Lion.com will be offline for scheduled maintenance on Wednesday, April 15, for about one hour starting at 5:15 PM ET. 
Search

New RCRA Exclusion for Wipes: Has Your State Adopted Yet?

Posted on 10/13/2017 by Roger Marks

A few years ago, US EPA added an exclusion to the RCRA hazardous waste regulations to relax the management requirements for solvent-contaminated wipes and rags. Wipes contaminated with a solvent are one of the most common forms of waste in industry. Wipes and rags are used for cleaning and other purposes in tens of thousands of facilities nationwide, EPA estimates.

Solvent-rag-2-(1).jpgUnder the new exclusion for contaminated wipes, wipes contained with certain solvents may be excluded from some burdensome RCRA hazardous waste requirements.

Facilities can capitalize on the exclusion to save time and effort spent managing wipes as RCRA hazardous waste. That said, there are new requirements that generators must follow to qualify for the exclusion, including:
 
  • Container management/storage standards
  • Unique container marking requirement
  • A 180-day accumulation time limit
  • Rules for managing free liquids
  • Documentation and recordkeeping rules
To take advantage of the exclusion without running afoul of RCRA hazardous waste regulations, generators must identify which solvent-contaminated rags are eligible (and which are not) and select an authorized disposal or laundering facility.

If any the conditions for exclusion are not met, the wipes or rags will be subject to RCRA—which means management mistakes could cost facilities as much as $71,264 per day, per violation.


Where Is the Exclusion in Effect?

While the new RCRA exclusion took effect at the Federal level in early 2014, not all states have yet adopted the relaxed standards. 

The map below, taken from US EPA’s website, shows which states have adopted the new exclusion for solvent contaminated wipes. Generators in these states can use the new exclusion now.


More detailed information about State adoption of the new exclusion is available on EPA’s website, here.


Learn to Use the New Exclusion Now

On October 24, join a full-time Lion instructor for live training on how to use the new exclusion for solvent-contaminated wipes to save your facility time, effort, and money. In 60 minutes, we cover everything you need to know to take advantage of the new exclusions and start saving now.

Managing Solvent Contaminated Wipes Webinar 

This is the final session of this webinar scheduled for 2017. Don’t miss it! 
 

Tags: hazardous, new rules, RCRA, waste

Find a Post

Compliance Archives

Lion - Quotes

Convenient; I can train when I want, where I want.

Barry Cook

Hazmat Shipping Professional

Lion Technology workshops are amazing!! You always learn so much, and the instructors are fantastic.

Dorothy Rurak

Environmental Specialist

Well designed and thorough program. Excellent summary of requirements with references. Inclusion of regulations in hard copy form, as well as full electronic with state pertinent regulations included is a great bonus!

Oscar Fisher

EHS Manager

Lion does a great job summarizing and communicating complicated EH&S-related regulations.

Michele Irmen

Sr. Environmental Engineer

The instructor does a great job at presenting material in an approachable way. I have been able to save my company about $30,000 in the last year with what I have learned from Lion!

Curtis Ahonen

EHS&S Manager

These are the best commercial course references I have seen (10+ years). Great job!

Ed Grzybowski

EHS & Facility Engineer

I chose Lion's online webinar because it is simple, effective, and easily accessible.

Jeremy Bost

Environmental Health & Safety Technician

The instructor had knowledge of regulations and understanding of real-world situations. The presentation style was engaging and fostered a positive atmosphere for information sharing.

Linda Arlen

Safety & Environmental Compliance Officer

Lion is my preferred trainer for hazmat and DOT.

Jim Jani

Environmental Coordinator

I was able to present my scenario to the instructor and worked thru the regulations together. In the past, I attended another training firm's classes. Now, I have no intention of leaving Lion!

Diana Joyner

Senior Environmental Engineer

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Knowing why TSDFs reject loads of hazardous waste—and the exact steps to follow if it happens—can reduce your anxiety and uncertainty about rejection.

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.