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EI: New Report Indicates Commercial Hazardous Waste Facilities Manage Only 1% of Hazardous Waste & Wastewater Managed from Region 4

Almost 80 Million Tons Managed Annually in Southeastern United States

Contacts: Cary Perket, Senior Analyst - Phone: 858/488-4760
Karl Joyce, Researcher - Phone: 952/831-2473

July 24, 2002 – For Immediate Release

Minneapolis, Minnesota – Environmental Information Limited released its newest report on hazardous waste & wastewater management. This is a ten-report series, each focusing on a different EPA region. This region includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The report is based on hazardous waste generator and facility reports that are required to be filed with government regulators.

The vast majority of the almost 80 million tons is wastewater that is managed on-site by the generator (typically a manufacturing facility). The remaining 1% of hazardous waste and wastewater is commercially managed. About 50% of the initial management occurs at commercial facilities in the region.

"In conducting our review of this data, we found a major error in the hazardous waste generator reports for off-site shipments. This accounts for why our estimate of commercial demand is lower than one derived from the reported data, prior to quality control and correction," said Karl Joyce, who is researching the project. "In addition, we found that differences between hazardous waste generation in 1999 and 1997 were largely due to waste accounting procedures rather than real changes in the amount of hazardous waste generated."

"This report helps define the degree to which competitive pressures over the last decade have resulted in greater distribution, rather than the desirable consolidation, of the market share amongst competitors in the treatment and disposal markets," said EI senior analyst Cary Perket. "Recovery of these treatment and disposal markets is closely linked to a reduction in competitive pressures and development of a more efficient market."

EI has released reports on EPA Regions 1, 2, 3 and 4 and expects to release reports for EPA Region 5 in August 2002. EI believes that these reports provide the best currently available snapshot of what current strategy has done to the marketplace. They also provide a foundation for firms to examine how shifts in corporate strategy could benefit the marketplace.

This report is the fourth in a series of ten reports being prepared by Environmental Information, Ltd. on each of the ten EPA regions. Further information can be obtained by contacting Environmental Information, Ltd. at its San Diego office at 858/488-4760.

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Environmental Information, Ltd. (EI) specializes in both subscriptions –based and custom research services on the marketplace for environmental services and technology. For further information, contact customer services at 952/831-2473 or email ei@enviro-information.com.

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