suggestions to enhance environmental management practices within the non-ferrous smelting industry.