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Mineral Processing Wastes
This Web page is intended to provide compliance assistance to the mineral processing sector, and to assist state regulators and the public in understanding the federal requirements on the disposal of mineral processing wastes. Regulation affecting mineral processing wastes was developed through a long process covering the period 1980 to 1991. It involved numerous proposed and final rule makings and federal litigation. If a company is generating non-exempt hazardous wastes, it may need to obtain a permit from an authorized state or EPA Region. See November 2000 Enforcement Alert (PDF): (4 pp, 47K, About PDF) regarding permitting.
Due to the complicated history and evolution of the regulation of mineral processing wastes, answering the simple question of which wastes are regulated can be complex. Users should refer to the regulation and supporting documents to determine if these requirements apply to them. However, the following questions and answers may help clarify the 1980 Bevill amendment to the Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA):
- What is Mining?
- What is Mineral Processing?
- What is the Bevill Exclusion to RCRA?
- What is the Definition of Extraction and Beneficiation?
- What is the Definition of Mineral Processing?
- What are the Basic Steps in Making Bevill Determinations?
For additional information on the regulation of mineral processing wastes, please review the complete Bevill Amendment Issues Training page, which is used by EPA to train industry and state regulators on how the EPA regulates solid and hazardous wastes from the extraction, beneficiation, and processing of ores and minerals.
The rest of the materials noted below include all of the federal rulemakings related to the regulation of mineral processing wastes, the Reports to Congress, which were issued to support those rulemakings, Opinion letters issued by EPA which explain how the regulations apply to specific companies or to specific wastes, technical support documents that were issued to support the rulemakings, a listing of related rulemakings, and useful links to web sites containing related information about mineral processing.
- Federal Rulemaking Documents - official federal rules on the regulation of mineral processing wastes
- Related Rulemaking - Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR) Phase IV and Final Inorganics Listing Rule
- Reports to Congress - 1985 and 1990 reports on regulation of mineral processing wastes
- Opinion Letters - series of opinion letters issued by EPA interpreting how the Bevill rules apply at specific facilities, written at the request of states or industry.
- Technical Support Documents - prepared to support various positions or clarify technical issues related to each federal rule
- Identification and Description of Mineral Processing Sectors and Waste
Streams - Final Technical Background Document - Technical Documents related to Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR) Phase IV
- Technical Documents related to the Final Inorganics Listing Rule
- Identification and Description of Mineral Processing Sectors and Waste
- Useful Links Related to the Regulation of Mineral Processing Wastes
Companies seeking clarification on the regulatory status of wastes from a specific mineral processing facility should consult with their RCRA authorized state agency or their EPA regional office.
This site focuses only on the regulation of mineral processing wastes and does not provide information on specific wastes, nor does it provide information on wastes from metal foundries or iron and steel electric arc furnace facilities.
Useful Links related to the Regulation of Mineral Processing Wastes
- Visit EPA's Environmental Management System page to learn more about Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) for businesses, associations, the public, and state and federal agencies
Additional information on general pollution prevention topics can be found at EPA's Pollution Prevention site and the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance's (OECA) Pollution Prevention site.
National Environmental Compliance Assistance Clearinghouse - An on-line resource providing easy access to comprehensive public and private compliance assistance materials. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) gave EPA the authority to control hazardous waste from the "cradle-to-grave." This includes the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA also set forth a framework for the management of non-hazardous wastes.
Visit RCRA Online to locate documents, including publications and other outreach materials, that cover a wide range of RCRA issues and topics,
Call the RCRA Call Center - to access up-to-date information on several EPA programs and make requests for relevant publications and information resources.
Sector Notebooks are plain language booklets that describe environmental problems associated with major US industries.
Superfund Site: National Priorities List (NPL) Advanced Query Form
Locate NPL sites, check their cleanup progress, and get information on new and proposed NPL sites.