Electronic Manifests Adopted For Waste

An electronic tracking system will replace multicopy paperwork that must accompany shipments of hazardous waste, under a law that President Barack Obama signed on Oct. 5. The law is expected to save state agencies, hazardous waste generators, and waste transporters millions of dollars per year. “By simply modernizing how we collect and maintain this data, we will eliminate millions of paper copies and reduce expenses and labor,” says Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), chairman of the House of Representatives Energy & Commerce Committee. The Resource Conservation & Recovery Act requires manifests for hazardous waste to help ensure that shipments of this material end up at licensed treatment, storage, or disposal facilities. Currently, six copies of a paper manifest accompany hazardous waste during its transportation. The paperwork is eventually mailed to state agencies and waste generators, which include chemical companies and universities. Recipients must keep the forms on file. Under the new law, EPA will establish the electronic manifest system and collect user fees to offset costs.