And why is it important?

RCRA stands for Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and it’s a federal law that was established in 1976. It’s purpose was to establish regulations and requirements for the safe disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste. The law also created specific requirements for identifying and categorizing waste to ensure that anyone who is tasked with handling it, including those who generate the waste and those who are transporting it and treating it, understands what the waste is and the proper process for disposing of it.

The RCRA has three main objectives including:

• Human and Environmental Protection

  Protecting human health and the environment from the harmful effects of improper waste management and disposal.

• Resource Conservation
  

  To ensure the effective use of resources through recycling, source reduction and methods of resource recovery.

• Reduction of Waste Production
  

  Reduce waste generation to reduce the need for any correction steps

What does the RCRA regulate?

RCRA regulates the generation, transportation, storage and disposal of solid hazardous waste from cradle to grave. So any company or industry that generates hazardous waste must remain compliant with the RCRA, which is enforced and overseen by the EPA.

If your company generates hazardous waste, you are responsible to be in compliance with the regulations of RCRA. This includes understanding the waste characteristics, knowing the proper ways to store, manage and dispose of the waste and following the proper protocols outlined in local, state and federal mandates including:

• Waste manifest requirements
• Waste generation category
• Hazardous waste determination and proper record keeping
• Safe storage and management of waste generated

The RCRA monitors compliance and enforces its regulations through states and local authority agencies. Compliance monitoring includes facility inspections, reviewing records and if necessary enforcement actions. It’s crucial for all facilities that generate hazardous waste to be aware of mandates on every level—local, state and federal.

All Points Medical Waste can help you remain compliant with the RCRA by providing full service medical waste disposal. We are a local, family-owned and operated company located in Stuart, Florida serving South Florida from Okeechobee County all the way to Broward County. Give us a call today or fill out this form to get more information.