Waste minimization applications for capacity shortfall reduction in Puerto Rico

Section 104 (c)(9) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended, requires all states and territories to assure that adequate hazardous waste management capacity for waste generated within the state will be available during the next 20 years. Capacity assurance plans (CAPs) submitted to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) form the basis for the assurance of capacity in any contract or cooperative agreement for remedial actions between the state and the EPA Administrator. The EPA Administrator determines whether or not the capacity assurances provided in the CAP are adequate. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico submitted its CAP to EPA on February 15, 1992. The CAP predicts that there will be capacity shortfalls at commercial facilities for several waste management categories in each of the three projection years. CDM Federal investigated several options for reducing these shortfalls, including source reduction/waste minimization activities. The primary focus was to identify those waste minimization activities that would have the greatest impact on reducing the projected capacity shortfalls. To do this, the waste streams whose reduction would cause the greatest reduction in the projected capacity shortfalls were first identified. For example, in the future metals recovery is projected to havemore » an annual capacity shortfall of 7,835 tons.« less