Source: http://eem.jacksonkelly.com/solid_and_hazardous_waste/page/2/
Timestamp: 2017-04-25 20:25:43
Document Index: 315156360

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 265', 'arts 262', 'arts 172', '§262', '§262', '§1003', '§172', 'arts 100', 'art 761']

Energy and Environment Monitor: Solid and Hazardous Waste Energy and Environment Monitor
EPA is under a court-ordered deadline to complete a review and propose revisions if necessary of New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for municipal solid waste landfills. The review needs to be completed by February 4, 2014 and final action taken by December 17, 2014. On June 20, 2013 U.S. EPA announced a Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel for the agency’s review of its NSPS for municipal solid waste landfills is being form. Small businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations can apply to participate as a Small Entity Representative (SER). The panel will include federal representatives from the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and EPA. Self-nominations may be submitted through the link below and must be received by July 5, 2013. http://www.epa.gov/rfa/landfill.html This article was excerpted from publically available information, and was authored by Joyce Gentry, Acacia Environmental Group LLC. For more information on the author see here.
Hazardous Waste Generator Requirements The federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) provides a systematic structure for managing hazardous waste. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies hazardous waste generators as any person, by site, whose processes or actions create hazardous waste. Generators are separated into three categories based upon the quantity of hazardous waste they produce: · Large Quantity Generators (LQGs) generate 1,000 kilograms per month or more of hazardous waste, more than 1 kilogram per month of acutely hazardous waste, or more than 100 kilograms per month of acute spill residue or soil. · Small Quantity Generators (SQGs) generate more than 100 kilograms, but less than 1,000 kilograms, of hazardous waste per month. · Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generators (CESQGs) generate 100 kilograms or less per month of hazardous waste, or 1 kilogram or less per month of acutely hazardous waste, or less than 100 kilograms per month of acute spill residue or soil. Hazardous waste as defined in 40 CFR 261.3 is a solid waste that is not specifically excluded as a hazardous waste and falls within two distinct categories:
· It is a listed hazardous waste in Subpart D of 40 CFR 261; or
· It is a characteristic hazardous waste, which is not a listed waste, but that exhibit ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity. Prior to the storage, treatment or disposal of any waste a determination whether the material is hazardous or nonhazardous is required by 40 CFR 262.11. The generator characterizes hazardous waste based on the aforementioned criteria. If the characteristics of the waste is unidentifiable through available information, including material safety data sheets (MSDS) or other data, testing may be required. If onsite treatment eliminates the hazardous characteristics, the material may no longer be considered a hazardous waste. Documentation of this process and the volume of the material must be maintained. Other regulations regarding treatment may apply and a thorough review of treatment process and resultant by-products is recommended. Additionally, State requirements for onsite treatment that eliminates hazardous characteristics may be more stringent than RCRA regulatory requirements. General Management for Hazardous Wastes Each site where non-exempt hazardous waste is generated is required to obtain its own site specific EPA hazardous waste generator identification (ID) number. The issuance of the ID number may be processed through the State if authorized by the EPA. A LQG may accumulate hazardous waste on-site for 90 days or less without obtaining a permit or without having interim status, provided that the facility complies with the management standards in Part 265. A SQG may accumulate up to 6,000 kg of hazardous waste for 180 days or less without obtaining a permit or without having interim status, provided that the facility complies with 40 CFR 262.34(d). If the SQG waste shipment is transported off-site for disposal in excess of 200 miles, the waste can be stored onsite for a maximum of 270 days. The time period for waste accumulation begins on the day accumulation first begins and containers must be marked with date accumulation first begins. All accumulation containers must be clearly labeled as “hazardous waste”. A 30-day accumulation extension for the EPA Regional Administrator or the State RCRA program coordinator is available for each of the 90-day, 180-day, and 270-day accumulation periods, if uncontrolled or unforeseen circumstances prohibit ship of the waste within the allotted time frame.
Facilities may accumulate up to 55 gallons of hazardous waste or 1 quart of acute hazardous waste in a satellite accumulation area at or near the area where the waste is initially generated and removed to the main hazardous waste storage area or transport the waste off site within three days of reaching the maximum quantity allowable. Satellite accumulation containers must have appropriate labeling and the operator must maintain the container in good condition in accordance with 40 CFR 262.34(c). A CESQG is not subject to the management standards provided in 40 CFR Parts 262 through 270 assuming they do not generate more than 100 kilograms or less per month of hazardous waste, or 1 kilogram or less per month of acutely hazardous waste, or less than 100 kilograms per month of acute spill residue or soil. Hazardous wastes must be sent to a facility property licensed or authorized to manage hazardous waste.
Each site for LQG, SQGs, and CESQGs should maintain a log or tracking of the generation per month. Maintaining a log is not required; however, it is the most reliable method to determine and document what is generated each month. Transportation Requirements
Preparation for shipping of hazardous waste off site for treatment, storage, or disposal requires marking, labeling, and placarding the waste according to US Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements. Additional DOT requirements for shipment of the waste are located in 49 CFR Parts 172 through 179. The shipment must include the properly completed Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest signed by the generator, the transporter, if different than the generator and the receiving facility upon receipt of the shipment. The statement on the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest must state:
A generator must keep a copy of each manifest signed in accordance with §262.23(a) for three years or until the generator receives a signed copy from the designated facility which received the waste. The signed copy must be retained as a record for at least three years from the date the waste was accepted by the initial transporter.
LQGs and SQGs that ship hazardous waste off site must submit a Biennial Report to EPA each even numbered year. The report compiles data concerning waste shipped off site, where the waste was shipped and the manner in which the waste was treated, among other information. The Biennial Report must be retained for three years from the due date of the report.
The generator also must keep records of test results, waste analyses, and other determinations performed in accordance with §262.11 for a minimum of three years.
RCRA mandates, where feasible, that the generation of hazardous waste is to be reduced or eliminated as expeditiously as possible (RCRA §1003(b)). A Waste Minimization Program is required for LQGs while all generators are also included in the mandate
Small quantity generators must make a good faith effort to minimize waste generation and select the best waste management method that is available and affordable.
Effective January 1, 2013 DOT regulation 49 CFR §172.202(b) requires that the UN/NA number, used for describing hazardous materials, must precede the shipping name on the shipping manifest and bills of lading. The description of hazardous material for shipment includes the UN/NA number, the proper shipping name, hazard class and packing group (if applicable). UN numbers are four-digit numbers designated by the United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and can be accessed at http://www.unnumber.net . There are approximately 3,500 UN numbers, which identifies the material within a general hazard class. If the material poses multiple dangers, additional risk identification numbers are required as specified within the UN number listing. NA numbers serve the same purpose as UN numbers and are issued by the DOT. Some materials may have a NA number, but not have a UN number. There are approximately 2,000 NA numbers that provide descriptions for transporting hazardous materials in the United States. The following is an example of a DOT shipping manifest description: RQ, UN1587, Copper cyanide, 6.1, PGII, Marine Pollutant Additional requirements for shipping of hazardous materials are located in Title 49 CFR Parts 100-185. The Federal CFRs can be accessed at http://www.ecfr.gov/. This article was authored by William Chambers, Acacia Environmental Group LLC. For more information on the author see here.
Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals Second NPRM2
Pre-proposal TBD
EPA Issues Final PCB Bulk Product Waste Reinterpretation
EPA recently posted its final Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Bulk Product Waste Reinterpretation Guidance on its website at: http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/caulk/reinterpret.htm. The final guidance, dated October 24, 2012, “allows building material ‘coated or serviced’ with PCB bulk product waste (e.g., caulk, paint, mastics, sealants) at the time of designation for disposal to be managed as a PCB bulk product waste.” Id. at 1. The guidance is intended to allow for “accelerated cleanups” of PCB-contaminated building material found in schools and other locations by allowing for more waste to be characterized as PCB bulk product waste rather than remediation waste. Id. at 2. The characterization as either PCB bulk product waste or PCB remediation waste is important because it determines the cleanup requirements and disposal options. Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) regulations at 40 CFR Part 761, PCB bulk product waste, which is defined as waste derived from caulk or paint containing PCBs at 50 parts per million (ppm) or greater, and includes non-liquid bulk debris “from the demolition of buildings and other man-made structures manufactured, coated, or serviced with PCBs,” may be sent to solid waste landfills, while PCB remediation waste, which is defined as “waste containing PCBs as a result of a spill, release, or unauthorized disposal...,” is subject to stricter disposal requirements, such as disposal in TSCA chemical waste landfills. Id. at 1. Under EPA’s previous guidance, building material (e.g., masonry or concrete) contaminated by the migration of PCBs from PCB bulk product waste, such as caulk or paint, was considered a PCB remediation waste. On February 29, 2012, EPA published notice of a proposed PCB bulk product waste reinterpretation guidance. 77 Fed. Reg. 12293. The proposed reinterpretation would have modified this guidance to provide that only detached building materials would be labeled remediation waste. Building components such as window frames where paint had migrated into the substrate would be labeled bulk product waste as long as they were still attached to the original bulk product waste – PCB-laden paint, sealant, or caulk. Commenters challenged EPA’s logic, noting that the original product, e.g., paint, with likely higher concentrations of PCBs, could be managed as a solid waste and meet less stringent standards, while the substrate likely with lower PCB levels, would have to meet more stringent disposal requirements as remediation waste. Under the final guidance, where PCB bulk product waste such as paints have leached into the substrate (e.g., masonry or concrete), EPA will now allow such building material to be managed as a PCB bulk product waste, and meet less stringent standards, provided the materials are “coated or serviced” with PCB paints or caulk or other PCB bulk product waste “at the time of designation for disposal”. Id. at 2. However, if at the time of designation for disposal, the paint or caulk has been removed from the substrate or flaked off, then the substrate will be considered a remediation waste. Additionally, the final reinterpretation guidance allows for the possibility that during a cleanup or demolition process PCB bulk product waste (e.g., caulk, paint, mastics, and sealants) could separate from the contaminated building material before all of the waste is physically placed in the final disposal facility. As long as the PCB material (e.g., caulk, paint, mastic, or sealant) is attached to the contaminated building material “at the time of designation for disposal,” the “label as PCB bulk product waste would stay with the contaminated building materials.” EPA is recommending that an abatement plan be developed to document the decision to designate building materials as bulk product waste at the time of designation for disposal. Id. This article was authored by Gale Lea Rubrecht, Jackson Kelly PLLC. For more information on the author, see here.