The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery in the Office of Land and Emergency Management is initiating consultation with federally recognized Tribes on universal waste regulations for solar panels and lithium batteries under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Specifically, the EPA intends to propose new rules to improve the recycling and management of end-of-life solar panels and lithium batteries by adding new categories for these materials to the universal waste regulations. The EPA’s universal waste regulations streamline the hazardous waste management standards for certain categories of hazardous waste that are commonly generated by a wide variety of establishments. Adding solar panels to the universal waste regulations should benefit the wide variety of establishments generating and managing solar panel waste by providing a clear, practical system for handling discarded solar panels. These regulations are expected to promote the collection and recycling of solar panels and encourage the development of municipal and commercial programs to reduce the quantity of these wastes going to municipal solid waste landfills. Within the same rulemaking package, the EPA is proposing universal waste standards specially tailored for lithium batteries, separate from the existing general battery universal waste category. This change in the RCRA regulations would improve safety standards and reduce fires from end-of-life lithium batteries, while continuing to promote recycling.
To assist you with deciding whether to request consultation, the EPA will host an informational webinar for Tribes to explain the Agency’s plan for adding new universal waste categories for solar panels and lithium batteries. The Agency invites you or your designated representative(s) to attend the Tribal webinar to learn more about these proposed changes and ask questions.
Date: Thursday, May 2, 2024
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. ET
(1 pm CT/Noon MT/11 am PT/10 am AK)
The EPA invites interested Tribal governments to consult with us prior to issuance of the proposed rule for public comment. To initiate government-to-government consultation with the EPA or if you have questions related to the proposed rule, please contact Phoebe O’Connor by phone at (202) 566-1451 or by email at OConnor.Phoebe@epa.gov by May 31, 2024.