DNREC to Hold Pharmaceutical Rule Training Webinar

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will host a training webinar Tuesday, June 22 to provide guidance for the state’s Pharmaceutical Rule adopted in January 2021, addressing changes to management standards for hazardous waste pharmaceuticals, as well as changes to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Final Rule P075 listing for nicotine waste.

The Pharmaceutical Rule intends to provide streamlined management standards for hazardous waste pharmaceuticals tailored to the health care sector, while protecting human health and the environment. While the training is directed at health care facilities who generate hazardous waste, the public also may attend.

The program will be presented by the DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances’ Compliance and Permitting section. Information about registering for the webinar can be found on the DNREC Events Calendar. The training webinar will be recorded and along with presentation materials, will be available on the DNREC website afterward.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn .

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

###

DNREC Issues Corrective Action Permit to Diamond State Port Corporation for Former Chemours Edgemoor Site

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has issued a permit to the Diamond State Port Corporation (DSPC) to continue corrective actions at the former Chemours Edgemoor industrial facility in redeveloping it as a shipping container facility. The corrective actions are required under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), with authority for implementing the act delegated to the state of Delaware.

The plant site, located at 4600 Hay Road, Edgemoor, was sold by Chemours to the DSPC in 2017. The plant was demolished by Chemours prior to the sale, and all applicable permits were transferred to the DSPC. The permit issued today by DNREC is a renewal of the prior corrective action permit. It will require asphalt capping of most of the site; contaminated materials management plan during site construction; continued implementation of the post-closure care plan for closed surface impoundments; and establishment of an environmental covenant upon remedy completion.

The site and its associated titanium dioxide pigment production facility has been regulated under the Delaware Hazardous Waste Program throughout its recent operational history. The approximately 115-acre site comprises two parcels. The larger 112-acre parcel is bounded by the Delaware River to the east; by Interstate 495 and Hay Road to the west; by Fox Point State Park to the north and by industrial sites to the south. The much smaller 3-acre parcel is located across Hay Road from the larger parcel and the former facility’s main gate.

The new permit issued to the Diamond State Port Corp. will include the requirements for providing ongoing cap maintenance, environmental monitoring and financial assurance.
The actions required in the permit issued by DNREC today provides additional assurance for protecting human health and the environment during redevelopment of the site and its proposed use as a shipping container facility.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

###

DNREC Holds Generator Improvement Rule Training Webinar

The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances’ Compliance and Permitting section will host a Hazardous Waste Generator Improvement Rule training webinar April 19 and April 21 for the state’s large quantity generators of hazardous waste and for small and very small quantity generators of hazardous waste.

The training is being offered in two sessions – the April 19 session will focus on topics related to large quantity generators of hazardous waste, while the April 21 session will focus on small and very small quantity generators. Both two-hour afternoon sessions will cover changes to the Universal Waste Rule, used oil management, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Info industry application.

Information to register for both sessions can be found on the DNREC online calendar. Attendees are welcome to register for one or both sessions.

Both sessions will be recorded. Presentation materials and recordings will be available on the DNREC website after the training. The final amendments to Delaware’s Regulations Governing Hazardous Waste can be viewed online.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

###

DNREC Launches “Recyclopedia” to Increase Recycling

A new online resource to help Delawareans take the guesswork out of recycling has been unveiled by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. The new tool, Recyclopedia, helps the public and businesses determine the quickest and easiest ways to recycle materials that would otherwise go to a landfill.

The web-based application offers an easy-to-navigate, pictorial guide for more than 200 commonly used recyclables and where those can be recycled depending on the user’s ZIP code. Whether by computer, tablet, phone or other device, Delawareans and businesses can choose or search for an item and quickly find where it should be recycled.

“Recyclopedia is a new and exciting way DNREC is harnessing technology to reduce the amount of recyclables sent to our landfills,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “One of our challenges is confusion about what and how to recycle. Recyclopedia is a one-stop resource to help everyone know how to recycle right.”

The public can determine whether items should go in the trash, or to a curbside or drop-off location.

For example, conduct a search for milk jugs and learn they are “Acceptable” to put in a curbside recycling cart. The program also informs the user to keep the cap on the jug. A search for coffee cups shows they are “Not Acceptable” to put in curbside recycling. Batteries are “NOT Acceptable” either. Instead, batteries should be brought to a DSWA Household Hazardous Waste collection event. They can also find out where those solutions would be available depending on their ZIP code.

The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances hired software developer iWasteNot Systems to develop Delaware’s Recyclopedia. The tool is dynamic, and based on both user interaction and DNREC staff research, will be updated regularly to ensure solutions and opportunities for recycling are up-to-date. It is available in more than 100 languages.

Learn more about Recyclopedia by visiting http://de.gov/recycling.

Media Contacts: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

###

Investigation of Closed Solvay Polymer Facility

DNREC Reaches Settlement with Company for Investigation, Possible Remediation at Site

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control today announced a settlement with Solvay Specialty Polymers USA, LLC to address perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) allegedly released from the company’s facility in the Marshallton area of New Castle County.

On Sept. 11, 2020 DNREC notified Solvay that it is a potentially responsible party (PRP) for the alleged PFAS release and offered the company an opportunity to enter DNREC’s Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) in accordance with Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act (HSCA) regulations.

Solvay is an international company that recently closed and decommissioned its facility located at 800 Greenbank Road in Marshallton. Solvay processed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) by irradiating the PTFE feedstock, then milling it to a fine powder that was sold as product.

Under the terms of the settlement, Solvay must perform a comprehensive environmental investigation at the site and at potentially affected surrounding areas under the oversight of DNREC’s Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances. Based on the results of the remedial investigation, an appropriate remedy will be proposed to address any soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater contamination which may be discovered at the site and in the surrounding areas affected by a release from the Solvay plant. At present, DNREC’s soil, sediment, and surface-water testing has not identified any known potential for health concerns for residents in the surrounding neighborhood or along Red Clay Creek.

To view the settlement, visit the DNREC website at https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/secretarys-orders/enforcement/.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. The Division of Air Quality monitors and regulates all emissions to the air. For more information, visit the website and connect with DNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

###