Q: How do I manage solvent-contaminated wipes or rags?
|
A: A “solvent contaminated wipe” is a wipe that, after use or after cleaning up a spill:
- Contains one or more of the F001 through F005 solvents listed in 40 CFR 261.31 or the corresponding P- or U- listed solvents found in 40 CFR 261.33, or
- It can also be a wipe that exhibits a hazardous characteristic resulting from a solvent listed in 40 CFR 261, and/or
- It can be a wipe that exhibits only the hazardous waste characteristic of ignitability due to the presence of one or more nonlisted solvents.
Wipes that are ineligible for the exclusion are those containing listed hazardous waste other than solvents, and wipes that exhibit a hazardous waste characteristic due to nonlisted solvents or contaminants other than solvents. Disposable wipes that are hazardous waste due to the presence of trichloroethylene are also not eligible for the exclusion.
Under this EPA regulation, there are two conditional exemptions from hazardous waste regulation, conditional in that certain standards must be followed in order for the exemption to be available. There’s one set of standards for “useable” solvent-contaminated wipes – those sent for cleaning and reuse and another set of standards for “disposable” solvent-contaminated wipes – those sent for disposal.
Wipes sent for cleaning and resuse are exempt from being a solid waste at the point of generation provided certain conditions are met concerning container management and labeling, a 180-day accumulation time limit, management of any free liquids as a hazardous waste, recordkeeping, and criteria that must be met by the laundry or dry-cleaning facility to which the wipes are sent.
Wipes that are disposed of are exempt from being a hazardous waste at the point of generation although they must still be managed in accordance with the same on-site standards that apply to wipes sent for cleaning. However, since solvent-contaminated wipes that are disposed of are not sent to a laundry or dry-cleaning facility they must be sent to a combuster regulated under the Clean Air Act or a solid waste landfill that meets RCRA standards.