Dear NEACTers:
The federal government¹s [EPA¹s] rules for hazardous waste storage and
disposal were developed with industry in mind, not educational
institutions. Industry typically generates wastes that are of large
volume, and containing relatively few chemicals. In contrast, academe
generates much smaller volumes of relatively diverse chemical makeup, yet
schools and other non-profits are subject to the same rules as industry.
That disconnect has caused many problems for some colleges and schools.
The post below, from today¹s ACS Division of Chemical Health and
Safety¹s
email list, might be of interest, particularly to those of you at larger
institutions.
Steve Stepenuck
Keene State College, ret.
Ralph Stuart wrote:
People who have paid significant attention to the application of EPA's
RCRA waste regulations to the laboratory setting may be interested in
knowing that the state of Massachusetts recently adopted the EPA's
Academic Labs Rule as 310 CMR 30.354. While this rule (known as Subpart K
at the federal level) has some challenges associated with with it, it
also presents an important opportunity to academic institutions develop a
performance-oriented hazardous waste program. More information about this
rule can be found at
https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/managing-hazardous-waste-academic-laborat
ories-rulemaking
As one of the people involved in helping to develop this rule over a 12
or so year period, I'd like to congratulate my Massachusetts colleagues
on this milestone. Some of us have worked and waited for 20 years for
this step!
Let me know if you have any questions about this.
- Ralph
Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
Environmental Safety Manager
Keene State College
603 358-2859
ralph.stuart@xxxxxxxxx
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