Hazardous Waste Management System: Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste: Conditional Exclusions From Hazardous Waste and Solid Waste for Solvent-Contaminated Industrial Wipes

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposes to modify its hazardous waste management regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) for certain solvent-contaminated materials, such as reusable shop towels, rags, disposable wipes and paper towels. Specifically, EPA is proposing: to conditionally exclude from the definition of hazardous waste disposable industrial wipes that are contaminated with hazardous solvents and are going to disposal; and, to conditionally exclude from the definition of solid waste reusable industrial shop towels and rags that are contaminated with hazardous solvents and are sent for laundering or dry cleaning (hereinafter referred to as disposable industrial wipes and reusable industrial wipes, respectively). This proposal affects contaminated industrial wipes being sent to both landfill and non-landfill (e.g., laundries and combustion) facilities and is applicable to: industrial wipes exhibiting a hazardous characteristic (i.e., ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity) due to use with solvents; or industrial wipes contaminated with F001-F005 spent F-listed solvents or comparable P- and U-listed commercial chemical products that are spilled and cleaned up with industrial wipes. Today's proposal would resolve, at the Federal level, long-standing issues associated with the management of solvent-contaminated industrial wipes by: facilitating pollution prevention and waste minimization opportunities, including the recycling of the spent solvents extracted from contaminated industrial wipes; fostering improved solvents management by generators and handling facilities; reducing compliance costs; increasing consistency in the regulations governing solvent-contaminated industrial wipes across the United States; clarifying existing federal rules; and creating flexibility for generators to work with industrial laundries, as appropriate, to ensure compliance with local pretreatment standards established by Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs). Today's proposal also contains the Agency's proposed response to rulemaking petitions filed by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation and the Scott Paper Company.