On January 19, 2011, PHMSA of the US Department of Transportation (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) concluded five years of effort and issued an ever-evolving standard on Hazardous Material Regulations (HMR) in accordance with the United Nations Recommendations. On January 7, 2013, the PHMSA extended this authorization for the use of ORM-D classifications on
... Continue ReadingAuthor: Mark Chocola
4 Characteristics of Hazardous Waste for Completing Your Waste Profile
The EPA requires all hazardous waste producers to fill out an important form called a Hazardous Waste Profile. Formally known as the Waste Characterization Profile, the Hazardous Waste Profile requires a list of all chemical properties associated with the waste produced. This form must be completed before waste is disposed of or transported. The Hazardous
... Continue ReadingClean Up Your Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest Forms or Risk Fines
Hazardous Waste Generators regardless of generator status are breathing a sigh of relief that 2023 is not a reporting year for submitting the Biennial Hazardous Waste Report. However, it’s always an excellent time to check that you’re using the best reporting practices possible. Federal regulations require generators and transporters of hazardous waste and owners or
... Continue ReadingSmall Quantity vs Large Quantity: What are the designations?
When it comes to hazardous materials handling, the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) has outlined three types of generators. Hazardous waste generators produce waste in three categories that are determined by the amount of waste generated per calendar month. There are three categories of generators and three very frequently used acronyms: VSQG: Very small quantity
... Continue ReadingFDA Recalls Hand Sanitizers with Methanol
August 2020 At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, hand sanitizer was in short supply. To encourage productions, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) altered their regulations to make it possible for companies such as alcohol distillers to shift production to hand sanitizer. It’s estimated that over 700 companies began producing hand sanitizer to respond
... Continue ReadingTop 6 Things to Know About Episodic Hazardous Waste Generation
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines an episodic event as an activity that does not normally occur during a generator’s operations. The event causes a hazardous waste generator to exceed the upper limit of its normal generator category for that month. This often affects Small Quantity Generators (SQGs) or Very Small Quantity Generators (VSQGs) negatively,
... Continue ReadingEffective February 7, 2020 – Aerosol Cans…
Effective February 7, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding aerosol cans to the Universal Waste (UW) program under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The EPA defines an “aerosol can” as a “non-refillable receptacle containing a gas compressed, liquefied or dissolved under pressure, the sole purpose of which is to expel
... Continue ReadingHow Can A Hazardous Waste Company Help Your Bottom Line
Hazardous waste disposal and even non-hazardous waste disposal is subject to a large number of state and federal regulations. It can be difficult to keep up with regulations and new standards that created to protect the environment and require full compliance, or risk expensive fines and clean-up fees. Many hazardous waste generators, especially those that
... Continue ReadingWhat’s the Difference between Toxic and Hazardous Waste?
Many times the labels “toxic waste” and “hazardous waste” are used interchangeably. People outside the hazardous waste industry often use them to label anything that poses environmental or public health threat. It generally gets thrown under the umbrella of hazardous or toxic waste, even though it’s not truly accurate. Even many people in the industry
... Continue ReadingWhat is the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, and Why It Matters to You
TRI was created by the EPA after a tragedy in Bhopal, India in December 1984. A cloud of toxic methlyl isocynate gas escaped from union carbide chemical plant. Thousands died, thousands more died in the years to come, and thousands of survivors have permanent injuries. 2 years later, Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community
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