Title 40: Protection of Environment
PART 260—HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: GENERAL
Subpart C—Rulemaking Petitions
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§ 260.43 Legitimate recycling of hazardous secondary materials regulated under §260.34, §261.2(a)(2)(ii), and §261.4(a)(23), (24), or (25).
(a) Persons regulated under §260.34 or claiming to be excluded from hazardous waste regulation under §261.2(a)(2)(ii), §261.4(a)(23), (24), or (25) because they are engaged in reclamation must be able to demonstrate that the recycling is legitimate. Hazardous secondary material that is not legitimately recycled is discarded material and is a solid waste. In determining if their recycling is legitimate, persons must address the requirements of §260.43(b) and must consider the requirements of §260.43(c) below.
(b) Legitimate recycling must involve a hazardous secondary material that provides a useful contribution to the recycling process or to a product or intermediate of the recycling process, and the recycling process must produce a valuable product or intermediate.
(1) The hazardous secondary material provides a useful contribution if it
(i) Contributes valuable ingredients to a product or intermediate; or
(ii) Replaces a catalyst or carrier in the recycling process; or
(iii) Is the source of a valuable constituent recovered in the recycling process; or
(iv) Is recovered or regenerated by the recycling process; or
(v) Is used as an effective substitute for a commercial product.
(2) The product or intermediate is valuable if it is
(i) Sold to a third party; or
(ii) Used by the recycler or the generator as an effective substitute for a commercial product or as an ingredient or intermediate in an industrial process.
(c) The following factors must be considered in making a determination as to the overall legitimacy of a specific recycling activity.
(1) The generator and the recycler should manage the hazardous secondary material as a valuable commodity. Where there is an analogous raw material, the hazardous secondary material should be managed, at a minimum, in a manner consistent with the management of the raw material. Where there is no analogous raw material, the hazardous secondary material should be contained. Hazardous secondary materials that are released to the environment and are not recovered immediately are discarded.
(2) The product of the recycling process does not
(i) Contain significant concentrations of any hazardous constituents found in Appendix VIII of part 261 that are not found in analogous products; or
(ii) Contain concentrations of any hazardous constituents found in Appendix VIII of part 261 at levels that are significantly elevated from those found in analogous products; or
(iii) Exhibit a hazardous characteristic (as defined in part 261 subpart C) that analogous products do not exhibit.
(3) In making a determination that a hazardous secondary material is legitimately recycled, persons must evaluate all factors and consider legitimacy as a whole. If, after careful evaluation of these other considerations, one or both of the factors are not met, then this fact may be an indication that the material is not legitimately recycled.
However, the factors in this paragraph do not have to be met for the recycling to be considered legitimate. In evaluating the extent to which these factors are met and in determining whether a process that does not meet one or both of these factors is still legitimate, persons can consider the protectiveness of the storage methods, exposure from toxics in the product, the bioavailability of the toxics in the product, and other relevant considerations.
[73 FR 64759, Oct. 30, 2008]
