Phoenix-based Republic Services Inc. has announced the availability of two options for businesses to discard items that contain mercury, lead or other hazardous materials that should not be thrown away with regular waste. Those items include batteries in fire alarms and detectors and fluorescent light bulbs and lighting ballasts, known collectively as universal waste items.

The services being offered by Republic Services to manage universal waste items in compliance with regulatory requirements include mail-back kits designed for businesses with smaller quantities of universal waste items. With this service businesses receive prepaid, preaddressed mail-back kits with trilayer packaging to ensure safe shipping of universal waste items and receive in return a certificate of recycling to validate regulatory compliance. A "Pack-Up & Pick-Up" option also is available for larger businesses customers, where they receive a proposal for approval based on their universal waste generation. They can then schedule a pickup date and time and load packaged items onto Republic trucks bound for recycling facilities. These customers also receive a certificate of recycling to validate regulatory compliance.

"We understand that businesses are operating at a faster pace than ever before," says Sue Klug, executive vice president and chief marketing officer with Republic. "Keeping up with compliance requirements for universal waste items can be time consuming and burdensome. We are pleased to offer business customers an easier way, so they can stay focused on making this year their most successful yet."  

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designates universal waste items as hazardous waste, and certain state and local governments have additional compliance requirements for the disposal of universal waste items. Because of these regulations and environmental threats, universal waste needs to be managed with care in accordance with government regulations, says Republic.