Search

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new management standards for pharmacies, hospitals, and other sites that generate hazardous waste pharmaceuticals will not be published in October 2016, as originally expected.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

Compliance Archives

Lion - Quotes

Amazing instructor; real-life examples. Lion training gets better every year!

Frank Papandrea

Environmental Manager

This training broke down the regulations in an easy-to-understand manner and made them less overwhelming. I now feel I have the knowledge to make more informed decisions.

Amanda Oswald

Shipping Professional

I have been to other training companies, but Lion’s material is much better and easier to understand.

Mark Abell

Regional Manager

Much better than my previous class with another company. The Lion instructor made sense, kept me awake and made me laugh!

Marti Severs

Enterprise Safety Manager

This is the best RCRA training I've experienced! I will be visiting Lion training again.

Cynthia L. Logsdon

Principal Environmental Engineer

Our instructor was very dynamic and kept everyone's interest. Hazmat shipping can be a dry, complicated topic but I was engaged the entire time.

Kimberly Arnao

Senior Director of EH&S

The instructor was excellent. They knew all of the material without having to read from a notepad or computer.

Gary Hartzell

Warehouse Supervisor

This course went above my expectations from the moment I walked in the door. The instructor led us through two days packed with useful compliance information.

Rachel Stewart

Environmental Manager

I attended training from another provider and learned absolutely nothing. Lion is much better. Hands down.

Nicole Eby

Environmental Specialist

Excellent course. Very interactive. Explanations are great whether you get the questions wrong or right.

Gregory Thompson

Environmental, Health & Safety Regional Manager

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Look beyond the annual "Top 10 List" to see specifics about the most cited OSHA health & safety Standards and the individual regulations that tripped up employers the most last year. 

Latest Whitepaper

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.