Delay of the Definition of Solid Waste Final Rule

A coalition of 103 environmental and health organizations is urging the EPA to finalize the Definition of Solid Waste (DSW) rule, arguing that delays in regulation have led to significant environmental damage and disproportionately impacted low-income communities and people of color.

• The EPA is currently in violation of a settlement agreement that mandated the issuance of the Final DSW Rule by December 31, 2012.
• Hazardous waste recycling has resulted in over 200 documented instances of environmental damage from toxic releases since 1982, with many sites appearing on the Superfund National Priority List.
• The EPA determined that most contamination occurred when recycling operations were exempt from full compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
• The DSW Rule affects the management of approximately 1.8 million tons of hazardous waste, primarily impacting low-income communities and communities of color.
• Statistical evidence from 2011 shows that facilities using 2008 DSW exemptions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Iowa are located in communities with a higher percentage of people of color than state averages.
• In Illinois and Idaho, every hazardous waste recycling facility utilizing the regulatory exemption is situated in a low-income community.
• People of color are 2.6 times more likely to live very close to a site contaminated by hazardous waste recycling and twice as likely to live within three kilometers of a hazardous waste facility compared to white individuals.
• Low-income individuals are twice as likely as those with moderate or high incomes to live within three kilometers of a contaminated site and 1.5 times as likely to live within three kilometers of a hazardous waste facility.

APA

Earthjustice (2013). Delay of the Definition of Solid Waste Final Rule. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/dsw-letter.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Delay of the Definition of Solid Waste Final Rule. 2013. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/dsw-letter.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=Delay of the Definition of Solid Waste Final Rule |date=12 February 2013 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/dsw-letter.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2013delay, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Delay of the Definition of Solid Waste Final Rule}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2013}, month = feb, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/dsw-letter.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }