§ 262.83 - Exports of hazardous waste.

§ 262.83 Exports of hazardous waste.

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 89 FR 60726, July 26, 2024.

(a) General export requirements. Except as provided in paragraphs (a)(5) and (6) of this section, exporters that have received an AOC from EPA before December 31, 2016 are subject to that approval and the requirements listed in the AOC that existed at the time of that approval until such time the approval period expires. All other exports of hazardous waste are prohibited unless:

(1) The exporter complies with the contract requirements in paragraph (f) of this section;

(2) The exporter complies with the notification requirements in paragraph (b) of this section;

(3) The exporter receives an AOC from EPA documenting consent from the countries of import and transit (and original country of export if exporting previously imported hazardous waste);

(4) The exporter ensures compliance with the movement documents requirements in paragraph (d) of this section;

(5) The exporter ensures compliance with the manifest instructions for export shipments in paragraph (c) of this section; and

(6) The exporter or a U.S. authorized agent:

(i) For shipments initiated prior to the AES filing compliance date, does one of the following:

(A) Submits Electronic Export Information (EEI) for each shipment to the Automated Export System (AES) or its successor system, under the International Trade Data System (ITDS) platform, in accordance with 15 CFR 30.4(b), and includes the following items in the EEI, along with the other information required under 15 CFR 30.6:

(1) EPA license code;

(2) Commodity classification code for each hazardous waste per 15 CFR 30.6(a)(12);

(3) EPA consent number for each hazardous waste;

(4) Country of ultimate destination code per 15 CFR 30.6(a)(5);

(5) Date of export per 15 CFR 30.6(a)(2);

(6) RCRA hazardous waste manifest tracking number, if required;

(7) Quantity of each hazardous waste in shipment and units for reported quantity, if required reporting units established by value for the reported commodity classification number are in units of weight or volume per 15 CFR 30.6(a)(15); or

(8) EPA net quantity for each hazardous waste reported in units of kilograms if solid or in units of liters if liquid, if required reporting units established by value for the reported commodity classification number are not in units of weight or volume.

(B) Complies with a paper-based process by:

(1) Attaching paper documentation of consent (i.e., a copy of the EPA Acknowledgment of Consent, international movement document) to the manifest, or shipping papers if a manifest is not required, which must accompany the hazardous waste shipment. For exports by rail or water (bulk shipment), the primary exporter must provide the transporter with the paper documentation of consent which must accompany the hazardous waste but which need not be attached to the manifest except that for exports by water (bulk shipment) the primary exporter must attach the paper documentation of consent to the shipping paper.

(2) Providing the transporter with an additional copy of the manifest, and instructing the transporter via mail, email or fax to deliver that copy to the U.S. Customs official at the point the hazardous waste leaves the United States in accordance with 40 CFR 263.20(g)(4)(ii)

(ii) For shipments initiated on or after the AES filing compliance date, submits Electronic Export Information (EEI) for each shipment to the Automated Export System (AES) or its successor system, under the International Trade Data System (ITDS) platform, in accordance with 15 CFR 30.4(b), and includes the following items in the EEI, along with the other information required under 15 CFR 30.6:

(A) EPA license code;

(B) Commodity classification code for each hazardous waste per 15 CFR 30.6(a)(12);

(C) EPA consent number for each hazardous waste;

(D) Country of ultimate destination code per 15 CFR 30.6(a)(5);

(E) Date of export per 15 CFR 30.6(a)(2);

(F) RCRA hazardous waste manifest tracking number, if required;

(G) Quantity of each hazardous waste in shipment and units for reported quantity, if required reporting units established by value for the reported commodity classification number are in units of weight or volume per 15 CFR 30.6(a)(15); or

(H) EPA net quantity for each hazardous waste reported in units of kilograms if solid or in units of liters if liquid, if required reporting units established by value for the reported commodity classification number are not in units of weight or volume.

(b) Notifications —

(1) General notifications. At least sixty (60) days before the first shipment of hazardous waste is expected to leave the United States, the exporter must provide notification in English to EPA of the proposed transboundary movement. Notifications must be submitted electronically using EPA's Waste Import Export Tracking System (WIETS), or its successor system. The notification may cover up to one year of shipments of one or more hazardous wastes being sent to the same recovery or disposal facility, and must include all of the following information:

(i) Exporter name and EPA identification number, address, telephone, fax numbers, and email address;

(ii) Foreign receiving facility name, address, telephone, fax numbers, email address, technologies employed, and the applicable recovery or disposal operations as defined in § 262.81;

(iii) Foreign importer name (if not the owner or operator of the foreign receiving facility), address, telephone, fax numbers, and email address;

(iv) Intended transporter(s) and/or their agent(s); address, telephone, fax, and email address;

(v) “U.S.” as the country of export name, “USA01” as the relevant competent authority code, and the intended U.S. port(s) of exit;

(vi) The ISO standard 3166 country name 2-digit code, OECD/Basel competent authority code, and the ports of entry and exit for each country of transit;

(vii) The ISO standard 3166 country name 2-digit code, OECD/Basel competent authority code, and port of entry for the country of import;

(viii) Statement of whether the notification covers a single shipment or multiple shipments;

(ix) Start and End Dates requested for transboundary movements;

(x) Means of transport planned to be used;

(xi) Description(s) of each hazardous waste, including whether each hazardous waste is regulated universal waste under 40 CFR part 273, or the state equivalent, spent lead-acid batteries being exported for recovery of lead under 40 CFR part 266, subpart G, or the state equivalent, or industrial ethyl alcohol being exported for reclamation under 40 CFR 261.6(a)(3)(i), or the state equivalent, estimated total quantity of each waste in either metric tons or cubic meters, the applicable RCRA waste code(s) for each hazardous waste, the applicable OECD waste code from the lists incorporated by reference in 40 CFR 260.11, and the United Nations/U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) ID number for each waste;

(xii) Specification of the recovery or disposal operation(s) as defined in § 262.81.

(xiii) Certification/Declaration signed by the exporter that states:

I certify that the above information is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge. I also certify that legally enforceable written contractual obligations have been entered into and that any applicable insurance or other financial guarantee is or shall be in force covering the transboundary movement.

Name:

Signature:

Date:

(2) Exports to pre-consented recovery facilities in OECD Member countries. If the recovery facility is located in an OECD member country and has been pre-consented by the competent authority of the OECD member country to recover the waste sent by exporters located in other OECD member countries, the notification may cover up to three years of shipments. Notifications proposing export to a pre-consented facility in an OECD member country must include all information listed in paragraphs (b)(1)(i) through (b)(1)(xiii) of this section and additionally state that the facility is pre-consented. Exporters must submit the notification to EPA using the allowable methods listed in paragraph (b)(1) of this section at least ten days before the first shipment is expected to leave the United States.

(3) Notifications listing interim recycling operations or interim disposal operations. If the foreign receiving facility listed in paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section will engage in any of the interim recovery operations R12 or R13 or interim disposal operations D13 through D15, or in the case of transboundary movements with Canada, any of the interim recovery operations R12, R13, or RC3, or interim disposal operations D13 to D14, or D15, the notification submitted according to paragraph (b)(1) of this section must also include the final foreign recovery or disposal facility name, address, telephone, fax numbers, email address, technologies employed, and which of the applicable recovery or disposal operations R1 through R11 and D1 through D12, or in the case of transboundary movements with Canada, which of the applicable recovery or disposal operations R1 through R11, RC1 to RC2, D1 through D12, and DC1 to DC2 will be employed at the final foreign recovery or disposal facility. The recovery and disposal operations in this paragraph are defined in § 262.81.

(4) Renotifications. When the exporter wishes to change any of the information specified on the original notification (including increasing the estimate of the total quantity of hazardous waste specified in the original notification or adding transporters), the exporter must submit a renotification of the changes to EPA using the allowable methods in paragraph (b)(1) of this section. Any shipment using the requested changes cannot take place until the countries of import and transit consent to the changes and the exporter receives an EPA AOC letter documenting the countries' consents to the changes.

(5) For cases where the proposed country of import and recovery or disposal operations are not covered under an international agreement to which both the United States and the country of import are parties, EPA will coordinate with the Department of State to provide the complete notification to country of import and any countries of transit. In all other cases, EPA will provide the notification directly to the country of import and any countries of transit. A notification is complete when EPA receives a notification which EPA determines satisfies the requirements of paragraphs (b)(1)(i) through (xiii) of this section.

(6) Where the countries of import and transit consent to the proposed transboundary movement(s) of the hazardous waste(s), EPA will forward an EPA AOC letter to the exporter documenting the countries' consents. Where any of the countries of import and transit objects to the proposed transboundary movement(s) of the hazardous waste or withdraws a prior consent, EPA will notify the exporter.

(7) Export of hazardous wastes for recycling or disposal operations that were originally imported into the United States for recycling or disposal operations in a third country is prohibited unless an exporter in the United States complies with the export requirements in § 262.83, including providing notification to EPA in accordance with paragraph (b)(1) of this section. In addition to listing all required information in paragraphs (b)(1)(i) through (b)(1)(xiii) of this section, the exporter must provide the original consent number issued for the initial import of the wastes in the notification, and receive an AOC from EPA documenting the consent of the competent authorities in new country of import, the original country of export, and any transit countries prior to re-export.

(8) Upon request by EPA, the exporter must furnish to EPA any additional information which the country of import requests in order to respond to a notification.

(c) RCRA manifest instructions for export shipments. The exporter must comply with the manifest requirements of §§ 262.20 through 262.23 except that:

(1) In lieu of the name, site address and EPA ID number of the designated permitted facility, the exporter must enter the name and site address of the foreign receiving facility;

(2) In the International Shipments block, the exporter must check the export box and enter the U.S. port of exit (city and State) from the United States.

(3) The exporter must list the consent number from the AOC for each hazardous waste listed on the manifest, matched to the relevant list number for the hazardous waste from block 9b. If additional space is needed, the exporter should use a Continuation Sheet(s) (EPA Form 8700-22A).

(4) The exporter may obtain the manifest from any source that is registered with the U.S. EPA as a supplier of manifests (e.g., states, waste handlers, and/or commercial forms printers).

(d) Movement document requirements for export shipments.

(1) All exporters must ensure that a movement document meeting the conditions of paragraph (d)(2) of this section accompanies each transboundary movement of hazardous wastes from the initiation of the shipment until it reaches the foreign receiving facility, including cases in which the hazardous waste is stored and/or sorted by the foreign importer prior to shipment to the foreign receiving facility, except as provided in paragraphs (d)(1)(i) and (ii) of this section.

(i) For shipments of hazardous waste within the United States solely by water (bulk shipments only), the exporter must forward the movement document to the last water (bulk shipment) transporter to handle the hazardous waste in the United States if exported by water.

(ii) For rail shipments of hazardous waste within the United States which start from the company originating the export shipment, the exporter must forward the movement document to the next non-rail transporter, if any, or the last rail transporter to handle the hazardous waste in the United States if exported by rail.

(2) The movement document must include the following paragraphs (d)(2)(i) through (xv) of this section:

(i) The corresponding consent number(s) and hazardous waste number(s) for the listed hazardous waste from the relevant EPA AOC(s);

(ii) The shipment number and the total number of shipments from the EPA AOC;

(iii) Exporter name and EPA identification number, address, telephone, fax numbers, and email address;

(iv) Foreign receiving facility name, address, telephone, fax numbers, email address, technologies employed, and the applicable recovery or disposal operations as defined in § 262.81;

(v) Foreign importer name (if not the owner or operator of the foreign receiving facility), address, telephone, fax numbers, and email address;

(vi) Description(s) of each hazardous waste, quantity of each hazardous waste in the shipment, applicable RCRA hazardous waste code(s) for each hazardous waste, applicable OECD waste code for each hazardous waste from the lists incorporated by reference in 40 CFR 260.11, and the United Nations/U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) ID number for each hazardous waste;

(vii) Date movement commenced;

(viii) Name (if not exporter), address, telephone, fax numbers, and email of company originating the shipment;

(ix) Company name, EPA ID number, address, telephone, fax, and email address of all transporters;

(x) Identification (license, registered name or registration number) of means of transport, including types of packaging;

(xi) Any special precautions to be taken by transporter(s);

(xii) Certification/declaration signed and dated by the exporter that the information in the movement document is complete and correct;

(xiii) Appropriate signatures for each custody transfer (e.g., transporter, importer, and owner or operator of the foreign receiving facility);

(xiv) Each U.S. person that has physical custody of the hazardous waste from the time the movement commences until it arrives at the foreign receiving facility must sign the movement document (e.g., transporter, foreign importer, and owner or operator of the foreign receiving facility); and

(xv) As part of the contract requirements per paragraph (f) of this section, the exporter must require that the foreign receiving facility send a copy of the signed movement document to confirm receipt within three working days of shipment delivery to the exporter, to the competent authorities of the countries of import and transit, and for shipments occurring on or after the electronic import-export reporting compliance date, the exporter must additionally require that the foreign receiving facility send a copy to EPA at the same time using the allowable methods listed in paragraph (b)(1) of this section.

(e) Duty to return or re-export hazardous wastes. When a transboundary movement of hazardous wastes cannot be completed in accordance with the terms of the contract or the consent(s) and alternative arrangements cannot be made to recover or dispose of the waste in an environmentally sound manner in the country of import, the exporter must ensure that the hazardous waste is returned to the United States or re-exported to a third country. If the waste must be returned, the exporter must provide for the return of the hazardous waste shipment within ninety days from the time the country of import informs EPA of the need to return the waste or such other period of time as the concerned countries agree. In all cases, the exporter must submit an exception report to EPA in accordance with paragraph (h) of this section.

(f) Export contract requirements.

(1) Exports of hazardous waste are prohibited unless they occur under the terms of a valid written contract, chain of contracts, or equivalent arrangements (when the movement occurs between parties controlled by the same corporate or legal entity). Such contracts or equivalent arrangements must be executed by the exporter, foreign importer (if different from the foreign receiving facility), and the owner or operator of the foreign receiving facility, and must specify responsibilities for each. Contracts or equivalent arrangements are valid for the purposes of this section only if persons assuming obligations under the contracts or equivalent arrangements have appropriate legal status to conduct the operations specified in the contract or equivalent arrangements.

(2) Contracts or equivalent arrangements must specify the name and EPA ID number, where available, of paragraph (f)(2)(i) through (iv) of this section:

(i) The company from where each export shipment of hazardous waste is initiated;

(ii) Each person who will have physical custody of the hazardous wastes;

(iii) Each person who will have legal control of the hazardous wastes; and

(iv) The foreign receiving facility.

(3) Contracts or equivalent arrangements must specify which party to the contract will assume responsibility for alternate management of the hazardous wastes if their disposition cannot be carried out as described in the notification of intent to export. In such cases, contracts must specify that:

(i) The transporter or foreign receiving facility having actual possession or physical control over the hazardous wastes will immediately inform the exporter, EPA, and either the competent authority of the country of transit or the competent authority of the country of import of the need to make alternate management arrangements; and

(ii) The person specified in the contract will assume responsibility for the adequate management of the hazardous wastes in compliance with applicable laws and regulations including, if necessary, arranging the return of hazardous wastes and, as the case may be, shall provide the notification for re-export to the competent authority in the country of import and include the equivalent of the information required in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, the original consent number issued for the initial export of the hazardous wastes in the notification, and obtain consent from EPA and the competent authorities in the new country of import and any transit countries prior to re-export.

(4) Contracts must specify that the foreign receiving facility send a copy of the signed movement document to confirm receipt within three working days of shipment delivery to the exporter and to the competent authorities of the countries of import and transit. For contracts that will be in effect on or after the electronic import-export reporting compliance date, the contracts must additionally specify that the foreign receiving facility send a copy to EPA at the same time using the allowable methods listed in paragraph (b)(1) of this section on or after that date.

(5) Contracts must specify that the foreign receiving facility shall send a copy of the signed and dated confirmation of recovery or disposal, as soon as possible, but no later than thirty days after completing recovery or disposal on the waste in the shipment and no later than one calendar year following receipt of the waste, to the exporter and to the competent authority of the country of import. For contracts that will be in effect on or after the electronic import-export reporting compliance date, the contracts must additionally specify that the foreign receiving facility send a copy to EPA at the same time using the allowable methods listed in paragraph (b)(1) of this section on or after that date.

(6) Contracts must specify that the foreign importer or the foreign receiving facility that performed interim recycling operations R12, R13, or RC3, or interim disposal operations D13 through D15, (recovery and disposal operations defined in 40 CFR 262.81) as appropriate, will:

(i) Provide the notification required in paragraph (f)(3)(ii) of this section prior to any re-export of the hazardous wastes to a final foreign recovery or disposal facility in a third country; and

(ii) Promptly send copies of the confirmation of recovery or disposal that it receives from the final foreign recovery or disposal facility within one year of shipment delivery to the final foreign recovery or disposal facility that performed one of recovery operations R1 through R11, or RC1, or one of disposal operations D1 through D12, DC1 or DC2 to the competent authority of the country of import. For contracts that will be in effect on or after the electronic import-export reporting compliance date, the contracts must additionally specify that the foreign facility send copies to EPA at the same time using the allowable method listed in paragraph (b)(1) of this section on or after that date.

(7) Contracts or equivalent arrangements must include provisions for financial guarantees, if required by the competent authorities of the country of import and any countries of transit, in accordance with applicable national or international law requirements.

Note 1 to paragraph (f)(7):

Financial guarantees so required are intended to provide for alternate recycling, disposal or other means of sound management of the wastes in cases where arrangements for the shipment and the recovery operations cannot be carried out as foreseen. The United States does not require such financial guarantees at this time; however, some OECD Member countries and other foreign countries do. It is the responsibility of the exporter to ascertain and comply with such requirements; in some cases, persons or facilities located in those OECD Member countries or other foreign countries may refuse to enter into the necessary contracts absent specific references or certifications to financial guarantees.

(8) Contracts or equivalent arrangements must contain provisions requiring each contracting party to comply with all applicable requirements of this subpart.

(9) Upon request by EPA, U.S. exporters, importers, or recovery facilities must submit to EPA copies of contracts, chain of contracts, or equivalent arrangements (when the movement occurs between parties controlled by the same corporate or legal entity).

(g) Annual reports. The exporter shall file an annual report with EPA no later than March 1 of each year summarizing the types, quantities, frequency, and ultimate destination of all such hazardous waste exported during the previous calendar year. Prior to one year after the AES filing compliance date, the exporter must mail or hand-deliver annual reports to EPA using one of the addresses specified in § 262.82(e), or submit to EPA using the allowable methods specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section if the exporter has electronically filed EPA information in AES, or its successor system, per paragraph (a)(6)(i)(A) of this section for all shipments made the previous calendar year. Subsequently, the exporter must submit annual reports to EPA using the allowable methods specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section. The annual report must include all of the following paragraphs (g)(1) through (6) of this section specified as follows:

(1) The EPA identification number, name, and mailing and site address of the exporter filing the report;

(2) The calendar year covered by the report;

(3) The name and site address of each foreign receiving facility;

(4) By foreign receiving facility, for each hazardous waste exported:

(i) A description of the hazardous waste;

(ii) The applicable EPA hazardous waste code(s) (from 40 CFR part 261, subpart C or D) for each waste;

(iii) The applicable waste code from the appropriate OECD waste list incorporated by reference in 40 CFR 260.11;

(iv) The applicable DOT ID number;

(v) The name and U.S. EPA ID number (where applicable) for each transporter used over the calendar year covered by the report; and

(vi) The consent number(s) under which the hazardous waste was shipped, and for each consent number, the total amount of the hazardous waste and the number of shipments exported during the calendar year covered by the report;

(5) In even numbered years, for each hazardous waste exported, except for hazardous waste produced by exporters of greater than 100kg but less than 1,000kg in a calendar month, and except for hazardous waste for which information was already provided pursuant to § 262.41:

(i) A description of the efforts undertaken during the year to reduce the volume and toxicity of the waste generated; and

(ii) A description of the changes in volume and toxicity of the waste actually achieved during the year in comparison to previous years to the extent such information is available for years prior to 1984; and

(6) A certification signed by the exporter that states:

I certify under penalty of law that I have personally examined and am familiar with the information submitted in this and all attached documents, and that based on my inquiry of those individuals immediately responsible for obtaining the information, I believe that the submitted information is true, accurate, and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information including the possibility of fine and imprisonment.

(h) Exception reports.

(1) The exporter must file an exception report in lieu of the requirements of § 262.42 (if applicable) with EPA if any of the following occurs:

(i) The exporter has not received a copy of the RCRA hazardous waste manifest (if applicable) signed by the transporter identifying the point of departure of the hazardous waste from the United States, within forty-five (45) days from the date it was accepted by the initial transporter, in which case the exporter must file the exception report within the next thirty (30) days;

(ii) The exporter has not received a written confirmation of receipt from the foreign receiving facility in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section within ninety (90) days from the date the waste was accepted by the initial transporter in which case the exporter must file the exception report within the next thirty (30) days; or

(iii) The foreign receiving facility notifies the exporter, or the country of import notifies EPA, of the need to return the shipment to the U.S. or arrange alternate management, in which case the exporter must file the exception report within thirty (30) days of notification, or one (1) day prior to the date the return shipment commences, whichever is sooner.

(2) Prior to the electronic import-export reporting compliance date, exception reports must be mailed or hand delivered to EPA using the addresses listed in § 262.82(e). Subsequently, exception reports must be submitted to EPA using the allowable methods listed in paragraph (b)(1) of this section.

(i) Recordkeeping.

(1) The exporter shall keep the following records in paragraphs (i)(1)(i) through (v) of this section and provide them to EPA or authorized state personnel upon request:

(i) A copy of each notification of intent to export and each EPA AOC for a period of at least three (3) years from the date the hazardous waste was accepted by the initial transporter;

(ii) A copy of each annual report for a period of at least three (3) years from the due date of the report;

(iii) A copy of any exception reports and a copy of each confirmation of receipt (i.e., movement document) sent by the foreign receiving facility to the exporter for at least three (3) years from the date the hazardous waste was accepted by the initial transporter; and

(iv) A copy of each confirmation of recovery or disposal sent by the foreign receiving facility to the exporter for at least three (3) years from the date that the foreign receiving facility completed interim or final processing of the hazardous waste shipment.

(v) A copy of each contract or equivalent arrangement established per § 262.85 for at least three (3) years from the expiration date of the contract or equivalent arrangement.

(2) Exporters may satisfy these recordkeeping requirements by retaining electronically submitted documents in the exporter's account on EPA's Waste Import Export Tracking System (WIETS), or its successor system, provided that copies are readily available for viewing and production if requested by any EPA or authorized state inspector. No exporter may be held liable for the inability to produce such documents for inspection under this section if the exporter can demonstrate that the inability to produce the document is due exclusively to technical difficulty with EPA's Waste Import Export Tracking System (WIETS), or its successor system for which the exporter bears no responsibility.

(3) The periods of retention referred to in this section are extended automatically during the course of any unresolved enforcement action regarding the regulated activity or as requested by the Administrator.

[45 FR 33142, May 19, 1980, as amended at 82 FR 60900, Dec. 26, 2017; 86 FR 54385, Oct. 1, 2021]