Public Hearing Set on New Rules for Medical Waste Incinerators

RALEIGH - The N.C. Division of Air Quality has scheduled a public hearing for Sept. 7 in Greensboro on proposed rules the state Environmental Management Commission is considering for the operation of medical waste incinerators in North Carolina.

The hearing will be to receive comments on proposed rules for controlling emissions from hospital, medical and infectious waste incinerators. The hearing will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 7 in Room 1215 of the Moore Humanities & Research Administration, Building 246 on Spring Garden Street at UNC-Greensboro. Free parking is available behind the Weatherspoon Art Museum on Spring Garden Street.

If adopted by the EMC, the rules would largely mirror new federal regulations that set stricter emissions limits, monitoring and record-keeping requirements for medical waste incinerators. However, the EMC is considering a proposal to move up the effective date from Oct. 6, 2014, in the federal rules to Oct. 6, 2012.

Individuals may register to speak at the hearing or submit written comments. The hearing officer will have the discretion to limit speaking times if necessary to accommodate the number of speakers.

Written comments will be accepted at the hearings or if postmarked or e-mailed by Oct. 15. Written comments should be mailed to Joelle Burleson, N.C. Division of Air Quality, 1641 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C., 27699-1641, or e-mailed to: joelle.burleson@ncdenr.gov.

North Carolina has only two medical waste incinerator facilities, the Stericyle Inc. plant in Haw River and the BMWNC Inc. plant in Matthews. Mecklenburg County, which has its own air quality program, has proposed local rules that would cover the BMWNC facility, with an effective date of Oct. 6, 2012.

The division held a public hearing in May regarding the renewal of the operating permit for the Stericycle plant. A final decision on that permit is still pending. Regardless of that permit decision, the new state incinerator rules would not apply to the facility until the effective date in the state rules.

Similarly, Mecklenburg County held a public hearing in February 2010 for the renewal of the BMWNC facility. Mecklenburg County's final permit decision is pending as well, and the BMWNC facility will need to comply with the new rules by the effective date set in the local rules.

For more information about air quality issues, visit the state Division of Air Quality's website at http://www.ncair.org. More information about Mecklenburg County's air quality program can be found at: http://charmeck.org/mecklenburg/county/AirQuality/Pages/default.aspx

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