New Year, New Regulations

As 2020 kicks off, new USEPA rules and regulations regarding waste storage and disposal requirements have also set in. The USEPA has stated that they are going to set an even stronger focus on "Priorities for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance in 2020-2023" basically meaning they are going to step up their game so to say of site visits and inspections, as well as inspection of documents which ultimately can result in more fines for businesses that do not adhere to the regulations set forth by the EPA. This of course doesn't leave out the fact that the USDOT also adds new rules to 49 CFR every year which has to do with the proper shipment of hazardous goods and wastes.

Each year at ADCO we see over and over the case of businesses calling in for quotations for waste disposal services, only to then hear from the waste generator once they receive the quote from us, "well we will just hold onto the waste for another year". We must remind everyone that the cost for waste disposal NEVER goes down and the longer you hold onto a particular waste, the cost will only grow to dispose of it, not to mention you open yourself up to huge fines from either the USEPA or USDOT for potentially not storing the waste in the proper manner as required in either of the regulatory agency's eyes.

For generators with radioactive waste streams, you have potentially two more regulatory agencies to adhere to the rules of; the USNRC and your agreement state if you are in one meaning you will have 4 regulatory agency's rules to familiarize yourself with not including OSHA which also has their own set of rules. All this can become an overwhelming task creating a full time job for someone just to be sure their waste is being stored / handled correctly to avoid potential fines from a regulatory agency. In many cases the waste in question can just be disposed of and once it is gone, your chance for being fined by a regulator is pretty much gone, not to mention that whatever regulator is inspecting your facility will be very happy to see that your company is taking the proper steps to properly dispose of your waste versus hide it or store it.

ADCO can take care of this daunting task of you having to basically "babysit" your waste to avoid fine exposure by profiling your waste into a licensed processing facility where your waste will be handled by a fully licensed, insured, and trained staff which will treat / dispose of your waste in accordance with local, state, and federal laws. Once the waste has been received at the licensed facility (TSDF), you will receive paperwork proving receipt of your waste and you can present that to any state or federal inspector to prove you disposed of your waste in accordance with the regulations set forth by any one of the 4 major regulatory agencies involved in the transportation or disposal of hazardous or radioactive waste streams.