Who We Are
The North Carolina Division of Waste Management regulates solid waste
disposal, hazardous waste management, underground storage tanks and
Superfund cleanups. We provide technical assistance to businesses,
industries, local governments and citizens to help them reduce and
better manage wastes. Our assistance helps protect and improve citizens'
public health and the environment. To further our mission, the Waste Management division houses four
sections which manage specific types of waste.
Our mission is to prevent the harmful
release of waste to the
environment and clean up existing contamination.
Our vision is to ensure waste is managed effectively and
efficiently to make North Carolina the best place to live, work and
visit.
What We Do
The Solid Waste Section regulates safe management of solid waste through
guidance, technical assistance, regulations, permitting, environmental
monitoring, compliance evaluation and enforcement. Waste types handled
at these facilities include municipal solid waste, industrial waste,
construction and demolition waste, land-clearing waste, scrap tires and
medical waste.
The Underground Storage Tank Section issues permits, collects annual
fees and handles requests for information for regulated and /or
commercial underground storage tanks. The section ensures compliance
with all relevant state and federal laws, policies, rules and
regulations by assisting owners and operators in complying with
operational standards (leak detection, spill and overfill detection,
etc.). This section oversees the administration of several Trust
Funds for the reimbursement of cleanup costs associated with UST
releases. This section also oversees the
permanent closure activities of UST systems.
The Hazardous Waste Section ensures the safe management of hazardous
waste in North Carolina. They apply the adopted federal rules that
incorporate the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act requirements and
additional state rules. The section also oversees the RCRA Used Oil
regulations.
The Superfund Section investigates uncontrolled and unregulated
hazardous waste sites. They identify the risks these sites pose,
prioritize them for cleanup, and direct cleanup activities. They apply
the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act of 1980, the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act
of 1986, the state’s Inactive Hazardous Sites Response Act of
1987, the Drycleaning Solvent Cleanup Act and Amendments, and the
Brownfields Property Reuse Act of 1997.
The Brownfields
Program - Authorized by the state statute known as the
Brownfield Property Reuse Act, this program provides a mechanism
to treat prospective developers of brownfield sites differently
than the parties responsible for contaminating them. Prospective
developers negotiate a brownfields agreement with the program that
defines activities needed to make the site safe for reuse, rather
than cleaning up the site to regulatory standards (which
responsible parties are required to do). The
brownfields program
currently operates under a cooperative agreement with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
Where To Find Us
In addition
to our central office in Raleigh, division staff work across the
state in regional offices. Learn which office is closest to
you, and how to contact the staff here.
