Brazil has recently seen significant updates to solid waste management regulations at the national level. These include new regulations which address: the qualification criteria of managing entities; the qualification...more
The Washington Supreme Court recently denied review of a key decision from the Washington Court of Appeals, Division II, upholding the authority of local governments to regulate solid waste generated and collected within...more
The New Hampshire Legislature has passed legislation that would prohibit the disposal of lithium-ion batteries and electronic devices in any solid waste landfill or incinerator in New Hampshire. See House Bill 1386-FN. ...more
Massachusetts residents and businesses dispose of enough trash yearly to fill up about 31 Fenway Parks. Despite decades of government policies to reduce waste, we continue throwing away about six million tons of waste each...more
As lithium-based batteries become more prevalent in everything from electric vehicles (EVs) to industrial-scale batteries, as well as e-scooters and personal electronics, more questions arise regarding how to properly manage...more
A bill amending the Alabama Solid Wastes and Recyclable Materials Management Act by specifying when local approval of solid waste disposal permit modifications is necessary has passed both houses of the Alabama Legislature...more
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (“ADEM”) issued a proposed Order to Yellow Dumpster LLC (“Yellow Dumpster”). The Order provides that Yellow Dumpster is a waste disposal service located in Montgomery,...more
The Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment – Division of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) and Get Rid of It of America Corp. (“Get Rid of It”) entered into a March 14th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing...more
Late last year, California enacted significant new restrictions on products and packaging bearing recyclability claims, including the chasing-arrows symbol commonly used to connote that packaging is recyclable. In order to...more
The Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment – Division of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) announced in a news release that it will host a stakeholder meeting on September 27th (tomorrow) to discuss the preliminary draft...more
In a significant course-correction, a Ninth Circuit panel recently revisited its prior opinion in California River Watch v. City of Vacaville, (14 F.4th 1076 (9th Cir. 2021) (“Vacaville I”)), where the Court previously held...more
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (“TDEC”) issued a March 10th proposed Director’s Order and Assessment (“Order”) to West Star Aviation, LLC, (“West Star”) addressing alleged violations of the Tennessee...more
Perhaps not as glamorous as the Times Square crystal ball, but something else drops at the start of the New Year: The threshold for mandated food waste separation and recycling by certain industrial and commercial facilities...more
The United States District Court for the District of Texas (“Court”) addressed in an August 4th Opinion issues arising out of a solid waste storage and recycling facility/shingle pile in Dallas, Texas. See Marsha Jackson v....more
The Ninth Circuit recently issued a decision in Cal. River Watch v. City of Vacaville (Case No. 20-16605) (“Vacaville”) regarding the breadth of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) liability for contributing to...more
The 93rd Arkansas General Assembly convened for regular session on January 11th. House Bill 1704 (“HB 1704”) would prohibit municipalities and counties from restricting the use of “auxiliary containers” except in...more
The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment – Division of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) and Mack Armstrong (“Armstrong”) entered into a September 10th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing alleged violations...more
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (“ISRI”) issued its 2019 Recycling Industry Yearbook (“Yearbook”). The 2019 edition is the eighth year that ISRI has published a Yearbook on this topic....more
“Operation Pay Dirt” was a joint investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), and the Suffolk County Police Department. It investigated...more
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported in a November 15th article that the Benton County Regional Solid Waste Management District (“Benton District”) will petition the Arkansas Supreme Court to address a dispute with the...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Last week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a “streamlined system” for managing hazardous waste aerosol cans as Universal Waste. The Agency believes that the new system will be...more
The Arkansas Court of Appeals (“Court”) addressed in an October 30th opinion a dispute between the Benton County Regional Solid Waste Management District (“Benton District”) and the Boston Mountain Regional Solid Waste...more
My law firm colleague Stuart Spencer undertook a presentation at the Arkansas Environmental Federation 52nd Annual Convention and Trade Show on October 17th in Hot Springs titled: Recycling: Impacts on State, Changing...more
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (“ADEQ”) and Stephens Paper Company, LLC (“Stephens”) entered into an August 22nd Consent Administrator Order (“CAO”) addressing alleged violations of Arkansas Pollution...more
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (“ADEQ”) and Southside School District (“District”) entered into a June 6th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing alleged violations of Arkansas Pollution Control and...more