Virginia Law

A. Variances.

1. Applicability.

a. A person who recycles waste that is managed entirely within the Commonwealth may petition the director to exclude the waste at a particular site from the classification as the solid waste (Parts I (9VAC20-60-12 et seq.) and III (9VAC20-60-124 et seq.) of this chapter). The conditions under which a petition for a variance will be accepted are shown in subdivision 2 of this subsection. The wastes excluded under such petitions may still, however, remain classified as a solid waste for the purposes of other regulations issued by the Virginia Waste Management Board or other agencies of the Commonwealth.

b. A person who generates wastes at a generating site in Virginia and whose waste is subject to federal jurisdiction (e.g., the waste is transported across state boundaries) shall first obtain a favorable decision from the administrator in accordance with Subpart C, 40 CFR Part 260, before his waste may be considered for a variance by the director.

c. A person who recycles materials from a generating site outside the Commonwealth and who causes them to be brought into the Commonwealth for recycling shall first obtain a favorable decision from the administrator in accordance with Subpart C, 40 CFR Part 260, before the waste may be considered for a variance by the director.

d. A person who received a favorable decision from the administrator in the response to a petition for variance or nonwaste determination or a person whose wastes were delisted as a result of a successful petition to the administrator shall provide a notification to the department containing the following information: (i) the petitioner's name and address and (ii) a copy of the administrator's decision.

2. Conditions for a variance. In accordance with the standards and criteria in subsection B of this section and the procedures in 9VAC20-60-1420 B, the director may determine on a case-by-case basis that the following recycled materials are not solid wastes:

a. Materials that are accumulated speculatively without sufficient amounts being recycled (as defined in Part I).

b. Materials that are reclaimed and then reused within the original primary production process in which they were generated.

c. Materials that have been reclaimed but must be reclaimed further before the materials are completely recovered.

d. Hazardous secondary materials that are reclaimed in a continuous industrial process.

e. Hazardous secondary materials that are indistinguishable in all relevant aspects from a product or intermediate.

f. Hazardous secondary materials that are transferred for reclamation under 40 CFR 261.4(a)(24) and are managed at a verified reclamation facility or intermediate facility where the management of the hazardous secondary materials is not addressed under a RCRA Part B permit or interim status standards.

B. Standards and criteria for variances.

1. The director may grant requests for a variance from classifying as a solid waste those materials that are accumulated speculatively without sufficient amounts being recycled if the applicant demonstrates that sufficient amounts of the material will be recycled or transferred for recycling in the following year. If a variance is granted, it is valid only for the following year, but can be renewed on an annual basis by filing a new application. The director's decision will be based on the following criteria:

a. The manner in which the material is expected to be recycled, and when the material is expected to be recycled, and whether this expected disposition is likely to occur (for example, because of past practice, market factors, the nature of the material, or contractual arrangement for recycling);

b. The reason that the applicant has accumulated the material for one or more years without recycling 75% of the volume accumulated at the beginning of the year;

c. The quantity of material already accumulated and the quantity expected to be generated and accumulated before the material is recycled;

d. The extent to which the material is handled to minimize loss; and

e. Other relevant factors.

2. The director may grant requests for a variance from classifying as a solid waste those materials that are reclaimed and then reused as feedstock within the original production process in which the materials were generated if the reclamation operation is an essential part of the production process. This determination will be based on the following criteria:

a. How economically viable the production process would be if it were to use virgin materials, rather than reclaimed materials;

b. The prevalence of the practice on an industry-wide basis;

c. The extent to which the material is handled before reclamation to minimize loss;

d. The time periods between generating the material and its reclamation, and between reclamation and return to the original primary production process;

e. The location of the reclamation operation in relation to the production process;

f. Whether the reclaimed material is used for the purpose for which it was originally produced when it is returned to the original process, and whether it is returned to the process in substantially its original form;

g. Whether the person who generates the material also reclaims it; and

h. Other relevant factors.

3. The director may grant requests for a variance from classifying as a solid waste those hazardous secondary materials that have been partially reclaimed but must be reclaimed further before recovery is completed if the partial reclamation has produced a commodity-like material. A determination that a partially reclaimed material for which the variance is sought is commodity-like will be based on whether the hazardous secondary material is legitimately recycled as specified in 40 CFR 260.43 and on whether all of the following decision criteria are satisfied:

a. Whether the degree of partial reclamation the material has undergone is substantial as demonstrated by using a partial reclamation process other than the process that generated the hazardous waste;

b. Whether the partially reclaimed material has sufficient economic value that it will be purchased for further reclamation;

c. Whether the partially reclaimed material is a viable substitute for a product or intermediate produced from virgin or raw materials that is used in subsequent production steps;

d. Whether there is a market for the partially reclaimed material as demonstrated by known customer or customers who are further reclaiming the material (e.g., records of sales or contracts and evidence of subsequent use, such as bills of lading); and

e. Whether the partially reclaimed material is handled to minimize loss.

4. The director may grant requests for a variance from classifying as a solid waste those hazardous secondary materials that are transferred for reclamation under 40 CFR 261.4(a)(24) and are managed at a verified reclamation facility or intermediate facility where the management of the hazardous secondary materials is not addressed under a RCRA Part B permit or interim status standards. The director's decision will be based on the following criteria:

a. The reclamation facility or intermediate facility must demonstrate that the reclamation process for the hazardous secondary materials is legitimate pursuant to 40 CFR 260.43;

b. The reclamation facility or intermediate facility must satisfy the financial assurance condition in 40 CFR 261.4(a)(24)(vi)(F);

c. The reclamation facility or intermediate facility must not be subject to a formal enforcement action in the previous three years and not be classified as a significant noncomplier under RCRA Subtitle C, or must provide credible evidence that the facility will manage the hazardous secondary materials properly. Credible evidence may include a demonstration that the facility has taken remedial steps to address the violations and prevent future violations, or that the violations are not relevant to the proper management of the hazardous secondary materials;

d. The intermediate or reclamation facility must have the equipment and trained personnel needed to safely manage the hazardous secondary material and must meet emergency preparedness and response requirements under 40 CFR Part 261 Subpart M;

e. If residuals are generated from the reclamation of the excluded hazardous secondary materials, the reclamation facility must have the permits required (if any) to manage the residuals, have a contract with an appropriately permitted facility to dispose of the residuals, or present credible evidence that the residuals will be managed in a manner that is protective of human health and the environment; and

f. The intermediate or reclamation facility must address the potential for risk to proximate populations from unpermitted releases of the hazardous secondary material to the environment (i.e., releases that are not covered by a permit, such as a permit to discharge to water or air), which may include potential releases through surface transport by precipitation runoff, releases to soil and groundwater, wind-blown dust, fugitive air emissions, and catastrophic unit failures, and must include consideration of potential cumulative risks from other nearby potential stressors.

5. An applicant may apply to the administrator for a formal determination that a hazardous secondary material is not discarded and therefore not a solid waste (i.e., nonwaste determination). The determinations will be based on the criteria contained in subdivision B 6 or B 7 of this section, as applicable. If an application is denied, the hazardous secondary material might still be eligible for a solid waste variance or exclusion (e.g., one of the solid waste variances under this section). Determinations may also be granted by the director if the state is either authorized for this provision or if the following conditions are met:

a. The director determines the hazardous secondary material meets the criteria in subdivision B 6 or B 7 of this section, as applicable;

b. The state requests that EPA review its determination; and

c. EPA approves the state determination.

6. The director may grant a nonwaste determination for hazardous secondary material that is reclaimed in a continuous industrial process if the applicant demonstrates that the hazardous secondary material is a part of the production process and is not discarded. The determination will be based on whether the hazardous secondary material is legitimately recycled as specified in 40 CFR 260.43 and on the following criteria:

a. The extent that the management of the hazardous secondary material is part of the continuous primary production process and is not waste treatment;

b. Whether the capacity of the production process would use the hazardous secondary material in a reasonable timeframe and ensure that the hazardous secondary material will not be abandoned (e.g., based on past practices, market factors, the nature of the hazardous secondary material, or any contractual arrangements);

c. Whether the hazardous constituents in the hazardous secondary material are reclaimed rather than released to the air, water, or land at significantly higher levels from either a statistical or from a health and environmental risk perspective than would otherwise be released by the production process; and

d. Other relevant factors that demonstrate the hazardous secondary material is not discarded, including why the hazardous secondary material cannot meet, or should not have to meet, the conditions of an exclusion under 40 CFR 261.2 or 40 CFR 261.4.

7. The director may grant a nonwaste determination for hazardous secondary material that is indistinguishable in all relevant aspects from a product or intermediate if the applicant demonstrates that the hazardous secondary material is comparable to a product or intermediate and is not discarded. The determination will be based on whether the hazardous secondary material is legitimately recycled as specified in 40 CFR 260.43 and on the following criteria:

a. Whether market participants treat the hazardous secondary material as a product or intermediate rather than a waste (e.g., based on the current positive value of the hazardous secondary material, stability of demand, or any contractual arrangements);

b. Whether the chemical and physical identity of the hazardous secondary material is comparable to commercial products or intermediates;

c. Whether the capacity of the market would use the hazardous secondary material in a reasonable timeframe and ensure that the hazardous secondary material will not be abandoned (e.g., based on past practices, market factors, the nature of the hazardous secondary material, or any contractual arrangements);

d. Whether the hazardous constituents in the hazardous secondary material are reclaimed rather than released to the air, water, or land at significantly higher levels from either a statistical or from a health and environmental risk perspective than would otherwise be released by the production process; and

e. Other relevant factors that demonstrate the hazardous secondary material is not discarded, including why the hazardous secondary material cannot meet, or should not have to meet, the conditions of an exclusion under 40 CFR 261.2 or 40 CFR 261.4.