Maine DEP looks to amend Chapter 415: Reasonable Costs for Handling and Recycling of Electronic Wastes

 

11/12/2015 09:37 AM EST

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is proposing to amend Chapter 415, regarding the handling and recycling of Electronic Waste within the state.
 

The proposed changes and goals are outlined as follows..........

1. Make the Department's rule consistent with Maine's Electronic Waste Law, 38 M.R.S. § 1610, which has been amended since the last time the Department undertook rulemaking (e.g., the term "covered entity" is defined and integrated into the rule);

2. Update and clarify certain definitions, clarify various terms and expectations (codifying the Department's implementation of the Chapter), and remove unnecessary language; 3. Reorganize and clarify various sections of the rule;

4. Update and provide television and game console manufacturers with the opportunity to receive credits for implementing their own independent electronics recycling programs in Maine;

5. Ensure the Department may request records and reports from consolidators- anytime not only when there is a "significant change"-to determine compliance with Maine's Electronic Waste Law and Chapter 415; and

6. Clarify that the Department may request records identifying all downstream handlers of electronics, electronic components, and hazardous waste and also to request shipping records of those materials.