Wastes


Terracon Foundation Awards $105,500 in Grants

The foundation was established as the community investment arm of Terracon with a goal to reach out and become a real part of the lives of company employees and their communities. To date, the foundation has distributed more than $1.3 million in grants.

The tires must be off wheel rims, and only car and light truck tires size 16 inches or smaller will be accepted. Haulers and businesses aren

WVDEP Collecting Old Tires This Month

At each of five remaining collections this month, residents may dispose of up to 10 tires per person with a valid West Virginia ID for the county where the collection is occurring. The tires must be off wheel rims, and only car and light truck tires size 16 inches or smaller will be accepted. Haulers and businesses aren't allowed to participate.

Building managers are encouraged to select what are called "high-performance" mats. (Crown Matting Technologies photo)

Mats and Sustainability: The Connection Is Closer Than You May Think

If entry mats help keep hard-surface floors and carpets cleaner, longer, then it can be assumed that not only are fewer cleaning solutions needed, but there is also less need for heavier cleaning equipment such as floor machines and carpet extractors.

This photo shows some of the first waste being disposed at the WCS Federal Waste Disposal Facility in Andrews, Texas. It opened in June 2013 for disposal of Class A, B and C Low-level Waste and Mixed Low-level Waste, with a licensed capacity of up to 26 million cubic feet. (WCS photo)

Texas Firm Bids for Spent Nuclear Fuel Repository

Waste Control Specialists LLC announced April 28 it has filed an application with the NRC to build and manage a Consolidated Interim Storage Facility.

WIPP Installs Underground Personnel Notification and Tracking System

In an April 5, 2016, Federal Register notice, DOE indicated waste disposal operations at WIPP are expected to resume in late 2016. That notice concerned a DOE/NNSA decision to dispose of six metric tons of surplus non-pit plutonium there, once WIPP is again operational.

Regional Conservation Programs Receives $260 Million in USDA Funding

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that the USDA will be providing $260 million for conservation partnership programs that will help improve water quality, support wildlife, protect agriculture, and more. Applications are now being accepted for 2017 funding.

What is Legitimate Recycling? In essence, it is not "sham" recycling. For example, foundry sand cannot be recycled as playground sand but could be recycled for use in creating industrial molds. Sham is now more than what is in the eye of the beholder.

The Solid Waste Rule: A Summary of 2015 Revisions

The 2015 Solid Waste Rule is more stringent than the earlier versions of the Rule, and EPA is requiring authorized states to modify their programs in order to comply with the 2015 Sold Waste Rule.

DOE Issues Citations for 2014 WIPP Incidents

Operations at the U.S. Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the transuranic waste disposal site outside of Carlsbad, N.M., were suspended after two serious February 2014 incidents involving worker exposures to smoke and radiation.



EPA Regional Administrator Highlights Food Recovery

"As food rots in a landfill, it produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. At the same time, one in six Americans lack access to the nutrition they need to live an active, healthy life," according to EPA.

The two companies plan to merge in an all-stock transaction, with Waste Connections Inc. shareholders owning 70 percent of the combined company

Big Merger Announced in Solid Waste Field

Texas-based Waste Connections, Inc. and Toronto-based Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. are merging in an all-stock transaction. The combined company will bear the Waste Connections name.

DOE Resumes Search for Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Waste Repository

DOE will follow the process laid out in a strategy document from 2013. The strategy is to establish a pilot interim storage facility that mainly will accept used nuclear fuel from reactors that have already been shut down; a larger interim storage facility; and one or more long-term geologic repositories.

Production Materials Become Hazardous Waste Practically Overnight—EPA's Perspective on Abandoned Commercial Chemical Products

EPA has made checklists available to the regulated community, including the associated guidance regarding abandoned CCPs.

With more than 37 million tons of food being wasted each year, the EPA is encouraging families, school, businesses, and more to help reduce that amount of food waste with the Sustainable Management of Food program.

EPA Urges Public to Reduce Food Waste

With more than 37 million tons of food being wasted each year, the EPA is encouraging families, school, businesses, and more to help reduce that amount of food waste with the Sustainable Management of Food program.

Weight, design, transportability are all key factors in making the most of measurements in the field. (SPECTRO Analytical Instruments GmbH photo)

Analysis of Soil and Sewage Sludge in the Field with a Portable ED-XRF Spectrometer

Commonly accepted methods for ICP-OES analysis of soil and sludge involve sample digestion or extraction. But this is not useful for some special applications like determining the presence of antimony in soil, for example.

New Rules for Hazardous Waste Management and Waterway Protection

Earlier this week, the EPA announced two new rule proposals for hazardous waste management that would help protect waterways without heavy restrictions on businesses.

Flushable wipes are packaged with instructions that make it clear they can be safely flushed. (INDA graphic)

The Flushed Wipes Issue Clarified

In collaboration with the wastewater associations, INDA is committed to giving consumers the information they need to make wise choices. We believe consumers will make the right choice when they know what the right choice is.

City Declares Emergency as Spill Estimate Triples

EPA now estimates 3 million gallons of wastewater from an old gold mine spilled into the Animas River, part of the Colorado River system. The wastewater contains lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals.

Let

Let's Be Frank about Fracking: Is Unconventional Gas and Oil Drilling Really Worth It?

Linked to earthquakes, water contamination, and general pollution, fracking becomes more controversial by the day. Meanwhile, 13,000 new wells are being drilled every year. There have been over a thousand documented cases of water contamination next to areas of gas drilling—cases of sensory, respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological damage. From the water we drink to the ground beneath our feet, is it too late to ask, “What gives?”

EPA

Understanding the RCRA Exclusion for Oil and Gas E&P

By understanding the scope of the RCRA exclusion for the oil and gas industry, EHS managers and engineers can be confident they are managing waste in line with the latest federal standards and avoid RCRA civil penalties as high as $37,500 per day per violation.

EPA Releases $54.3 Million in Remediation Funds

"The grants will help transform brownfield sites, such as former manufacturing and mill sites, into productive end uses which directly benefit community residents and create opportunities, including increased housing options, recreational spaces, and jobs," said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.