Pressure Treated Wood Waste Disposal Solution for California Emerges

In January, the governor’s veto of California Assembly Bill 68, resulted in treated wood waste having to be disposed of in a Class 1 Hazardous Waste Landfills. Needless to say, it took the industry and end users by surprise. To that end, starting on February 16th, 2021, California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is allowing ‘interested parties’ to apply for a variance from certain provisions of law relating to the management of treated wood waste. The variances that the DTSC plans to issue will reimpose conditions similar to the streamlined management requirements that existed previously. Applicants will be able to apply for one of six classifications of variances. As an example: Homeowners that hire a contractor to work on their home, including fences and decking for example, will not require a treated wood waste (TWW) variance provided that the contractor transports the TWW for disposal. The cost of the variances has yet to be set, which could pose another challenge for the industry. The DTSC said it plans to post the cost of each variance type on Feb. 16.