Nevada, Wisconsin Latest to Acquire Hazardous Waste Generator Improvement Rule

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

States are continuously working toward adapting the final Hazardous Waste Generator Improvement Rule in order to reach compliance. The final rule consists of more than 60 changes to the hazardous waste generator regulations that identify and clarify existing requirements and ultimately improve the environment.

The rule also allows for increased flexibility in how hazardous waste is managed and categorized across the U.S. One of the ways the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided said flexibility was by allowing hazardous waste generators to bypass the obligation of being named in a higher generator status when generating episodic waste – given that the episodic waste is managed correctly. (Episodic generation is when an event outside of a business’s normal waste generating activities produces a large volume of waste that prompts a generator to move to a larger generator status.)

The following highlights state progress toward adopting the Hazardous Waste Generator Improvement Rule.

State Updates

Nevada and Wisconsin are the latest to adopt the rule and Arkansas is the only state anticipated to have rulemaking by Dec. 31, 2020.

The below states have anticipated rulemaking after Dec. 31, 2020:

• Delaware (public comment period in the second half of 2020)
• Minnesota (public comment period in the first half of 2021)
• Montana
• Ohio
• Oregon (public comment period in the first half of 2021)
• Tennessee
• Washington DC (public comment period in the second half of 2020)

Clean Earth works closely with industries like construction, defense, industrial and chemical by processing their hazardous waste streams, including hazardous aerosols, lab packs and pharmaceutical waste, asbestos, flammable solids and more. Our company approach is to offer smarter and greener solutions, and that includes our methods to recycle hazardous waste safely and efficiently.

Learn more about how we service multiple industries’ hazardous waste.