EPA Revamps Solid Waste Rule

EPA under President Barack Obama has finalized a rule that partially overturns an industry-backed deregulation of hazardous waste recycling issued by the Administration of President George W. Bush. The agency updated its definition of solid waste last week, changing a 2008 regulation that allowed the recycling of certain industrial by-products by no longer categorizing them as hazardous waste. Under the new rule, EPA requires facilities recycling this material to demonstrate their ability to handle hazardous materials safely and notify adjacent communities before recycling operations begin. The Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA), a trade group that represents mainly small, specialty chemical makers, supports most parts of the updated rule. It finds favor with EPA’s decision to retain certain regulatory exclusions in the 2008 rule, such as for recycling waste that remains under the control of the company that generated it, which includes on-site recycling.