Laserfiche WebLink
Guide for Appliance Recyclers June 2004 <br />If a package contains more than one pound of mercury, it must be transported in <br />compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) hazardous materials <br />regulations (HMR), which are found in Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts <br />171 — 180. Even if it contains less than one pound of mercury, a package of mercury <br />switches that is shipped by air or water must comply with HMR. <br />In many states, discarded mercury switches are not universal wastes and may instead <br />be fully regulated as hazardous wastes. In most or all of these states, mercury switches <br />produced by generators of less than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of hazardous waste <br />per calendar month are exempt from the uniform hazardous waste manifest <br />requirement. Consequently, these generators' discarded mercury switches are also <br />exempt from DOT's requirements for transporting hazardous wastes. Provided they are <br />not transported by air and are placed in packages that do not exceed one pound of <br />mercury, these generators' switches are.also exempt from HMR. <br />In states where they are not universal waste, discarded mercury switches produced by <br />generators of more than 220 pounds per month of hazardous waste must be shipped <br />with a uniform hazardous waste manifest. <br />If managed as hazardous waste, however, the mercury switches must be transported by <br />a hazardous waste transporter who has: (a) a valid registration with DTSC, (b) must use <br />the uniform hazardous waste manifest, and (c) must deliver the mercury switches to a <br />permitted hazardous waste facility. <br />0 Who will take removed mercury switches? <br />Mercury switches must ultimately go to an authorized "destination facility" where the <br />mercury is recovered from the switches and recycled. The mercury switches that you <br />collect may be transported directly to a destination facility or to a universal waste <br />handler who consolidates the switches before sending them to a recycler. <br />Handlers of universal waste mercury switches may use their current hazardous waste <br />hauler to transport the switches, or they may self -transport the switches. Alternatively, <br />mercury switches may be transported by a commercial carrier that accepts universal <br />waste, as long as the mercury switches are handled as such. Such carriers should be <br />contacted first to determine what their policies are for transporting universal waste. <br />Vendors should be contacted directly to obtain specific guidance about their services <br />and costs. Appendix E lists some of the mercury switch handling and transporting <br />facilities that serve California. Destination facilities that recover and recycle mercury <br />switches and serve California are listed in Appendix F. <br />Do I need to keep records of mercury switches that I send off site for recycling? <br />Yes. If mercury switches are handled as universal waste, a record such as a log, <br />invoice, bill of lading, or other shipping document should be kept for at least three years <br />from the time the mercury switches leave the facility. This record should include the <br />AD <br />