Although still in the beginning stages, California, Maine and Vermont have taken an early lead by implementing laws for up to six product categories. At this time the laws primarily address typical consumer waste such as rechargeable batteries, electronics and leftover paint, full details of which can be found in the recent issue of the Yale Journal of Industrial Ecology.

However, because this type of compliance places the disposal cost burden on the manufacturer municipalities, who typically bear the cost, are using the EPR movement to create regulations in local areas.

Recently, Alameda County, California passed an ordinance requiring that drug manufacturers that offer their products for sale in the county establish individual or group “take-back” programs that are producer financed. While industry related groups have stalled the ordinance with a lawsuit, the momentum from environmental groups, state and local agencies, and cost control advocates is growing.

In a preemptive move, many producers are instituting voluntary programs, yet to date those programs have been largely ineffective. With all that going on, it’s no surprise that the federal government is also getting in the act with the nationwide Pharmaceutical Stewardship Act. And with the growing concern about pharmaceuticals getting into soil and the water table, it seems likely that it will only be a matter of time before proposed legislation becomes reality.

Newport Beach, an affluent seaside community in Orange County, went before the California Coastal Commission (CCC), asking that beach fire pits in their city be removed, citing rules from the California Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). The SCAQMD held hearings on the matter, however the notice and publication of the hearings were questioned, and many had the perception the meetings were held quietly in order to avoid larger public scrutiny. The SCAQMD initially were in favor of removing the fire pits in Newport Beach, and were reportedly considering removing all fire pits in southern California. Once word of this leaked out, there was a large public outcry.

Huntington Beach, which borders Newport Beach to the north, strongly objected to the proposed ban, claiming the rules would cause millions of dollars in economic value to the city and were agency overreach. A grass roots coalition of citizens’ groups joined in that opposition, and the media slowly became aware of the issue. While at first seeming to ignore the various parties in opposition to the ban, the SCAQMD eventually held further hearings, which at times became contentious, with SCAQMD Board Chairman William Burke referring to the air quality effects of the fire pits in Newport Beach as akin to “carpet bombing” in the Viet Nam war.

The people behind change.org, organization in opposition to the ban, have set up a website that has further specifics.

The SCAQMD has now punted the issue back to the CCC for comment, and have postponed their ruling until mid May.

While previously they were known to go onsite to a location and randomly look through manifest binders for potential errors, in some locations they are now coming more prepared. Apparently they are reviewing history and manifest records before hand, and coming looking for specific violations.

As you know, it is always important to keep accurate records, but now with this new inspection emphasis it is more important than ever. Make sure that your records are up to date and that you have received, from the appropriate disposal facility, the final manifest copy. Also if, for any reason, there is a rejected drum, you will need to file the paperwork to show the correct trail of information and make any necessary notifications to the DTSC.

Ingenium is here to help keep our clients violation free, and if you have any questions about any hazardous waste regulations, call your sales representative or the main office at 760-745-8780 today.

What chemicals you are protecting against is the first step in assessing the needs for personal protection. Once you have identified the potential chemical exposure, and explored any methods to reduce it, it’s time to consult one or more chemical degradation guides. Those guides will help you understand the chemical impact on the eight types of available glove materials.

The next step is to determining how you are using the gloves. Does your job require manual dexterity? How long do you need to wear the gloves? Do you need some kind of thermal insulation? These are only some of the many questions that need to be answered to help develop the most effective personal protection program.

For details of OSHA’s Laboratory Safety Guidance see here. If you need advice to select the correct glove protection for your employees or other Chemical Hygiene guidance, please contact your Ingenium account representative or call the main office at 760-645-8780 and ask to speak to someone about Chemical Hygiene.

• March of Dimes Celebrity Chef’s Charity Event
• March for Babies

Now for the third year, our very own Director of Environmental Health & Safety and co-founder Scott Rendlemen and his lovely wife Leila, are heading up the effort for Team Pirate Power during the 2.5 mile walk known as the March for Babies this coming April 27th. It is a cause that is near and dear to all of us at Ingenium as Scott’s two sons were born 16 weeks early, and sadly, Ewan was only with us 109 days. Brother Liam today is thriving, and Scott and his wife have dedicated themselves to working to make sure more families have a better chance at a happy ending to early childbirth and its attendant problems.

You are invited to help support the good work done by the March of Dimes by making a donation to Team Pirate Power and get Scott and his fellow walkers on their way to a record fund raising year. Every little bit makes a difference, and from the whole team at Ingenium we say: “Thank You!”

At issue is learning the facts about what it takes to reduce waste from the outset as well as to recycle more. For example, studies show that up to 60 percent of what goes into Cedar Hills Regional Landfill can be recycled. That’s one reason the county is looking for volunteers to take the training and then go on to inspire and educate others about how to reduce our environmental footprint.

The program goal is to increase recycling rates in single-family homes by learning the do’s and don’ts of curbside recycling, including food scrap recycling, and then train others through volunteer outreach. This FREE training is open to King County residents outside of the cities of Seattle and Milton only.

Two options for training are available: in Renton, Thursday evenings from 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m., April 25 through May16 or in Kent, Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., May 4 and May 11.The application deadline for this program is April 18^th, so if you are a King County resident who cares about sustainability and wants to make a difference, go here for more information and to register.

The, Don’t Get Fined Because You Signed!, training provides the certification required by the DOT and IATA for anyone who is involved in shipping of:

Dangerous goods
Hazardous materials
Biological agents
Dry ice
Hazardous waste
Medical waste
Other regulated materials

Fines are applicable to companies and personnel who sign shipping papers without the required certification.

To avoid that situation, Ingenium and the WBBA are offering two classes on May 1^st:

Part I – USDOT ground shipping
7:30am to 1:00pm
$375.00

Part II – IATA air shipping
1:30pm to 5:30pm
$325.00

Or both classes for $500

The training will be held at the WBBA offices in Seattle, Washington, and pre-registration is required. Further information and registration.

Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP)
Hazardous Waste
Hazardous Waste Onsite Treatment
Hazardous Waste Tank Closures
Remote Waste Consolidation
Recyclable Materials Reports

While it’s meant to be more efficient in the long run, for everyone used to reporting in their own style (which is everyone), the transition is creating extra work and training issues. The County of San Diego Hazardous Materials Division has put together an excellent guide to help you through the process including screen shots and detailed instructions. Or, if you’re feeling bold, you can go directly to the CERS Business portal and follow instructions to create an account.

Tip: the CERS system will not grant lead user access to anyone who is not listed as a contact for the facility unless they have a signed letter on letterhead. Therefore, it’s recommended that you designate at least two lead users, who can then add additional users.

For onsite or in-person training assistance, check with your local county’s Department of Environmental Health. Many of them have put together excellent programs to assist in the transition. Good luck!

Why is that important?

The countries where most of the exported waste landed were Mexico, Hong Kong, China, India, and other Asia-Pacific countries. As you can imagine, worker safety and environmental concerns may not be quite on par with U.S. standards in those destinations. With e-waste expected to grow along with richer countries’ appetites for gadgets and a diminishing lifespan for electronics, the environmental and social impacts of e-waste dumping in developing countries cannot be overstated. In 2011, Pike Research, a consulting group, released a report stating that global e-waste will more than double in the next 15 years.

Before the e-waste leaves the U.S. much of the higher value metals such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium are recovered using relatively safe and environmentally sound technologies. Components with less valuable metals are then shipped overseas. The extraction of these metals in foreign locations can be extremely crude, and the metals, which include lead, mercury and cadmium, are toxic. One of the more common extraction methods involves boiling circuit boards on stoves to melt plastic and then leaching the metals with acid. You can imagine what a scrap worker may be exposed to in that process.

In the Guiyu area of southern China labeled “ground zero for the e-waste trade” by Jim Puckett of the Basel Action Network, over 100,000 people work at recycling e-waste. The wages paid to those workers bend the economics of e-waste recycling, resulting in the e-waste following the low dollar cost path to Guiyu. However, the dollar cost doesn’t represent the true cost of e-waste management in this fashion. There are environmental and social costs that simply don’t work back to the shipper. In essence, those workers and the environment are subsidizing the true cost to the waste generator.

Some larger companies with corporate initiatives for sustainability address this by ensuring their service providers have a “no-export” agreement with the companies in their process chain. There are plenty of “no-export” companies out there, and the cost for “no-export” isn’t that much more, if at all. If the way e-waste is managed is important to your company, ask your service provider to ensure you have a “no-export” agreement with them. It’s a relatively easy process chain to control, and any reputable service provider should be able to provide you with that solution.

A recent case in point is a multi-national biotechnology company that was closing their U.S. west coast operations. This company faced the prospect of treating a significant quantity of new, unopened chemicals, as waste. They wanted better options and turned to Ingenium for a solution that met their desire for a more sustainable method of handling those chemicals.

Ingenium’s Orphan Chemical Program was created precisely for this situation. Through our network of biotechnology companies, Ingenium was able to identify appropriate recipients for the chemicals, which included a wide range of high purity reagents. Ingenium arranged for the transfer of title of the useable chemicals and safely transported them to the closest possible recipient, moving them with the lowest carbon footprint feasible.

The end result was a sustainable solution that made two parties happy, kept viable chemicals from being managed as hazardous waste, and saved money for all involved. The goals of the Orphan Chemical program are always to:

1. Reduce waste disposal costs;

2. Help recapture an investment; and finally,

3. Help meet corporate sustainability goals.

If you have chemicals that need to be transferred out of your facility for any reason, Ingenium will help you find the best possible solution.