Lion News

01/28/2014

Simplify Your Approach to Waste ID

12/30/2013

Plan Ahead for 2014 Biennial RCRA Reports

As the 2013 calendar year winds down, hazardous waste generators begin buttoning up their recordkeeping for the current year and planning for 2014. This process most likely includes confirming that all facility personnel completed their annual training, all manifests are accounted for, all waste and LDR determination records are in order, and their contingency plan is current. In addition to the usual year-end wrap-ups, this year...

11/26/2013

New RCRA Exclusion for Solvent-contaminated Wipes

On July 31, 2013, at 78 FR 46448, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated a new final rule to relax hazardous waste management requirements for solvent-contaminated wipes (i.e., shop towels). Solvent-contaminated wipes that are laundered will be conditionally excluded from regulation as solid waste. Solvent-contaminated wipes that are discarded will be...

10/22/2013

Cutting Costs With Life Cycle Assessment

Life Cycle Assessment is a critical tool for organizations seeking ways to reduce their environmental impact, manage waste more efficiently, and reduce compliance costs. Also called life cycle analysis or “cradle-to-grave” analysis, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is designed to gauge how a product will impact the environment throughout its life—from the initial sourcing of raw materials to eventual waste disposal...

09/24/2013

Understanding Derived-from Rule Exclusions

Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), solid waste generated from the treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous waste remains hazardous waste unless excluded elsewhere in the regulations. This is known as the “derived-from” rule and is designed to ensure that wastes that are treated, but which may still pose a threat to human health or the environment, do not fall through the cracks of RCRA regulation...

08/27/2013

Manifesting State-specific Hazardous Waste for Interstate Shipments

Shipping hazardous waste between states can be more complex than it seems. Under Section 3006 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), each state is authorized to oversee its own hazardous waste management regulatory program, as long as the state’s rules are at least as stringent as the Federal regulations. While most states simply adopt the Federal hazardous waste management rules, a handful of states...

07/24/2013

Identifying Underlying Hazardous Constituents (UHCs)

One of the most confusing aspects of the land disposal restrictions is the determination of underlying hazardous constituents (UHCs). UHCs are trace amounts of hazardous chemicals (listed in 40 CFR 268.48) found in some hazardous wastes that do not in and of themselves cause the waste to be hazardous, but must be treated before the waste is deposited in a landfill. Due to a convoluted legal history, pre-disposal treatment for UHCs is...

06/25/2013

State-level Variations for Satellite Accumulation Areas

Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), each state can operate its own hazardous waste regulatory program in lieu of Federal EPA standards. State-level programs must be at least as stringent as Federal regulations, but even when the rules are identical, the implementation can vary...

05/28/2013

4 Ways to Treat Hazardous Waste Without a Permit

In the hazardous waste regulations, U.S. EPA defines “treatment” as “any method, technique, or process, including neutralization, designed to change the physical, chemical, or biological character or composition of any hazardous waste so as to neutralize such waste, or so as to recover energy or material resources from the waste, or so as to render...

04/23/2013

How to Dispose of 2-Part Epoxy Solutions