As lithium-based batteries become more prevalent in everything from electric vehicles (EVs) to industrial-scale batteries, as well as e-scooters and personal electronics, more questions arise regarding how to properly manage and dispose or recycle them at the end of their lives. On May 24, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a memorandum titled “Lithium Battery Recycling Regulatory Status and Frequently Asked Questions,” clarifying how the EPA’s current hazardous waste regulations, under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), apply to lithium batteries, and describing the handling requirements imposed on companies generating the waste batteries and recycling facilities ultimately receiving the waste batteries.Continue Reading U.S. EPA Issues FAQ Memo on Lithium-Ion Battery Management Under RCRA

In 2020, even the hand sanitizer is potentially suspect. Retailers, distributors and corporate purchasers are now grappling with the added problem of clearing their shelves of it and stopping employees from using the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled product.

Earlier this year, to combat the novel coronavirus, the FDA issued temporary guidance to streamline regulatory processes for manufacturing alcohol-based hand sanitizer (typically ethanol or isopropyl alcohol) to get product quickly to market. Many manufacturers (generally foreign manufacturers), however, then distributed toxic or defective product to U.S.-based distributors. As such, the FDA issued a recall for certain hand sanitizer products beginning in June 2020. Over the following months, it has expanded this recall, citing risks that some products pose a risk of poisoning users with methanol and wood alcohol or leaving customers exposed to COVID-19 as a result of either adulteration or ineffective ingredients.. The FDA has advised importers, consignees, distributors, retailers and others not to distribute or sell certain hand sanitizers, even if the manufacturer of the product has not recalled it, due to the dangers of methanol contamination, including death.Continue Reading Sanitizing Hand Sanitizer — Managing FDA-Recalled Hand Sanitizer

The new hazardous waste pharmaceutical management standards established by EPA’s Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals and Amendment to the P075 Listing for Nicotine (“Rule”) are already effective in some states. Other states must adopt the rule by July 1, 2021 or, if a statutory amendment is required prior to the state’s adoption, by July 1, 2022. Based on this, all “healthcare facilities”[1] and “reverse distributors,”[2] as defined by the Rule, will ultimately be required to comply with the Rule (as adopted in each state).
Continue Reading “Unauthorized Waste” Reporting Under EPA’s Hazardous Pharmaceutical Waste Rule

On November 15, EPA posted its pre-publication version of the Final Rule re-classifying aerosol cans as “universal waste” under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which finalizes EPA’s March 16, 2018 proposal (83 Fed. Reg. 11,654).  As discussed in our prior blog post regarding the proposal, many aerosol cans have historically been classified as hazardous waste because of their ignitability, and thus often are subject to stringent regulations related to handling, transportation, and disposal.

Universal waste is a sub-category of RCRA regulated hazardous waste that allows certain widely generated products, such as batteries, certain pesticides, and lamps, to qualify for less stringent regulation than the traditional hazardous waste regime.  The Final Rule is intended by EPA to ease regulatory burdens on retail stores and others that discard hazardous waste aerosol cans by providing an optional pathway for streamlined waste management treatment; promote the collection and recycling of these cans; and encourage the development of municipal and commercial programs to reduce the quantity of aerosol cans going to municipal solid waste landfills or combustors. 
Continue Reading EPA Finalizes Rule Classifying Aerosol Cans as Universal Waste

On July 29, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed a long-anticipated proposal to amend EPA’s 2015 Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) rule.

EPA’s proposal includes a number of changes, including the establishment of an alternate risk-based groundwater protection standard for boron, revisions to the annual groundwater monitoring and corrective action report requirements, and revisions to the CCR website requirements. The proposal also includes changes in response to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s August 21, 2018 remand of certain CCR rule provisions. These amendments address the “beneficial use” definition and CCR pile requirements.
Continue Reading EPA Proposes Second Round of CCR Rule Amendments

On June 28, EPA proposed to partially approve Georgia’s coal combustion residuals (CCR) state permit program.  If finalized, Georgia’s program will become the second to receive EPA’s approval and will operate in place of the federal CCR requirements.

In its proposal, EPA determined that—with the exception of four provisions—Georgia’s program meets the standard for EPA approval.  EPA proposed to partially approve Georgia’s program since it does not incorporate certain endangered species provisions and because it includes now-vacated provisions that exclude inactive surface impoundments at inactive facilities from regulation, allow unlined surface impoundments to continue receiving CCR unless they leak, and classify clay-lined surface impoundments as lined.  Georgia’s CCR rule has not been revised to reflect the vacatur of these provisions because EPA has not yet finalized those changes at the federal level.  EPA plans to issue proposals to address these topics in 2019.  Once finalized, Georgia EPD can amend its regulations to align with EPA’s changes and then apply for approval of those amendments at a later date.
Continue Reading EPA Proposes Approval of Georgia’s CCR Permit Program

Today, February 22, 2019, EPA published the final “Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals and Amendment to the P075 Listing for Nicotine” rule in the Federal Register. The final rule becomes effective at the federal level on August 21, 2019. As we previously reported, EPA released a prepublication copy of the final rule

Today U.S. EPA finalized new hazardous waste regulations in its final Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals rule.  In brief, the rule creates a new Subpart P to 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 266, which is specific to hazardous waste pharmaceuticals.  The rule applies to all “healthcare facilities” (such as hospitals and retail pharmacies) and “reverse distributors.”   The rule requires that all healthcare facilities and reverse distributors manage hazardous waste pharmaceuticals in accordance with the new subpart P regulations.  We are carefully reviewing the final rule and implications to clients, as well as implications to state hazardous waste requirements.
Continue Reading EPA Finalizes Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals Rule

On June 27, 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) submitted its final Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals rule (“Pharm Rule”) to the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”), which is charged with reviewing every final and proposed federal agency rule before its publication in the Federal Register.  EPA published its proposed Pharm Rule in

EPA published a proposed rule (83 Fed. Reg. 11654) today that would ease the management standards for aerosol cans.  Stakeholders, particularly the retail sector, has pushed for this addition for some time.  Currently, once a waste, aerosol cans must often be managed as hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), generally because of their ignitability, and thus often are subject to stringent regulations related to handling, transportation, and disposal.  Today’s proposal would add aerosol cans to the existing federal list of universal wastes.
Continue Reading EPA Proposes to Classify Aerosol Cans as Universal Waste