In the fall of 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated Section 608 of the Clean Air Act (CAA), the National Recycling and Emission Reduction Program, by extending ozone-depleting refrigerants to include substitutes like hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). These changes strengthen the existing program, effectively reducing climate-damaging emissions from air conditioning and refrigeration equipment.
Read MoreTags: Clean Air Act, EPA, higher education, refrigerants, stratospheric ozone layer, healthcare, industrial, life sciences
On September 5, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) for the third time in fiscal year 2017 with $1,018,260. This monetary award was given to NCDEQ to support their hazardous waste programs. Initially, the EPA awarded $1,352,976 to NCDEQ to support their hazardous waste-related environmental programs. I wanted to give you some perspective on two recent visits that my clients received from NCDEQ, and discuss how these visits can be a good thing and not something generators should be nervous about. If you would like to learn more about the specifics please click here.
Read MoreTags: RCRA, hazardous waste, EPA, North Carolina
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requires large quantity waste generators to submit a report every two years detailing their hazardous waste activities generated in the year prior. This is referred to as a Biennial Report or the National Biennial RCRA Hazardous Waste Report.
Read MoreTags: RCRA, hazardous waste, EPA, eh&s, RCRA hazardous waste, large quantity generators, biennial reports, biennial reporting, reporting, biennial report
This past October, the EPA signed the final Hazardous Waste Generator Improvements Rule to provide greater flexibility to hazardous waste generators and clarification around certain components of the hazardous generator program in an effort to improve compliance and environmental protection. Some revisions appear to be more lenient than existing regulations, while others are more stringent. I recently delivered a webinar on this topic and provide answers to some of the most common questions received.
Tags: EPA regulations, EPA, generator status, waste generators, generators, haz waste disposal
I attended one of our very own RCRA hazardous waste trainings today. RCRA training is necessary to your success at your job if you’re dealing with the waste your company generates. RCRA is not just another set of regulations to make your job more difficult and complex. It has an interesting and important history and function within your organization. Not sure what I mean? Here are the top 5 reasons you want to get RCRA trained.
Tags: RCRA, hazardous waste, EPA
Tags: EPA, emergency plan
Keep reading for a round up of articles that will tell you what you need to know about upcoming penalty increases for major regulatory bodies.
Read MoreTags: EPA, OSHA, PHMSA, compliance
The EPA made waves last year by putting forth Subpart P of 40 CFR 266 in order to better regulate the disposal of solid pharmaceutical wastes that are often improperly disposed of “down the drain”. This new regulation calls for solid pharmaceuticals to be treated more like hazardous waste than their own class of waste that is disposed of frequently in small quantities. A broad swath of companies from rehab clinics to veterinary clinics to chiropractors will be affected by this regulation, and since compliance is mandatory, it’s important to get the facts straight. Here’s how your facility will be affected by 40 CFR 266 Subpart P.
Read MoreTags: EPA, compliance, pharmaceutical waste
The EPA has been busy this month. With a range of suggested and confirmed updates to regulations, we pulled together a list of recent changes to help you keep track. For all the most recent updates in your industry, sign up for our monthly newsletter here.
Read MoreTags: Clean Air Act, RCRA, EPA
As hazardous waste generators, we are all pretty familiar with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) biennial reporting requirements—even if they don’t directly apply to us. The hazardous waste export reporting requirements found in 40 CFR 262.56, however, are due on the same date and are much less familiar.
Unless your hazardous waste is being transported from your facility to a TSDF outside the U.S., which is not usually the case, your hazardous waste transporter is generally deemed the “primary exporter” and is responsible for fulfilling all applicable federal requirements—like the annual export report. Even though the waste generator is not responsible for submitting the reports or filing notifications with the EPA, they are responsible for their waste from “cradle-to-grave” and should be educated enough to know whether their hazardous waste transporter is complying with regulations.
