US victory for nonwoven wipes

Nonwovens body INDA has welcomed the release of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s rule modifying the federal hazardous waste management regulations in respect of wipes – something it has been pushing for for 28 years.

It has been estimated this will open up a new avenue for nonwovens with an annual value of around $1 billion.

The US Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 was first challenged in 1985 as providing an unfair advantage to laundered industrial (shop) towels.

Under the RCRA, most common industrial solvents have been considered hazardous waste and as a result, in particular, of the ‘mixture’ rule, if a single drop of hazardous waste is mixed with non-hazardous material, all of the material is considered hazardous waste.

This has meant that both non-laundered wipes and rags have been regarded as hazardous waste after they’ve been used with solvents and subjected to unnecessarily stringent and  expensive hazardous waste management requirements

Meanwhile, laundered shop towels used with the same solvents have generally not regarded as waste, and instead their regulation has been left to individual states, with requirements varying significantly from state-to-state and often conflicting and wipes users left to navigate the confusing patchwork

Under the newly-amended rule, both types of solvent-contaminated wipes will now be given the opportunity to be excluded from the definition of hazardous waste.

In order to be excluded, wipes will need to be managed in closed, labelled containers and may not contain free liquids when sent for either cleaning or disposal. In addition, facilities that use these wipes will be prohibited from storing wipes for longer than 180 days and will be required to meet certain recordkeeping requirements.

The EPA estimates that these changes will result in a net savings of more than $20 million per year in avoided regulatory costs and other expected benefits, including pollution prevention, waste minimization and fire prevention benefits.

The completion of the rule, which is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register, caps off decades of efforts by INDA and others to revise the waste regulations for wipes, which were recognised by the EPA as being overly stringent, burdensome and confusing to the thousands of small businesses that rely upon these products.

The EPA first released a proposal to alter the regulatory framework in November 2003,and published a revised risk assessment in October 2009. INDA provided input on both, and worked extensively with the agency and others throughout the years to see the rule completed.

“We believe this rule will enhance flexibility and increase the options available to the thousands of businesses that use these wipes, and are hopeful it will create new opportunities for nonwoven wipes,” said INDA president Dave Rousse.

“After so many years of hard work, we are extremely gratified that the EPA has finalized this common-sense regulation that will reduce unnecessary regulatory burden and simplify the landscape for those who use and make wipes,” added INDA director of government affairs Jessica Franken. “INDA urges state officials to implement it as expeditiously as possible.”

For background to this story see: Environmental press drives changes for wipes