Beneficial Use Resources

US EPA Resources

Methodology for Evaluating Beneficial Uses of Industrial Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials and the Beneficial Use Compendium. The Methodology for Evaluating Beneficial Uses of Industrial Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials presents EPA's approach for evaluating a wide range of industrial non-hazardous secondary materials and their associated beneficial uses. The Beneficial Use Compendium: A Collection of Resources and Tools to Support Beneficial Use Evaluations provides a more detailed discussion of specific considerations that may arise evaluations, as well as a list of existing resources and tools.

Beneficial Use Compendium a Collection of Resources and Tools to Support Beneficial Use Evaluations (EPA 530-R-16-009). EPA developed the Methodology for Evaluating the Beneficial Use of Industrial Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials (U.S. EPA, 2016) to help determine whether the potential for adverse impacts to human health and the environment from a proposed beneficial use is comparable to or lower than from an analogous product, or at or below relevant health-based and regulatory benchmarks.

Construction and Demolition Debris. Provides information on EPA's efforts and other opportunities to reduce C&D materials.

Foundry Sand. Promotes the beneficial use of spent foundry sand.

Coal Combustion Products. Describes coal ash combustion products as a building and manufacturing material. Covers Fly Ash, Bottom Ash, Boiler Slag, and Flue Gas Desulfurization Material (FGD).

Cement Kiln Dust. This Web page provides an outline of the legislative and regulatory history, and current status of the CKD exemption and proposed regulations. Links to key regulatory and technical documents are also provided.

Drinking Water Treatment Wastes. A summary of issues associated with this waste type.

Fact Sheet on Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials Determinations and Scrap Tires (EPA 530-F-20-008). The Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials (NHSM) regulations found in title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR Part 241) identify which of such materials are and are not solid wastes when combusted as fuels.

Wood Waste Inventory: Final Report (EPA 600/R-18/262). As cities and solid-waste management planners strive to increase the reuse and recycling of wood wastes to divert the material away from landfill disposal, it is important to know the current and projected future amounts of wood that may enter the waste stream as well as characteristics of wood (e.g., untreated, treated) that may impact its reuse or recyclability.

Other Federal Government Resources

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Pavement Technology's Recycling. Provides information about current projects and activities, research and references, publications, and policies pertaining to the use of recycled materials.

US Army Corps of Engineers. Beneficial use of dredged sediment.

State Resources

The following highlights certain state beneficial use programs that were selected based on their effective structure. Use the Beneficial Use State Program Locator for a complete review of all state beneficial use resources.

Organization Resources

American Coal Ash Association (ACAA). The ACAA was established more than 40 years ago, in 1968, as a trade organization devoted to recycling the materials created when we burn coal to produce electricity.

American Foundry Society (AFS). AFS supports beneficial use of foundry sand.

National Slag Association. Promotes the use of blast furnace and steel furnace slag.

Mid-Atlantic Green Highway Partnership. Seeks to incorporate environmental sustainability into all surface-transportation infrastructure, including using industrial materials.

Construction Industry Compliance Assistance (CICA) Center. Contains a C&D materials State Resource Locator, where you can find state environmental agency information.

Materials Resource Center (RMRC). The RMRC's mission includes systematically testing, evaluating, developing appropriate guidelines for and demonstrating environmentally acceptable increased use of recycled materials in transportation infrastructure construction and maintenance. This Web site provides information on recycling and reusing industrial materials in roadways.