[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 40, Volume 30]
[Revised as of July 1, 2005]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 40CFR761.50]

[Page 633-635]
 
                   TITLE 40--PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT
 
         CHAPTER I--ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED)
 
PART 761_POLYCHLORINATED BI PHENYLS (PCBs) MANUFACTURING, PROCESSING, 
DISTRIBUTION IN COMMERCE, AND USE PROHIBITIONS--Table of Contents
 
                     Subpart D_Storage and Disposal
 
Sec. 761.50  Applicability.


    (a) General PCB disposal requirements. Any person storing or 
disposing of PCB waste must do so in accordance with subpart D of this 
part. The following prohibitions and conditions apply to all PCB waste 
storage and disposal:
    (1) No person may open burn PCBs. Combustion of PCBs approved under 
Sec. 761.60 (a) or (e), or otherwise allowed under part 761, is not 
open burning.
    (2) No person may process liquid PCBs into non-liquid forms to 
circumvent the high temperature incineration requirements of Sec. 
761.60(a).
    (3) No person may discharge water containing PCBs to a treatment 
works (as defined Sec. 503.9(aa) of this chapter) or to navigable 
waters unless the PCB concentration is <3 [micro]g/L (approximately 3 
ppb), or unless the discharge is in accordance with a PCB discharge 
limit included in a permit issued under section 307(b) or 402 of the 
Clean Water Act.
    (4) Spills and other uncontrolled discharges of PCBs at 
concentrations of =50 ppm constitute the disposal of PCBs.
    (5) Any person land disposing of non-liquid PCBs may avoid 
otherwise-applicable sampling requirements by presuming that the PCBs 
disposed of are =500 ppm (or =100 [micro]g/100 
cm2 if no free-flowing liquids are present).
    (6) Any person storing or disposing of PCBs is also responsible for 
determining and complying with all other applicable Federal, State, and 
local laws and regulations.
    (b) PCB waste. (1) PCB liquids. Any person removing PCB liquids from 
use (i.e., not PCB remediation waste) must dispose of them in accordance 
with Sec. 761.60(a), or decontaminate them in accordance with Sec. 
761.79.
    (2) PCB Items. Any person removing from use a PCB Item containing an 
intact and non-leaking PCB Article must dispose of it in accordance with 
Sec. 761.60(b), or decontaminate it in accordance with Sec. 761.79. 
PCB Items where the PCB Articles are no longer intact and non-leaking 
are regulated for disposal as PCB bulk product waste under Sec. 
761.62(a) or (c).
    (i) Fluorescent light ballasts containing PCBs only in an intact and 
non-leaking PCB Small Capacitor are regulated for disposal under Sec. 
761.60(b)(2)(ii).
    (ii) Fluorescent light ballasts containing PCBs in the potting 
material are regulated for disposal as PCB bulk product waste under 
Sec. 761.62.
    (3) PCB remediation waste. PCB remediation waste, including PCB 
sewage sludge, is regulated for cleanup and disposal in accordance with 
Sec. 761.61.
    (i) Any person responsible for PCB waste at as-found concentrations 
= 50 ppm that was either placed in a land disposal facility, 
spilled, or otherwise released into the environment prior to April 18, 
1978, regardless of the concentration of the spill or release; or placed 
in a land disposal facility, spilled, or otherwise released into the 
environment on or after April 18, 1978, but prior to July 2, 1979, where 
the concentration of the spill or release was

[[Page 634]]

= 50 ppm but < 500 ppm, must dispose of the waste as follows:
    (A) Sites containing these wastes are presumed not to present an 
unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment from exposure 
to PCBs at the site. However, the EPA Regional Administrator may inform 
the owner or operator of the site that there is reason to believe that 
spills, leaks, or other uncontrolled releases or discharges, such as 
leaching, from the site constitute ongoing disposal that may present an 
unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment from exposure 
to PCBs at the site, and may require the owner or operator to generate 
data necessary to characterize the risk. If after reviewing any such 
data, the EPA Regional Administrator makes a finding, that an 
unreasonable risk exists, then he or she may direct the owner or 
operator of the site to dispose of the PCB remediation waste in 
accordance with Sec. 761.61 such that an unreasonable risk of injury no 
longer exists.
    (B) Unless directed by the EPA Regional Administrator to dispose of 
PCB waste in accordance with paragraph (b)(3)(i)(A) of this section, any 
person responsible for PCB waste at as-found concentrations = 
50 ppm that was either placed in a land disposal facility, spilled, or 
otherwise released into the environment prior to April 18, 1978, 
regardless of the concentration of the spill or release; or placed in a 
land disposal facility, spilled, or otherwise released into the 
environment on or after April 18, 1978, but prior to July 2, 1979, where 
the concentration of the spill or release was = 50 ppm but < 
500 ppm, who unilaterally decides to dispose of that waste (for example, 
to obtain insurance or to sell the property), is not required to clean 
up in accordance with Sec. 761.61. Disposal of the PCB remediation 
waste must comply with Sec. 761.61. However, cleanup of those wastes 
that is not in complete compliance with Sec. 761.61 will not afford the 
responsible party with relief from the applicable PCB regulations for 
that waste.
    (ii) Any person responsible for PCB waste at as-found concentrations 
= 50 ppm that was either placed in a land disposal facility, 
spilled, or otherwise released into the environment on or after April 
18, 1978, but prior to July 2, 1979, where the concentration of the 
spill or release was = 500 ppm; or placed in a land disposal 
facility, spilled, or otherwise released into the environment on or 
after July 2, 1979, where the concentration of the spill or release was 
= 50 ppm, must dispose of it in accordance with either of the 
following:
    (A) In accordance with the PCB Spill Cleanup Policy (Policy) at 
subpart G of this part, for those PCB remediation wastes that meet the 
criteria of the Policy. Consult the Policy for a description of the 
spills it covers and its notification and timing requirements.
    (B) In accordance with Sec. 761.61. Complete compliance with Sec. 
761.61 does not create a presumption against enforcement action for 
penalties for any unauthorized PCB disposal.
    (iii) The owner or operator of a site containing PCB remediation 
waste has the burden of proving the date that the waste was placed in a 
land disposal facility, spilled, or otherwise released into the 
environment, and the concentration of the original spill.
    (4) PCB bulk product waste--(i) General. Any person disposing of PCB 
bulk product waste must do so in accordance with Sec. 761.62. PCB bulk 
product waste, as that term is defined in Sec. 761.3, is waste that was 
=50 ppm when originally removed from service, even if its 
current PCB concentration is <50 ppm. PCB bulk product waste is 
regulated for disposal based on the risk from the waste once disposed 
of. For waste which is land disposed, the waste is regulated based on 
how readily the waste is released from disposal to the environment, in 
particular by leaching out from the land disposal unit.
    (ii) Metal surfaces in contact with PCBs. Any person disposing of 
metal surfaces in contact with PCBs (e.g., painted metal) may use 
thermal decontamination procedures in accordance with Sec. 761.79(c)(6) 
(see Sec. 761.62(a)(6)).
    (5) PCB household waste. Any person storing or disposing of PCB 
household waste, as that term is defined in Sec. 761.3, must do so in 
accordance with Sec. 761.63.
    (6) PCB research and development waste. Any person disposing of PCB 
wastes generated during and as a result of research and development for 
use under Sec. 761.30(j), or for disposal under

[[Page 635]]

Sec. 761.60(j), must do so in accordance with Sec. 761.64.
    (7) PCB/Radioactive waste. (i) Any person storing PCB/radioactive 
waste =50 ppm PCBs must do so taking into account both its 
PCB concentration and its radioactive properties, except as provided in 
Sec. 761.65(a)(1), (b)(1)(ii), and (c)(6)(i).
    (ii) Any person disposing of PCB/radioactive waste must do so taking 
into account both its PCB concentration and its radioactive properties. 
If, taking into account only the properties of the PCBs in the waste 
(and not the radioactive properties of the waste), the waste meets the 
requirements for disposal in a facility permitted, licensed, or 
registered by a State as a municipal or non-municipal non-hazardous 
waste landfill (e.g., PCB bulk product waste under Sec. 761.62(b)(1)), 
then the person may dispose of the PCB/radioactive waste, without regard 
to the PCB component of the waste, on the basis of its radioactive 
properties in accordance with all applicable requirements for the 
radioactive component of the waste.
    (8) Porous surfaces. In most cases a person must dispose of porous 
surfaces as materials where PCBs have penetrated far beneath the 
surface, rather than a simple surface contamination. Any person 
disposing of porous surfaces on which PCBs have been spilled and meeting 
the definition of PCB remediation waste at Sec. 761.3 must do so in 
accordance with Sec. 761.61. Any person disposing of porous surfaces 
which are part of manufactured non-liquid products containing PCBs and 
meeting the definition of PCB bulk product waste at Sec. 761.3 must do 
so in accordance with Sec. 761.62. Any person may decontaminate 
concrete surfaces upon which PCBs have been spilled in accordance with 
Sec. 761.79(b)(4), if the decontamination procedure is commenced within 
72 hours of the initial spill of PCBs to the concrete or portion thereof 
being decontaminated. Any person may decontaminate porous non-liquid 
PCBs in contact with non-porous surfaces, such as underground metal fuel 
tanks coated with fire retardant resin or pitch, for purposes of 
unrestricted use or disposal in a smelter in accordance with Sec. 
761.79(b)(3).
    (c) Storage for disposal. Any person who holds PCB waste must store 
it in accordance with Sec. 761.65.
    (d) Performance specifications for disposal technologies--(1) 
Incinerators. Any person using an incinerator to dispose of PCBs must 
use an incinerator that meets the criteria set forth in Sec. 761.70.
    (2) High efficiency boilers. Any person using a high efficiency 
boiler to dispose of PCBs must use a boiler that meets the criteria set 
forth in Sec. 761.71.
    (3) Scrap metal recovery ovens and smelters. Any person using scrap 
metal recovery ovens and smelters to dispose of PCBs must use a device 
that meets the criteria set forth in Sec. 761.72.
    (4) Chemical waste landfills. Any person using a chemical waste 
landfill to dispose of PCBs must use a chemical waste landfill that 
meets the criteria set forth in Sec. 761.75.
    (e) TSCA PCB Coordinated Approval. Any person seeking a TSCA PCB 
Coordinated Approval must follow the procedures set forth in Sec. 
761.77.

[63 FR 35444, June 29, 1998, as amended at 64 FR 33760, June 24, 1999]