EPA issues new guidelines for shipping hazardous waste

Dec. 29 -- The U.S. EPA has issued new guidelines overseeing export and import of hazardous waste intended for recycling, the agency said today.

The new regulations increase the level of regulatory oversight and align U.S. laws with hazardous waste shipping procedures of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, an international consortium of 30 countries including the U.S.

The new rules mandate U.S. recovery facilities submit certificates after recovery of the waste has been completed, and adds new procedures to ensure materials transferred between facilities are processed in an environmentally sound manner.

Spent lead-acid batteries being exported for recycling are given particular attention in the new rules, with EPA adding notification and consent requirements on all exports.

For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/international/oecd-slab-rule.htm

Contact Waste & Recycling News reporter Amanda Smith-Teutsch at 330-865-6166 or asmith-teutsch@crain.com