Question

Describe the success or challenges that the Universal Waste Recycling Program has experienced ?

Answer 1

EPA’s universal waste regulations streamline the hazardous waste management standards for certain categories of hazardous waste that are commonly generated by a wide variety of establishments. The streamlined regulations:

Universal Waste includes:

Common batteries – AA, AAA, C cells, D cells and button batteries such as hearing aid batteries

Fluorescent tubes and bulbs and other mercury-containing lamps – fluorescent light tubes and bulbs, high intensity discharge (HID), metal halide, sodium and neon bulbs

Thermostats – old-style with the sealed glass “tilt switch” (newer electronic versions are not included)

Electronics – televisions, computers, monitors, printers, VCRs, cell phones, telephones, radios and microwave ovens

Electrical switches and relays – mercury switches found in some chest freezers, pre-1972 washing machines, sump pumps, electric space heaters, clothes irons, silent light switches, automobile hood and trunk lights, and ABS brakes

Pilot light sensors – mercury switches found in some gas appliances such as stoves, ovens, clothes dryers, water heaters, furnaces and space heaters

Mercury gauges – some barometers, manometers, blood pressure and vacuum gauges contain mercury

Novelties – musical greeting cards, mercury maze games, athletic shoes (made before 1997) with flashing lights in soles

Mercury thermometers – Many health clinics, pharmacies and doctor's offices have thermometer exchange programs to replace your old fever thermometer with one that’s mercury-free

Aerosol cans that contain or had contained hazardous materials

There are also four types of regulated participants in the universal waste system:

• Small quantity handlers of universal waste,
• Large quantity handlers of universal waste,
• Universal waste transporters and
• Universal waste destination facilities.

In general, materials managed as universal waste can be stored for a year and are not required to be shipped with a manifest. In addition, universal wastes do not need to be counted toward a generator’s category for the purpose of determining whether it is a very small quantity generator, small quantity generator, or large quantity generator. The universal waste regulations do require that the materials be managed in a way to prevent releases to the environment and tailors those requirements to each type of universal waste (for small quantity handlers and for large quantity handlers). Finally, the standards also include labeling, a requirement to respond to releases, and transport to a facility that is permitted or otherwise designated for receiving hazardous waste, like a recycler.

Universal Waste Disposal

The following items can be recycled at local retail stores:

Cell phones – may generally be turned in where you purchase your new cell phone or at Best Buys, Radio Shack or Staples. Many non-profit groups will also accept cell phones and refurbish them for reuse

Computers – Dell, Epson, Hewlett-Packard, Gateway and IBM offer recycling of their products

Rechargeable batteries – Facilities that sell rechargeable batteries must provide recycling of used rechargeable batteries. These can also be recycled at local Best Buys, Radio Shack or Staples stores

Ink jet cartridges – may be turned in to Best Buys, Radio Shack or Staples stores. Some schools offer ink jet cartridge recycling programs as a fundraiser.

Materials Classified as Universal Waste in Some States	Corresponding State
Aerosol Cans	California, Colorado
Antifreeze	Louisiana, New Hampshire
Ballasts	Maine, Maryland, Vermont
Barometers	New Hampshire, Rhode Island
Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs)	Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island
Electronics	Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey
Oil-Based Finishes	New Jersey
Paint and Paint-Related Wastes	Texas
Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals	Florida, Michigan

Massachusetts was the first in the U.S. to make it illegal to dispose of CRTs in landfills in April 2000. In 2003, California enacted the “Electronic Waste Recycling Act,” the first state legislation governing other forms of e-waste – including a broader waste ban and “advance recovery fee funding.” Under the law, electronic waste in California may not be landfilled or exported overseas.

In 2007, Texas passed a law requiring manufacturers that sell new computer equipment in or into Texas to offer consumers a free recycling program. Likewise, Wisconsin’s electronics recycling law, passed in 2009, covers electronics sold to/used by Wisconsin households, K-12 public schools and Parental Choice Program schools. While businesses, institutions and others not included in these groups may see some benefits from the new electronics-recycling infrastructure in Wisconsin, they cannot recycle electronics through the E-Cycle Wisconsin program.

Interestingly, the 2011 electronic waste recycling law in Utah differs from other state laws because it doesn’t mandate recycling or require manufacturers to fund recycling programs. Rather manufacturers much establish and implement an education program for the general public to help them learn how to recycle electronic devices.

  According to EPA, only about one million tons of over 3.4 million tons of e-waste generated in the U.S. in 2012 was recycled, resulting in a recycling rate of only 29 percent. To date, e-waste recycling in the U.S. has been limited by a variety of factors, including: insufficient collection, the lack of comprehensive federal legislation or policy mandating e-waste recycling, the absence of advanced recycling and recovery technologies and the illegal export of hazardous e-waste to developing countries. In 2014, United Nations University estimated that 42 million tons of e-waste was generated. If all the materials from that e-waste were recovered, they would collectively be worth $52 billion.

Iron Mountain’s end-to-end Secure IT Asset Disposition service enables agencies to safely and securely dispose of their equipment, including PCs and laptops, servers, hard drives and mobile devices, with the peace of mind that such disposal complies with applicable data security and e-waste disposal regulations.

The main federal law governing solid waste is the Resource Conservation and Recovery ACT of 1976 (RCRA). While it only regulates the disposal of CRT monitors, many states have also introduced legislation concerning recycling and reuse of electronics. The “Electronic Device Recycling Research and Development Act,” passed in 2009, requires the EPA to give merit-based grants to consortia of universities, government labs and private industries to conduct research with the purpose of finding new approaches to recycling and reduction of hazardous materials in electronic devices and to “contribute to the professional development of scientists, engineers, and technicians in the field of electronic device manufacturing, design, refurnishing, and recycling.”

•In 2017, more than 50 million tons of e-waste are expected to be generated globally.
•Only 16 percent of global e-waste is properly recycled via regulated, government-sanctioned recycling programs.
•Worldwide, 80 percent of e-waste ends up in landfills, where it cannot be recovered.
•In the U.S., more than 416,000 mobile phones are disposed of daily.
•Global e-waste is expected to grow by 8 percent per year – and grew by 20 percent in the U.S. between 2015 and 2017.
•The U.S. accounts for more e-waste than any other country in the world: approximately 9.4 million tons annually.
•The average U.S. household owns 28 consumer electronics.
•Between 2007 and 2017, more than 7 billion smartphones were produced globally.
•Nearly 80 percent of smartphone sales correspond to consumers replacing their phones – even though they’re still in working order.
•Exporting discarded electronics to developing nations offers opportunities for repair and reuse; however, only 25 percent of e-waste shipped overseas is reused

Specific management standards for batteries include containing any universal waste battery that shows evidence of leakage, spillage, or damage that could cause leakage. The container must be closed, structurally sound, and compatible with the batteries. Batteries or battery packs may be sorted, mixed, discharged, regenerated, disassembled into individual batteries, or removed from products as long as the individual battery cell is not breached. Cells may be opened to remove electrolyte from the battery, but must be closed again immediately. Electrolyte or any other material generated by the handler must be evaluated to determine if it is a hazardous waste and, if so, managed appropriately under 40 CFR part 262 regulations.

The evolution to smaller, lighter electronic devices has put pressure on manufacturers to dramatically shrink the size and increase the performance of rechargeable batteries such as those in laptops, tablets and cellphones. Along the way, the batteries have gone from being external to being integrated into the physical design of cellphones, laptops, tablets and wearable technologies such as fitness monitor. For many products, the cost to extract the battery is too high for an industry like recycling, where profit margins are razor thin. Thus, recyclers may be extracting some materials from electronics for re-use, but are not extracting the batteries because of the complexity and difficulty of the process. Thus, the value of the batteries is never fully realized.

Specific management standards for pesticides include preventing releases to the environment by containing them in tanks, containers, or transport vehicles or vessels that are structurally sound and adequate to prevent leakage. The containers must be kept closed and cannot show any damage or leakages.

Specific management standards for mercury-containing equipment include preventing releases to the environment by containing them in containers that are structurally sound and adequate to prevent breakage. The containers must be kept closed and cannot show any damage or leakages.

A handler of mercury-containing equipment may remove an ampule of mercury from the equipment if:

• the ampule is also managed to prevent damage or releases,
• if the personnel are properly trained,
• if the removal is done over a containment device,
• if the area is ventilated to meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards

Specific management standards for lamps include preventing releases to the environment by containing them in containers that are structurally sound and adequate to prevent breakage. The containers must be kept closed and cannot show any damage or leakages. Any broken lamp must be cleaned up and placed in a container that will prevent release of the pieces to the environment