2023 Revised Code of Washington › Title 70A - Environmental Health and Safety › Chapter 70A.214 - Waste Reduction. › 70A.214.110 - Hazardous waste generators and users—Voluntary reduction plan.

RCW 70A.214.110
Hazardous waste generators and users—Voluntary reduction plan.
(1) Each hazardous waste generator who generates more than two thousand six hundred forty pounds of hazardous waste per year and each hazardous substance user, except for those facilities that are primarily permitted treatment, storage, and disposal facilities or recycling facilities, shall prepare a plan for the voluntary reduction of the use of hazardous substances and the generation of hazardous wastes. Hazardous waste generated and recycled for beneficial use, including initial amount of hazardous substances introduced into a process and subsequently recycled for beneficial use, shall not be used in the calculation of hazardous waste generated for purposes of this section. The department may develop reporting requirements, consistent with existing reporting, to establish recycling for beneficial use under this section. Used oil to be rerefined or burned for energy or heat recovery shall not be used in the calculation of hazardous wastes generated for purposes of this section, and is not required to be addressed by plans prepared under this section. A person with multiple interrelated facilities where the processes in the facilities are substantially similar, may prepare a single plan covering one or more of those facilities.
(2) Each user or generator required to write a plan is encouraged to advise its employees of the planning process and solicit comments or suggestions from its employees on hazardous substance use and waste reduction options.
(3) The department shall adopt by April 1, 1991, rules for preparation of plans. The rules shall require the plan to address the following options, according to the following order of priorities: Hazardous substance use reduction, waste reduction, recycling, and treatment. In the planning process, first consideration shall be given to hazardous substance use reduction and waste reduction options. Consideration shall be given next to recycling options. Recycling options may be considered only after hazardous substance use reduction options and waste reduction options have been thoroughly researched and shown to be inappropriate. Treatment options may be considered only after hazardous substance use reduction, waste reduction, and recycling options have been thoroughly researched and shown to be inappropriate. Documentation of the research shall be available to the department upon request. The rules shall also require the plans to discuss the hazardous substance use reduction, waste reduction, and closed loop recycling options separately from other recycling and treatment options. All plans shall be written in conformance with the format prescribed in the rules adopted under this section. The rules shall require the plans to include, but not be limited to:
(a) A written policy articulating management and corporate support for the plan and a commitment to implementing planned activities and achieving established goals;
(b) The plan scope and objectives;
(c) Analysis of current hazardous substance use and hazardous waste generation, and a description of current hazardous substance use reduction, waste reduction, recycling, and treatment activities;
(d) An identification of further hazardous substance use reduction, waste reduction, recycling, and treatment opportunities, and an analysis of the amount of hazardous substance use reduction and waste reduction that would be achieved, and the costs. The analysis of options shall demonstrate that the priorities provided for in this section have been followed;
(e) A selection of options to be implemented in accordance with the priorities established in this section;
(f) An analysis of impediments to implementing the options. Impediments that shall be considered acceptable include, but are not limited to: Adverse impacts on product quality, legal or contractual obligations, economic practicality, and technical feasibility;
(g) A written policy stating that in implementing the selected options, whenever technically and economically practicable, risks will not be shifted from one part of a process, environmental media, or product to another;
(h) Specific performance goals in each of the following categories, expressed in numeric terms:
(i) Hazardous substances to be reduced or eliminated from use;
(ii) Wastes to be reduced or eliminated through waste reduction techniques;
(iii) Materials or wastes to be recycled; and
(iv) Wastes to be treated;
If the establishment of numeric performance goals is not practicable, the performance goals shall include a clearly stated list of objectives designed to lead to the establishment of numeric goals as soon as is practicable. Goals shall be set for a five-year period from the first reporting date;
(i) A description of how the wastes that are not recycled or treated and the residues from recycling and treatment processes are managed may be included in the plan;
(j) Hazardous substance use and hazardous waste accounting systems that identify hazardous substance use and waste management costs and factor in liability, compliance, and oversight costs;
(k) A financial description of the plan;
(l) Personnel training and employee involvement programs;
(m) A five-year plan implementation schedule;
(n) Documentation of hazardous substance use reduction and waste reduction efforts completed before or in progress at the time of the first reporting date; and
(o) An executive summary of the plan, which shall include, but not be limited to:
(i) The information required by (c), (e), (h), and (n) of this subsection; and
(ii) A summary of the information required by (d) and (f) of this subsection.
(4) Upon completion of a plan, the owner, chief executive officer, or other person with the authority to commit management to the plan shall sign and submit an executive summary of the plan to the department.
(5) Plans shall be completed and executive summaries submitted in accordance with the following schedule:
(a) Hazardous waste generators who generated more than fifty thousand pounds of hazardous waste in calendar year 1991 and hazardous substance users who were required to report in 1991, by September 1, 1992;
(b) Hazardous waste generators who generated between seven thousand and fifty thousand pounds of hazardous waste in calendar year 1992 and hazardous substance users who were required to report for the first time in 1992, by September 1, 1993;
(c) Hazardous waste generators who generated between two thousand six hundred forty and seven thousand pounds of hazardous waste in 1993 and hazardous substance users who were required to report for the first time in 1993, by September 1, 1994;
(d) Hazardous waste generators who have not been required to complete a plan on or prior to September 1, 1994, must complete a plan by September 1 of the year following the first year that they generate more than two thousand six hundred forty pounds of hazardous waste; and
(e) Hazardous substance users who have not been required to complete a plan on or prior to September 1, 1994, must complete a plan by September 1 of the year following the first year that they are required to report under section 313 of Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act.
(6) Annual progress reports, including a description of the progress made toward achieving the specific performance goals established in the plan, shall be prepared and submitted to the department in accordance with rules developed under this section. Upon the request of two or more users or generators belonging to similar industrial classifications, the department may aggregate data contained in their annual progress reports for the purpose of developing a public record.
(7) Every five years, each plan shall be updated, and a new executive summary shall be submitted to the department.
[ 1991 c 319 § 314; 1990 c 114 § 6. Formerly RCW 70.95C.200.]