Regulations
The information provided below is designed to familiarize eLot customers with the regulations governing electronic waste disposal —and to identify the government agencies that may regulate your operations. Ultimately, we recommend you contact your state environmental protection agency for more information to determine how waste is regulated in the states in which you operate.
What is your liability?
The risks of not recycling aren’t just environmental—they’re financial. Fluorescent and other mercury-containing lamps and waste are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (link: epa.gov). If you are not managing and disposing of them in accordance with hazardous waste regulations, you and your business could be subject to serious fines and superfund liability. The Federal Superfund law imposes liability upon certain parties who have engaged in disposal activities related to so-called "hazardous substances."
Using a specific type of fluorescent lamp (i.e. a “low mercury” or “environmentally friendly”) does not satisfy the requirements. Most importantly, these lamps do not eliminate your liability. They still contain mercury and according to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), you can still be subject to superfund demands. Used mercury-containing lamps and other items are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Universal Waste Rule (UWR), and in some states regulations are more stringent than the UWR. The universal waste rule is designed to reduce the amount of hazardous waste items in the municipal solid waste stream, encourage the recycling and proper disposal of some common hazardous wastes, and reduce the regulatory burden on businesses that generate these wastes. Although handlers of universal waste must meet less stringent standards for storing, transporting, and collecting waste, the waste must comply with full hazardous waste requirements for final recycling, treatment, or disposal. Crushed lamps and containers with excessive lamp breakage must be managed under full Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requirements. Only intact lamps can be managed under the universal waste rule. States can have more stringent regulations than the universal waste rule. Many states have banned all mercury-containing lamps from landfills and have added other items such as electronic scrap and batteries to the regulations. If you have additional questions concerning the regulations in your state, call your local environmental agency.
What is the Universal Waste Rule?
The UWR is designed to reduce the amount of hazardous waste items in the municipal solid waste stream, encourage the recycling and proper disposal of some common hazardous wastes, and reduce the regulatory burden on businesses that generate these wastes. Although handlers of universal waste must meet less stringent standards for storing, transporting, and collecting waste, the waste must comply with full hazardous waste requirements for final recycling, treatment, or disposal.
The UWR implements rules and guidelines for the collection of certain hazardous waste streams in the following categories: Lamps, Batteries, Ballasts, and Mercury Containing Devices.
To learn more, follow these links:
General waste requirements
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/index.htm
State waste requirements
http://www.epa.gov/waste/hazard/wastetypes/universal/statespf.htm
What is the Resource Conservation & Recovery Act?
Enacted in 1976, The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) addresses how to safely manage and dispose of the large volumes of industrial and municipal waste generated nationwide. EPA's Office of Solid Waste (OSW) administrates the program. The goals of the program include: protecting the community from the inherit hazards of waste disposal, using recycling and recovery to conserve energy, try to eliminate or reduce waste, and the clean up of any improperly disposed of or spilled waste.
The RCRA requires generators of solid wastes containing toxic constituents (such as mercury) to test representative samples of their waste before disposal to decide whether the waste is hazardous. According to RCRA, generators of used fluorescent lamps are responsible for determining whether their lamp wastes are hazardous. If you do not test used fluorescent lamps and prove them non-hazardous, assume they are hazardous and dispose of them accordingly.