Many of the industries regulated by the government are obligated to additional tracking and reporting requirement to remain in compliance. They often result in additional operational costs. One such industry is waste management, particularly when it comes to handling and disposal of any type of hazardous waste. Businesses handling waste need to follow specific protocol and report what materials they move and specific quantities. Keeping detailed records of weights of hauled materials is important for meeting EPA requirements.
One salient way to stay on top of waste management is with waste software that works with your company’s scales. Generating a scale ticket is important for the immediate future but keeping records for the long term keeps your company up to date for reporting, making business decisions and demonstrating to the EPA that your company is following proper procedures.
RCRA
The Resource Conversation and Recovery Act (RCRA) was designed to regulate hazardous waste by governing the disposal, recycling, and cleanup of dangerous materials. These rules cover recycling and conservation of resources in an environmentally friendly manner, encouraging compliance, and offering flexibility of waste management methods.
Their new standards now cover laboratory waste, cathode ray tubes, household waste, radiological waste, pharmaceutical waste, universal waste, and oil waste. Trucks moving that waste must follow strict standards while on the roads and that is why the weight of the hazardous materials, they are hauling is carefully tracked. If there were to be a spill along the route or if a vehicle went missing, the proper authorities may require specific information about the type and quantity of waste in question.
Often, hazardous waste is relocated to a treatment plant where it can be converted to less harmful material prior to disposal in a landfill or incinerator. Some materials can be safely recycled and the facilities that perform recycling are also strictly regulated since they serve as storage facilities while the materials await the recycling process. The overall goal of the EPA’s rules is to safeguard health and the environment.
Proper Storage
The recycling process allows manufacturers to reuse hazardous chemicals, reducing the need to generate more resources and eliminating the need to bury them. However, if chemicals and waste are not properly stored, they can leak, cause fires, contaminate water and soil. Treatment Storage and Disposal Facilities are highly regulated locations that must measure up to very strict standards of storing and handling waste.
No matter what type of waste you handle, the government will expect you to keep detailed records that store the data they require. You should be able to view your own data against the standards for your industry. You will be required to print bills of lading and loading manifests and retain all data for reporting and generate reports on the fly.
Software will increase transparency, reduce errors, eliminate duplication, and provide you with reports to make better business decisions. Keeping accurate records on physical paper leaves your records to chance. Staying in compliance is easier when not performed manually.
