03/10/2020
Does the EPA require you to dispose of the product when it reaches its expiration date? No! Here are three strategies that may help prevent your commercial chemical products from adding to your RCRA compliance burden.
04/10/2018
Tips on how, when, and why to use the hazardous waste mixture rule at 40 CFR 261.3 to minimize the hazardous waste your site generates, reduce disposal costs, and protect the environment.
12/19/2017
When we talk about hazardous waste, we usually talk about EPA’s “cradle-to-grave” management requirements. But what if your hazardous waste stops being hazardous waste at some point in the process? How do change the way you manage it without running afoul of the RCRA regulations?
10/27/2015
One of the primary objectives of the US EPA's major hazardous waste program, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), is to conserve valuable materials and energy sources by reducing, reusing, and recycling. The "three Rs" are not just a catch phrase; they're an official national policy in the United States enacted by Congress. In the US, whenever feasible, the waste generation is to be reduced or eliminated. [42 USC 6902(b)]...
02/24/2015
EPA's new Definition of Solid Waste Final Rule makes major changes to the recycling provisions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Understanding the requirements for recycling, reusing, and reclaiming your site's hazardous waste is critical, especially for EHS and shipping professionals who sign the Hazardous Waste Manifest...
06/25/2014
At manufacturing and industrial facilities nationwide, managing hazardous waste can be a burdensome and expensive responsibility. Compliance professionals must manage their waste to exacting standards and pay to have the waste hauled away, treated, and disposed of safely. In addition to these management, treatment, and disposal rules, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requires...
03/25/2014
To encourage recycling and keep more hazardous waste out of landfills and the ecosystem, the US EPA established the “reuse relief” in its hazardous waste regulations. The relief, found at 40 CFR 261.2(e), excludes certain materials from the definition of solid waste when they are reused in a beneficial way. In general, the exclusion applies when an otherwise hazardous waste is reused in one of three ways...
02/25/2014
At first glance, managing hazardous waste in a way that relieves the generator from some RCRA regulations may seem very appealing. In some cases though, these management strategies may not provide as much relief as initially believed and may make subsequent management decisions even more difficult. One scenario that raises this challenge is the EPA’s exclusion for certain de-characterized hazardous wastes...
10/22/2013
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...
03/26/2013
There are many ways to use RCRA reliefs to cut costs at your facility. You can reuse spent materials, turn your waste into someone else’s product; recycle scrap metals, circuit boards, ethanol, cathode ray tubes, used oil, batteries, and other universal wastes; reclaim value from sludges and by-products; neutralize corrosive wastes; install a closed-loop reclamation system; or decharacterize or solidify wastes in process-units. Of these options, one of the most widely used...
In 1995, US EPA passed the Universal Waste Rule, which created relaxed standards for managing common hazardous wastes like light bulbs, batteries, mercury-containing equipment, and more. While universal wastes are subject to less stringent regulations than “fully-regulated” hazardous wastes, there are still rules to follow to manage them properly. Use this guide to spot and correct common universal waste errors before they result in a notice of violation during a Federal or State inspection.