Maine DEP approves groundbreaking recycling program

Port Washington, WI— The Technical Solutions division of Veolia Environmental Services, formerly Onyx Environmental Services announced that its OnyxPak® product line has been approved for use in the state of Maine and is the first prepaid, standard-shipping recycling program authorized by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The OnyxPak® program encourages recycling and seeks to increase recycling rates of mercury-containing wastes by offering a convenient and cost-effective system for smaller generators to comply with Maine’s Universal Waste Rule.

“We worked closely with the Maine DEP to ensure our program complied with Maine’s Universal Waste Regulations,” said John McShane, branch manager at Veolia Environmental Services.

The State of Maine has a long-standing history of compliance and enforcement of environmental laws. Widely considered one of the leading states in the nation for environmental responsibility, the State of Maine has been progressive in its approach to regulating small quantities of Universal Waste. The State of Maine does not have an exemption for Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generators of fluorescent lamps and all fluorescent lamps must be recycled. The program helps generators in Maine efficiently achieve both compliance and a higher standard of recycling.

“Every shipment of universal waste is required to be tracked on shipping papers approved by the State of Maine”, noted Phillip Ditter, Environmental Health and Safety Manager at Veolia. “The OnyxPak® program gained approval for the use of an alternative shipping document in accordance with Chapter 857, Section 6(B)”, continued Ditter.

OnyxPak® is a simple, yet comprehensive program that provides everything a customer needs to recycle fluorescent lamps, lamp ballasts, batteries and computer electronics in compliance with environmental regulations. Under the OnyxPak® program, one price includes the waste storage and transport container, shipping, processing and certificates of recycling.