(1) Covered drugs collected under a drug take-back program must be disposed of at a permitted hazardous waste disposal facility that meets the requirements of 40 C.F.R. parts 264 and 265, as they exist on June 7, 2018.

(2) If use of a hazardous waste disposal facility described in subsection (1) of this section is unfeasible based on cost, logistics, or other considerations, the department, in consultation with the department of ecology, may grant approval for a program operator to dispose of some or all collected covered drugs at a permitted large municipal waste combustor facility that meets the requirements of 40 C.F.R. parts 60 and 62, as they exist on June 7, 2018.

(3) A program operator may petition the department for approval to use final disposal technologies or processes that provide superior environmental and human health protection than that provided by the technologies described in subsections (1) and (2) of this section, or equivalent protection at less cost. In reviewing a petition under this subsection, the department shall take into consideration regulations or guidance issued by the United States environmental protection agency on the disposal of pharmaceutical waste. The department, in consultation with the department of ecology, shall approve a disposal petition under this section if the disposal technology or processes described in the petition provides equivalent or superior protection in each of the following areas:

(a) Monitoring of any emissions or waste;

(b) Worker health and safety;

(c) Air, water, or land emissions contributing to persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic pollution; and

(d) Overall impact to the environment and human health.

(4) If a drug take-back program encounters a safety or security problem during collection, transportation, or disposal of covered drugs, the program operator must notify the department as soon as practicable after encountering the problem.

Sunset Act application: See note following chapter digest.