United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA )

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the issuing of a proposed rule on the Agency’s methodology for setting and revising user fees for the hazardous waste electronic manifest (“e-Manifest”) system. According to the EPA, this is a crucial step in the development of a national system in the United States for tracking hazardous waste shipments electronically. The e-Manifest system will improve access to higher quality and more timely shipment data and will significantly reduce burden associated with the current paper system.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of a diverse group of experts to join the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will advise the agency on the development and operation of an electronic system for the tracking of hazardous waste shipments throughout the United States. The Advisory Board will also propose actions for the electronic manifest (e-Manifest) system that will align with the EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy’s e-Enterprise strategy. This will help streamline business processes and systems to reduce reporting burden on states and industry while and providing EPA, states, and the public with easier access to environmental data.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized leading electronics manufacturers and retailers for their significant contributions in diverting electronics from landfills as part of the Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge. Together, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions saved through the recycling efforts of these companies is equivalent to taking more than 112,000 cars off the road for one year.

With the national recycling rate slightly above 34 percent, Americans have the opportunity to capture more material for recycling by recycling correctly. Among the common barriers to recycling more, however, is confusion about what can be recycled.