Since March 24, 2011 the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (ME DEP) policy has offered an option for management of solvent-contaminated wipes (wipers in ME DEP policy) for generators of hazardous waste.  In the absence of a comparable exclusion in USEPA regulations, this state policy held the force of regulations for ME businesses.  That changed with the USEPA’s announcement July 23, 2013 of a conditional exclusion for both disposable and reusable solvent-contaminated wipes effective January 31, 2014 (read about the Federal Rule).

The DEP regulates environmental protection in Maine

These Federal regulations force ME DEP (and all other states without an authorized hazardous waste program) to choose between adopting the new regulations as is or to create its own – possibly more stringent – state regulations.  Continuing the management of solvent contaminated wipes as a state “policy” is no longer acceptable for Maine businesses.  I was informed by Michael Hudson of ME DEP on March 24, 2014 that Maine is expected to adopt the new Federal rule – as is – into its state regulations some time before July 2015, possibly in 2014.  Until then, per Michael Hudson, Maine businesses have two options:

• Comply with the new Federal Rule.
• Continue to comply with the ME DEP policy until the Federal Rule is adopted into state regulations.

Read on for a summary of the ME DEP Policy for Solvent Contaminated Wipers. (more…)