Universal Wastes

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency created a streamlined hazardous waste management regime for “universal wastes” – i.e., batteries, pesticides, mercury-containing equipment, and lamps. The regulations govern the collection and management of these widely generated wastes. This facilitates the environmentally-sound collection and increases the proper recycling or treatment of the universal wastes mentioned above.

These regulations also ease the regulatory burden on retail stores and others that wish to collect or generate these wastes. In addition, they also facilitate programs developed to reduce the quantity of these wastes going to municipal solid waste landfills or combustors. It also assures that the wastes subject to this system will go to appropriate treatment or recycling facilities pursuant to the full hazardous waste regulatory controls.

States can modify the universal waste rule and add additional universal waste in individual state regulations so check with your state for the exact regulations that apply to you.

These regulations are set forth in 40 CFR part 273.

On August 5, 2005, the U.S. EPA published a final rule adding mercury-containing equipment to the list of universal wastes subject to less stringent management standards under the RCRA hazardous waste program. "Mercury-containing equipment" means a device or part of a device (including thermostats, but excluding batteries and lamps) that contains elemental mercury integral to its function. According to EPA, some commonly recognized mercury-containing devices are thermostats, barometers, manometers, flow meters, mercury light switches, mercury regulators, pressure relief gauges, water treatment gauges, and gas safety relays. Batteries and lamps continue to be regulated separately under the universal waste rules. The rule is effective immediately.

The new rule is expected to increase the amount of mercury being diverted from the non-hazardous waste stream into the hazardous waste stream, including the hazardous waste recycling stream. Prior experience with other universal wastes, particularly nickel-cadmium batteries have shown that collection increases under the universal waste rules. Greater collection and consolidation of mercury-containing equipment should make recycling easier.