EPA Set to Finalize Long-Awaited Rule Exempting RCRA Wastes

Date: September 24, 2008

Source: News Room

The US EPA is expected to finalize its contentious rule that exempts a number of hazardous wastes from strict management regulations prescribed under RCRA. The agency has been under pressure to broaden its definition of solid waste (DSW) to include materials that could instead be destined for beneficial reuse. The EPA hopes that the DSW rule will clarify its regulatory framework following a series of appellate court rulings that held the agency had provided too narrow a definition for what should be considered a solid waste, and by extension a hazardous waste. Officials with the Environmental Technology Council (ETC), a group representing hazardous waste recyclers, worry that the new rule could encourage "sham" recycling. Separately, chemical industry officials worry that overly onerous reporting requirements, if adopted, in the law could discourage recycling. EPA estimates the rule would exempt over 3 billion pounds of hazardous waste from over 4,600 facilities in 530 industries.

For more information, visit: www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/dsw/rulemaking.htm.

Sign up to receive our free Weekly News Bulletin