Last month, EPA released a new guidance document called “Solvents in the Workplace” with the intent to help make the hazardous waste determination process simpler for facilities that use them. Solvents are commonly used in several different types of industries including the following list:
- Adhesives manufacturing
- Autobody repair
- Automotive manufacturing
- Circuit board manufacturing
- Defense
- Dry cleaning
- Electronics manufacturing
- Electroplating
- Fiber-reinforced plastic manufacturing
- Film developing
- Furniture manufacturing
- Ink formulation
- Metal fabrication
- Metal finishing and plating
- Paint manufacturing and use
- Personal care product manufacturing
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing
- Printing
- Pulp and paper manufacturing
- Rubber manufacturing
- Semiconductor manufacturing
- Wood staining and varnishing.
Hazardous waste determination can be troublesome because some solvents are considered hazardous when they are spent, and other solvents are considered hazardous when they are unused and discarded. This guidance document takes you step by step through the hazardous waste determination process, focusing specifically on solvents. Among other useful information, EPA included a table of F-listed solvents in Appendix A with their corresponding CAS numbers, P- or U- listed waste codes, hazardous codes, and more. Also be sure to look at the frequently asked questions provided in Appendix B of EPA’s guidance document; there are good questions answered that you may have wondered.