NRCA Fights to Prevent PVC from Being Deemed a Hazardous Material
In 2014, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate discarded PVC as a hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act. The EPA swiftly denied the petition under TSCA but never ruled on the regulation under RCRA. The Center for Biological Diversity sued EPA in August 2021 to force the agency to act under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act petition.
We know PVC is one of the most widely used forms of plastic in roofing and building materials, but it is also in numerous items we use every day such as children’s toys, healthcare necessities, clothing, consumer packaging, electronics and many other household goods. However, CBD states that this material can be harmful to humans and habitats alike. Remember the ongoing effort to ban plastic straws? This is in that same vein.