Current through Register Vol. 24-06, March 15, 2024
(1)
(a)
These standards apply to transfer stations and drop box facilities as defined
in WAC
173-350-100.
(b) These standards do not apply to:
(i) Storage or treatment of solid waste in
outdoor piles subject to WAC
173-350-320;
(ii) Storage or recycling of solid waste in
surface impoundments subject to WAC
173-350-330;
(iii) Recycling and material recovery
facilities subject to WAC
173-350-210;
(iv) Storage of waste tires subject to WAC
173-350-350;
(v) Handling of moderate risk waste subject
to WAC
173-350-360;
and
(vi) Waste containers placed
at the point of waste generation subject to WAC
173-350-300.
(2)
Transfer
stations and drop box facilities - Permit exemptions. In accordance with
RCW
70.95.305, drop boxes managed in accordance
with the terms and conditions of Table 310-A are exempt from solid waste
handling permitting.
If a facility does not operate in compliance with the terms
and conditions established for an exemption under this subsection, the facility
may be subject to the permitting requirements for solid waste handling under
this chapter. In addition, violations of the terms and conditions of this
subsection may be subject to the enforcement provisions of
RCW
70.95.315.
Table 310-A Terms and Conditions for Solid Waste Permit
Exemption
|
Waste Materials
|
Specific Requirements for Activity or
Operation
|
(1) |
Drop boxes used solely for collecting recyclable
materials |
(a) Meet the performance standards of WAC
173-350-040;
and
(b) Allow department and jurisdictional health
department representatives to inspect the drop box at reasonable times for the
purpose of determining compliance with this chapter. |
(3)
Transfer stations and drop box facilities - Permit requirements -
Location. There are no specific location standards for transfer stations
or drop box facilities subject to this chapter; however, facilities must meet
the performance standards of WAC
173-350-040.
(4)
Transfer stations and drop box
facilities - Permit requirements -Design. Transfer stations and drop box
facilities must be designed so that the facilities can be operated to meet the
performance standards of WAC
173-350-040,
and the following design standards:
(a)
Transfer stations must:
(i) Control public
access, and prevent unauthorized vehicular traffic and illegal dumping of
waste;
(ii) Be sturdy and
constructed of easily cleanable materials;
(iii) Provide effective means to control
rodents, insects, birds and other vectors;
(iv) Provide effective means to control
litter including, but not limited to, orientation of the tipping floor in a
manner that prevents prevailing winds from moving waste outside the collection
area when other structures are not in place to prevent this;
(v) Provide a tip floor made of impervious
material such as concrete or asphalt to prevent soil and groundwater
contamination. The surface must be durable enough to withstand damage from
operating equipment. The jurisdictional health department may approve other
types of surfaces if the applicant can demonstrate that it will prevent soil
and groundwater contamination;
(vi)
Cover the tipping floor to protect it from precipitation;
(vii) Convey leachate from the tipping floor
and any ancillary areas likely to collect leachate, such as wash down areas, to
a surface impoundment, tank, or sanitary sewer, or use other methods approved
by the jurisdictional health department to prevent uncontrolled
discharges;
(viii) Provide for
stormwater runoff collection and discharge from a twenty-five year
storm;
(ix) Provide pollution
control measures to protect air quality; and
(x) Provide all-weather surfaces for
vehicular traffic.
(b)
Drop box facilities must:
(i) Control public
access, and prevent unauthorized vehicular traffic and illegal dumping of
waste;
(ii) Provide detachable
containers constructed of durable, watertight materials with a lid or screen on
top that prevents litter, the loss of materials during transport, and access by
rodents and other vectors When reliably watertight detachable containers cannot
be assured, the containers may alternatively be placed on an impervious surface
with run-on and runoff controls;
(iii) Be designed so that customers may
easily place waste directly into drop boxes; and
(iv) Provide all-weather surfaces for
vehicular traffic.
(5)
Transfer station and drop box
facilities - Permit requirements - Documentation.
(a) The owner or operator must submit
facility drawings and construction documents for, at a minimum, any proposed
addition or modification of elements described in subsection (4) of this
section to the jurisdictional health department for review and approval. The
facility drawings and construction documents for proposed construction of
engineered features must be prepared by a professional engineer registered in
the state of Washington, and must include:
(i) An engineering report that presents the
design basis and calculations for the engineered features. The engineering
report must demonstrate that the proposed design will meet the performance
standards of WAC
173-350-040;
(ii) Scale drawings of the facility including
the location and size of waste handling areas, fixed equipment, buildings,
stormwater management features where applicable, access roads, traffic
patterns, and other constructed areas and buildings integral to facility
operation;
(iii) Design
specifications for the engineered features of the facility as applicable;
and
(iv) For new construction, a
construction quality assurance plan that describes monitoring, testing, and
documentation procedures that will be performed during construction of the
facility, to ensure the facility is constructed in accordance with the approved
design.
(b) The owner or
operator must provide copies of the construction record drawings for engineered
features at the facility and a report documenting facility construction,
including the results of observations and any testing carried out as part of
the construction quality assurance plan, to the jurisdictional health
department and the department. The owner or operator must not commence
operation in a newly constructed portion of the facility until the
jurisdictional health department has determined that the construction was
completed in accordance with the approved engineering report/plans and
specifications and has approved the construction documentation in
writing.
(6)
Transfer stations and drop box facilities - Permit requirements -
Operating. The owner or operator of a transfer station or drop box
facility must:
(a) Operate the site in
compliance with the performance standards of WAC
173-350-040
and this subsection. In addition, the owner or operator must develop, keep, and
follow a plan of operation approved as part of the permitting process. The plan
of operation must be available for inspection at the request of the
jurisdictional health department. If necessary, the plan must be modified with
the approval, or at the direction of the jurisdictional health department. Each
plan of operation must include the following:
(i) A description of the types of waste
materials to be handled at the facility;
(ii) A description of the procedures used to
ensure that dangerous waste and other unacceptable waste are not accepted at
the facility;
(iii) A description
of how waste materials are to be handled on-site including maximum site
capacity, methods of adding or removing waste from the facility and equipment
used, and how operators will ensure adequate dumping capacity at all
times;
(iv) A description of how
the owner or operator will ensure the facility is operated in a way to:
(A) Control litter, dust, and nuisance
odors;
(B) Control rodents, insects
and other vectors;
(C) Prohibit
scavenging;
(D) Provide a sign at
the site entrance that identifies the facility and shows at a minimum the name
of the site; and
(E) Ensure that
handling of waste capable of attracting birds does not pose an aircraft safety
hazard.
(v) A
description of how operators will inspect and maintain the facility to prevent
deterioration or the release of wastes to the environment that could pose a
threat to human health, including the inspection form operators will use.
Inspections must be as needed, but at least weekly, unless an alternate
schedule is approved by the jurisdictional health department as part of the
permitting process;
(vi) A
description of how operators will maintain operating records on the amounts
(weight or volume) and types of waste received or removed from the facility,
including the form or computer printout used to record this information.
Facility annual reports must be maintained in the operating record. Facility
inspection reports must be maintained in the operating record, including at
least the date of inspection, the name and signature of the inspector, a
notation of observations made, and the date and nature of any needed repairs or
remedial action. Significant deviations from the plan of operation must be
noted in the operating record. Records must be kept for a minimum of five years
and must be available upon request by the jurisdictional health
department;
(vii) Safety and
emergency plans; and
(viii) Other
such details to demonstrate that the facility will be operated in accordance
with this subsection and as required by the jurisdictional health
department.
(b) For
transfer stations, the plan of operations must also address how the operators
will:
(i) Provide attendant(s) on-site during
hours of operation. Materials may be transferred after hours without an
attendant on-site if other controls approved by the jurisdictional health
department are in place;
(ii)
Immediately summon fire, police, or emergency service personnel in the event of
an emergency;
(iii) Remove or
otherwise manage leachate from containment structure(s) to prevent soil and/or
groundwater contamination; and
(iv)
Remove waste from the tipping floor at a frequency approved by the
jurisdictional health department.
(c) For drop box facilities, the plan of
operations must also address how the operators will service the facility as
often as necessary to ensure adequate dumping capacity at all times. Storage of
waste outside the drop boxes is prohibited;
(d) Prepare and submit an annual report to
the jurisdictional health department and the department by April 1st on forms
supplied by the department. The annual report must detail the facility's
activities during the previous calendar year and must include the following
information:
(i) Name and address of the
facility;
(ii) Calendar year
covered by the report;
(iii) Annual
quantity of each type of solid waste handled by the facility, in
tons;
(iv) Destination of waste
transported from the facility for processing or disposal; and
(v) Any additional information required by
the jurisdictional health department as a condition of the permit.
(7)
Transfer
station and drop box
facilities - Permit requirements -Groundwater
monitoring. There are no specific groundwater monitoring requirements
for transfer station and drop box facilities subject to this chapter; however,
facilities must meet the performance standards of WAC
173-350-040.
(8)
Transfer stations and drop
box
facilities - Permit requirements - Closure. The owner
or operator of a transfer station or drop box facility must develop, keep, and
follow a closure plan that includes:
(a)
Notification to the jurisdictional health department ninety days in advance of
closure of a transfer station or drop box facility.
(b) Removal of all waste to a facility that
conforms with the applicable regulations for handling the waste; and
(c) Methods of removing waste.
(9)
Transfer station and
drop box facilities - Permit requirements - Financial assurance. There
are no specific financial assurance requirements for transfer stations and drop
box facilities subject to this chapter; however, facilities must meet the
performance standards of WAC
173-350-040.
(10)
Transfer station and
drop box facilities - Permit application contents. The owner or operator
of a transfer station or drop box facility must obtain a solid waste permit
from the jurisdictional health department. All applications for permits shall
be submitted in accordance with the procedures established in WAC
173-350-710.
In addition to the requirements of WAC
173-350-710
and
173-350-715,
each application for a permit shall contain:
(a) Engineering reports/plans and
specifications that address the standards of subsections (4) and (5) of this
section;
(b) A plan of operation
meeting the applicable requirements of subsection (6) of this section;
and
(c) A closure plan meeting the
requirements of subsection (8) of this section.
Statutory Authority:
Chapter
70.95 RCW. 03-03-043
(Order 99-24), § 173-350-310, filed 1/10/03, effective
2/10/03.