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EPA Issues Revised Definition of Solid Waste |
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On Oct. 30, EPA issued a new regulation to revise the definition of solid waste to encourage the recycling of more hazardous secondary materials. 73 Fed. Reg. 64668 (2008). The changes to the definition are in response to several court decisions that held EPA’s regulatory definition was overly broad and did not clearly delineate when a material is discarded. Hazardous secondary materials that are legitimately reclaimed are eligible to be exempt from regulation as a hazardous waste under the new rule.
EPA estimates that approximately 5,600 facilities will be impacted by this rule, and it will include 30,000 tons of new recycled materials annually. The rule will provide a cost savings to U.S. facilities of approximately 95 million dollars, and the savings could be even higher if more states adopt the new regulations. A copy of the final rule is available on EPA’s website. To view the final rule, click here.
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