EPA to Delay RCRA Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals Rule

Posted on 8/11/2016 by Roger Marks

Sources are reporting that US EPA’s new management standards for pharmacies, hospitals, and other sites that generate hazardous waste pharmaceuticals will not be published in October 2016, as originally expected.

According to an update from the Healthcare Environmental Resource Center, EPA will not publish its Final Rule for hazardous waste pharmaceuticals, proposed in September 2015, until it can adequately address the comments received in response to the proposal and the complex policy issues those comments raised.

Proposed alongside EPA’s Generator Improvements Rule in 2015, the Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals Proposed Rule included updates that would change the way healthcare facilities identify and count the hazardous waste they generate, train their personnel, return unused pharmaceuticals to a vendor or manufacturer for credit, and more. In addition, the rule would explicitly prohibit drain disposal of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

See a full breakdown of EPA’s proposed Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals here.

Hazardous waste pharmaceuticals regulated under RCRA

Free On-Demand: Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals

Shortly after EPA proposed the new hazardous waste pharmaceuticals standards, Lion presented a free webinar to help healthcare facilities prepare for the changes under the new rule. A link to the Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals presentation is available on Lion.com.

Next Week: RCRA Refresher Training Webinar

Need RCRA hazardous waste training now? On August 16, the live, one-day RCRA refresher webinar will help you meet EPA’s training requirement for hazardous waste personnel at 40 CFR 262.34(a) and 265.16 and get you up to speed on the latest RCRA rules you need to know. Effective hazardous waste training is crucial to keep your site safe, keep drums and other containers in compliance, and meet your RCRA reporting and recordkeeping responsibilities. Plus, EPA raised the fines for RCRA noncompliance last month—mistakes could now cost you up to $70,117 per day, per violation.

Sign up now!

Tags: EPA, hazardous waste, new rules, RCRA

Find a Post

Search for:

Compliance Topics

Compliance Archives

I had a positive experience utilizing this educational program. It was very informative, convenient, and rewarding from a career perspective.

John Gratacos

Logistics Manager

Given the choice, I would do all coursework this way. In-person courses go very fast without the opportunity to pause or repeat anything.

Ellen Pelton

Chemical Laboratory Manager

Very well structured, comprehensive, and comparable to live training seminars I've participated in previously. I will recommend the online course to other colleagues with training requirement needs.

Neil Luciano

EHS Manager

I used the IT support number available and my issue was resolved within a few minutes. I don't see anything that could have made it better.

Danny Province

EHS Professional

I have over 26 years of environmental compliance experience, and it has been some time since I have attended an environmental regulations workshop. I attended this course as preparation for EHS Audits for my six plants, and it was exactly what I was looking for.

Frank Sizemore

Director of Regulatory Affairs

I can take what I learned in this workshop and apply it to everyday work and relate it to my activities.

Shane Hersh

Materials Handler

Lion's course was superior to others I have taken in the past. Very clear in the presentation and the examples helped to explain the content presented.

George Bersik

Hazardous Waste Professional

The instructor was probably the best I ever had! He made the class enjoyable, was humorous at times, and very knowledgeable.

Mary Sue Michon

Environmental Administrator

I like Lion's workshops the best because they really dig into the information you need to have when you leave the workshop.

Tom Bush, Jr.

EHS Manager

The course was very well structured and covered the material in a clear, concise manner.

Ian Martinez

Hazmat Shipping Professional

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

What to do before, during, and after a RCRA hazardous waste inspection to defend your site from rising State and Federal penalties.

Download

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.