[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 217 (Thursday, November 7, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57760-57766]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-28735]



  Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 217 / Thursday, November 7, 1996 / 
Notices  

[[Page 57760]]



ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[SWH-FRL-5628-5]


Recovered Materials Advisory Notice

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of draft document for review.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency today is providing notice 
of the issuance of a draft Recovered Materials Advisory Notice (RMAN) 
which provides guidance to procuring agencies for purchasing certain 
items containing recovered materials. Under section 6002 of the 
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976, EPA designates 
items that are or can be made with recovered materials and provides 
recommendations for the procurement of these items. Elsewhere in 
today's Federal Register, EPA is proposing to designate 13 additional 
items, including shower and restroom dividers; latex paint; parking 
stops; channelizers; delineators; flexible delineators; snow fencing; 
garden and soaker hoses; lawn and garden edging; printer ribbons; ink 
jet cartridges; plastic envelopes; and pallets. Today's RMAN contains 
draft recommended recovered materials content levels for these items. 
In addition, today's draft RMAN clarifies recommendations previously 
made for floor tiles on May 1, 1995 (60 FR 21392).

DATES: EPA will accept public comments on the recommendations contained 
in the draft Recovered Materials Advisory Notice until February 5, 
1997.

ADDRESSES: To comment on this notice, please send an original and two 
copies of comments to: RCRA Information Center (5305W), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20460. Please place the docket number F-96-CP2P-FFFFF on your comments.
    If any information is confidential, it should be identified as 
such. An original and two copies of Confidential Business Information 
(CBI) must be submitted under separate cover to: Document Control 
Officer (5305), Office of Solid Waste, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, 401 M Street, SW., Washington, DC 20460.
    Documents related to today's notice are available for viewing at 
the RCRA Information Center (RIC), located at: U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway, Ground Floor, Crystal 
Gateway One, Arlington, VA 22202. The RIC is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays. The public must 
make an appointment to review docket materials. Call (703) 603-9230 for 
appointments. Copies cost $.15 per page.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact the 
RCRA Hotline at (800) 424-9346 or (703) 412-9810. For technical 
information on individual item recommendations, contact the following 
EPA staff: Construction, landscaping, transportation, and park and 
recreation products--Terry Grist, (703) 308-7257; Non-paper office 
products--Janice Johnson, (703) 308-7280; Vehicular and miscellaneous 
products--Sue Nogas, (703) 308-7251; Paper and paper products--Dana 
Arnold, (703) 308-7279. For all other technical information, contact 
Terry Grist at (703) 308-7257.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Authority

    The draft Recovered Materials Advisory Notice (RMAN) is issued 
under the authority of sections 2002(a) and 6002 of the Solid Waste 
Disposal Act, as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 
of 1976, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 6912(a) and 2962, and section 502 of 
Executive Order 12873 (58 FR 54911, October 20, 1993).

II. Background

    Section 6002 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 
(RCRA) establishes a Federal buy-recycled program. RCRA section 6002(e) 
requires EPA to (1) designate items that are or can be produced with 
recovered materials and (2) prepare guidelines to assist procuring 
agencies in complying with affirmative procurement requirements set 
forth in paragraphs (c), (d), and (i) of section 6002. Once EPA has 
designated items, section 6002 requires that any procuring agency using 
appropriated Federal funds to procure those items. For the purposes of 
RCRA section 6002, procuring agencies include the following: (1) Any 
Federal agency; (2) any State or local agencies using appropriated 
Federal funds for a procurement; or (3) any contractors with these 
agencies (with respect to work performed under the contract). The 
requirements of section 6002 apply to such procuring agencies only when 
procuring designated items where the price of the item exceeds $10,000 
or the quantity of the item purchased in the previous year exceeded 
$10,000.
    Executive Order 12873 (58 FR 54911, October 22, 1993) directs EPA 
to designate items in a Comprehensive Procurement Guideline and publish 
guidance that contains EPA's recommended recovered content levels for 
the designated items in Recovered Materials Advisory Notices. The 
Executive Order further directs EPA to update the CPG annually and the 
RMAN periodically to reflect changes in market conditions. EPA codifies 
the CPG designations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), but, 
because the recommendations are guidance, the RMAN is not codified in 
the CFR. This process enables EPA to make timely revisions to its 
recommendations in response to changes in a product's availability or 
recovered materials content.
    EPA issued a CPG on May 1, 1995 (60 FR 21370) designating 19 new 
items and published an RMAN for the designated items on the same day 
(60 FR 21386). These notices also consolidated the guidelines 
previously issued for five items designated between 1983 and 1989. 
Today, in a separate section of the Federal Register, EPA is proposing 
to designate 13 new items. Today's draft RMAN recommends recovered 
materials content levels and procurement guidance for these 13 new 
items which include: (1) Shower and restroom dividers; (2) latex paint; 
(3) parking stops; (4) channelizers; (5) delineators; (6) flexible 
delineators; (7) snow fencing; (8) garden and soaker hoses; (9) lawn 
and garden edging; (10) printer ribbons; (11) ink jet cartridges; (12) 
plastic envelopes; and (13) pallets. This notice also provides 
clarification on recommendations made in the previous RMAN for floor 
tiles which was issued on May 1, 1995. Once finalized, today's RMAN 
will serve as companion guidance to the original RMAN.
    EPA, once again, wants to stress that the recommendations in its 
RMAN are just that--recommendations and guidance to procuring agencies 
in fulfilling their obligations under section 6002. The designation of 
an item as one that is or can be produced with recovered materials and 
the inclusions of recommended content levels for an item in the RMAN 
does not compel the procurement of an item when the item is not 
suitable for its intended purpose. Section 6002 is explicit in this 
regard when it authorizes a procuring agency not to procure a 
designated item where the item

    ``fails to meet the performance standards set forth in the 
applicable specification or fails to meet the reasonable performance 
standards of the procuring agencies.'' Section 6002(1)(B), 42 U.S.C. 
6962(c)(B).

    Thus, for example, elsewhere today, EPA has proposed to designate 
shower

[[Page 57761]]

and restroom dividers as items that are or can be produced with 
recovered materials content. The information the Agency has developed 
shows that these items are available in either steel or plastic with 
recovered materials content. However, if EPA adopts the proposed 
designation and recommendations for shower and restroom dividers, the 
mere fact that these are available with recovered materials content 
does not require the use of such items in every circumstance. The 
choice of appropriate materials used in construction remains with 
building engineers and architects. The effect of designation (and 
section 6002) is simply to require the purchase of items with recovered 
materials where consistent with the purpose for which the item is to be 
used. Procuring agencies remain free to procure dividers of materials 
other than steel or plastic where the design specifications call for 
other materials.

A. Methodology for Recommending Recovered Materials Content Levels

    In providing guidance in the RMAN, the Executive Order directs EPA 
to present ``the range of recovered materials content levels within 
which the designated recycled items are currently available.'' Based on 
the information available to the Agency, EPA recommends ranges that 
encourage manufacturers to incorporate the maximum amount of recovered 
materials into their products without compromising competition or 
product performance and availability. EPA recommends that procuring 
agencies use these ranges, in conjunction with their own research, to 
establish their minimum content standards. In some instances, EPA 
recommends that procuring agencies establish a specific level (e.g., 
100 percent recovered materials), rather than a range, because the item 
is universally available at that recommended level. EPA recommends 
ranges rather than minimum standards for several reasons:

    First, the Executive order directs EPA to develop ranges, not 
minimum content standards or specific recovered materials levels.
    Second, EPA has only limited information on recovered materials 
content levels for the new items proposed for designation. It would 
not be appropriate to establish minimum content standards without 
more detailed information because the standards may be treated as 
maximum targets by manufacturers and may stifle innovative 
approaches for increasing recovered material use. EPA hopes that the 
use of ranges will encourage manufacturers producing at the low end 
of the recovered materials range to seek ways of increasing their 
recovered materials usage. Minimum content standards are less likely 
to encourage such innovation.
    Third, many items are purchased locally rather than centrally. 
As a result, the recovered materials content of the items are likely 
to vary from region to region depending on local cost and 
availability of recovered materials. Minimum content standards are 
unlikely to be effective given the regional variance in recovered 
materials content because minimum content levels that are 
appropriate for one region, may be excessively high or low for other 
regions. A recovered materials content range gives regional 
procuring agencies the flexibility to establish their own recovered 
content standards and to make them as high as possible, consistent 
with the statute, given local product availability and market 
conditions.

    EPA reviewed publicly-available information, information obtained 
from product manufacturers, and information provided by other Federal 
agencies regarding the percentages of recovered materials available in 
the items proposed for designation in the CPG. Based on this 
information, EPA established ranges of recovered materials content for 
each of the proposed designated items. In establishing the ranges, 
EPA's objective was to ensure the availability of the item, while 
challenging manufacturers to increase their use of recovered materials. 
By recommending ranges, EPA believes that sufficient information will 
be provided to enable procuring agencies to set appropriate procurement 
specifications when purchasing the newly designated items.
    It is EPA's intention to provide procuring agencies with the best 
and most current information available to assist them in fulfilling 
their statutory obligations under RCRA section 6002. To do this, EPA 
will monitor the progress made by procuring agencies in purchasing 
designated items with the highest practical recovered materials content 
level and will adjust the recommended content ranges as appropriate. 
For some items, EPA recommends 100 percent recovered materials content 
levels because the items are already universally available at that 
level. EPA anticipates that other recommended ranges will narrow over 
time as other items become more available, although for technical 
reasons, many may never be available with 100 percent recovered 
materials content levels.
    Under RCRA section 6002(i), it is the procuring agency's 
responsibility to establish minimum content standards, while EPA 
provides recommendations regarding the levels of recovered materials in 
the designated items. To make it clear that EPA does not establish 
minimum content standards for other agencies, EPA refers to its 
recommendations as ``recovered materials content levels,'' consistent 
with RCRA section 6002(e) and Executive Order 12873.
    More information on EPA's methodology for recommending recovered 
materials content levels for designated items is contained in 
``Recovered Materials Advisory Notice (RMAN) II--Supporting Analyses,'' 
located in the RCRA public docket for this notice.

B. Definitions

    Today's draft RMAN contains recommendations on the recovered 
materials content levels and postconsumer materials content levels at 
which the designated items are generally available. For several items 
being proposed for designation, this RMAN recommends two-part content 
levels--a postconsumer recovered content component and a total 
recovered materials component. In these instances, EPA found that both 
types of materials were being used to manufacture a product. 
Recommending only postconsumer content levels would fail to acknowledge 
the contribution to solid waste management made by manufacturers using 
other manufacturers' byproducts as feedstock. The terms ``recovered 
materials'' and ``postconsumer materials'' are defined in the CPG at 40 
CFR 247.3. These definitions are repeated in this notice as a reference 
for the convenience of the reader. The Agency is not proposing to 
change these definitions and will not consider any comments submitted 
on these terms.

    Postconsumer materials means a material or finished product that 
has served its intended end use and has been diverted or recovered 
from waste destined for disposal, having completed its life as a 
consumer item. Postconsumer material is part of the broader category 
of recovered materials.
    Recovered materials means waste materials and byproducts which 
have been recovered or diverted from solid waste, but such term does 
not include those materials and byproducts generated from, and 
commonly used within an original manufacturing process.

C. Request for Comments

    EPA requests comments, including additional supporting 
documentation and information, on the draft RMAN regarding the types of 
recovered materials identified in the item recommendations, the 
recommended recovered and postconsumer materials content levels, and 
procurement methods for each of the items. Requests for specific 
comments and information

[[Page 57762]]

are included in the narrative discussions for each of the items.
III. Supporting Information and Accessing Internet
    The index of supporting materials is available in the RIC and on 
the Internet. The address and telephone number of the RIC are provided 
in ADDRESSES above. The following supporting materials are available on 
the Internet:
    ``Comprehensive Procurement Guideline (CPG) II--Supporting 
Analyses,'' August 1, 1996.
    ``Recovered Materials Advisory Notice (RMAN) II--Supporting 
Analyses,'' August 1, 1996.
    Copies of the following supporting materials are available for 
viewing at the RIC only:
    ``Recovered Materials Product Research for the Comprehensive 
Procurement Guideline II,'' prepared for U.S. EPA by Eastern Research 
Group, July 24, 1996.
    ``Research on Items for Designation in the Comprehensive 
Procurement Guideline,'' December 19, 1995.
    ``Summary of Information Submitted in Response to EPA's Request for 
Information on the Designation of Items for the CPG,'' prepared for 
U.S. EPA by Eastern Research Group, April 12, 1996.
    Follow these instructions to access the information electronically:

Gopher: gopher.epa.gov
WWW: http://www.epa.gov
Dial-up: 919 558-0335

    The materials can be accessed off the main EPA Gopher menu, in the 
directory EPA Offices and Regions/Office of Solid Waste and Emergency 
Response (OSWER)/Office of Solid Waste (RCRA)/[Non-Hazardous Waste--
RCRA Subtitle D/Procurement/RMAN].

FTP: ftp.epa.gov
Login: anonymous
Password: your Internet address

    Files are located in /pub/gopher/OSWRCRA.

    Dated: November 1, 1996.
Carol M. Browner,
Administrator.

Draft Recovered Materials Advisory Notice
    The following represents EPA's draft recommendations to procuring 
agencies for purchasing the items proposed today for designation in the 
CPG in compliance with section 6002 of the Resource Conservation and 
Recovery Act (RCRA). These recommendations are intended to be used in 
conjunction with the RMAN issued on May 1, 1995 (60 FR 21386) and the 
Paper RMAN issued on May 29, 1996 (61 FR 26985). Refer to the May 1, 
1995 RMAN or the Code of Federal Regulations at 40 CFR Part 247 for 
definitions, general recommendations for affirmative procurement 
programs, and recommendations for previously designated items. Acronyms 
used in this RMAN are defined in the document entitled ``Recovered 
Materials Advisory Notice (RMAN) II--Supporting Analyses,'' located in 
the public docket for this notice. Table C-5 of this draft RMAN repeats 
the recommendations made for patio blocks in the May 1, 1995 RMAN. The 
Agency is not issuing any changes to these recommendations. The 
recommendations for patio blocks are repeated here for the convenience 
of procuring agencies and readers, since patio blocks were included in 
the same table as floor tiles for which a clarification is being issued 
today.
Contents
I. Specific Recommendations for Procurement of Designated Items

Part C. Construction Products

Section C-5. Floor Tiles and Patio Blocks Containing Recovered 
Plastic or Rubber
Section C-6. Shower and Restroom Dividers Containing Recovered 
Plastic or Steel
Section C-7. Latex Paint

Part D. Transportation Products
Section D-2. Parking Stops Made from Concrete or Containing 
Recovered Plastic or Rubber
Section D-3. Channelizers, Delineators, and Flexible Delineators 
Containing Recovered Plastic, Rubber, or Steel

Part E. Park and Recreation Products

Section E-2. Snow Fencing Containing Recovered Plastic

Part F. Landscaping Products

Section F-3. Garden and Soaker Hoses Containing Recovered Plastic or 
Rubber
Section F-4. Lawn and Garden Edging Containing Recovered Plastic or 
Rubber

Part G. Non-Paper Office Products

Section G-6. Printer Ribbons
Section G-7. Ink Jet Cartridges
Section G-8. Plastic Envelopes

Part H. Miscellaneous Products

Section H-1. Pallets Containing Recovered Wood, Plastic, or 
Paperboard

I. Specific Recommendations for Procurement of Designated Items
Part C--Construction Products
    Note: Refer to Part F--Landscaping Products for additional items 
that can be used in construction.
Section C-5--Floor Tiles Containing Recovered Plastic or Rubber
    Preference Program: EPA recommends that, based on the recovered 
materials content levels shown in Table C-5, procuring agencies 
establish minimum content standards for use in floor tiles and patio 
blocks. The recommended use of floor tiles containing recovered 
materials is limited to the applications cited in the table. The Agency 
requests additional information on floor tiles made with recovered 
materials in other applications such as standard office flooring.

  Table C-5.--Recommended Recovered Materials Content Levels for Floor  
    Tiles and Patio Blocks Containing Recovered Plastic or Rubber \1\   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Total   
                                               Postconsumer   recovered 
           Product                Material       materials    materials 
                                                    (%)      content (%)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patio Blocks................  Rubber or              90-100  ...........
                               rubber blends.                           
                              Plastic or       ............       90-100
                               plastic blends.                          
Floor Tiles (heavy duty/      Rubber.........  ............  ...........
 commercial use) \1\.                                                   
                              Plastic........  ............      90-100 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The use of floor tiles with recovered materials content may be      
  appropriate only for specialty purpose uses (e.g., raised, open-web   
  tiles for drainage on school kitchen flooring). Such specialty purpose
  uses involve limited flooring areas where grease, tar, snow, ice,     
  wetness or similar substances or conditions are likely to be present. 
  Thus, EPA has no recovered materials content level recommendations for
  floor tiles made with recovered materials for standard office or more 
  general purpose uses.                                                 
Note: The recommended recovered materials content levels are based on   
  dry weight of the raw materials, exclusive of any additives such as   
  adhesives, binders, or coloring agent. EPA's recommendation does not  
  preclude agencies from purchasing floor tiles or patio manufactured   
  from other materials. It simply recommends that procuring agencies,   
  when purchasing floor tiles or patio blocks made from rubber or       
  plastic, purchase these items made from recovered materials when these
  items meet applicable specifications and performance requirements.    


[[Page 57763]]

Section C-6--Shower and Restroom Dividers Containing Recovered Plastic 
or Steel
    Preference Program: EPA recommends that, based on the recovered 
materials content levels shown in Table C-6, procuring agencies 
establish minimum content standards for use in purchasing shower and 
restroom dividers.

  Table C-6.--Recommended Recovered Materials Content Levels for Shower 
       and Restroom Dividers Containing Recovered Plastic or Steel      
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Total   
                                               Postconsumer   recovered 
           Product                Material      content (%)   materials 
                                                             content (%)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shower/Restroom Dividers....  Steel..........         10-15       27-100
                              Plastic........        20-100      20-100 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: EPA's recommendation does not preclude procuring agencies from    
  purchasing shower and restroom dividers manufactured from another     
  material, such as wood. It simply recommends that a procuring agency, 
  when purchasing shower and restroom dividers made from plastic or     
  steel, purchase these items made with recovered materials when these  
  items meet applicable specifications and performance requirements.    

    Specifications: EPA recommends that procuring agencies use the 
following specifications when procuring shower and restroom dividers:
    (1) The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has issued guidance 
for specifying construction materials, including plastic and steel 
dividers. The AIA guidance is known throughout the construction 
industry as the ``Masterspec'' and is available through GSA.
    (2) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Guide Specification CEGS-10160, 
Toilet Partitions.
Section C-7--Latex Paint
    Preference Program: EPA recommends that, based on the recovered 
materials content levels shown in Table C-7, procuring agencies 
establish minimum content standards for use in purchasing latex paint. 
EPA recommends the use of consolidated paint in limited applications, 
such as covering graffiti, where color and consistency of performance 
are not primary concerns. The Agency recommends the use of reprocessed 
paint for interior and exterior architectural applications.

  Table C-7.--Recommended Recovered Materials Content Levels for Latex  
                                  Paint                                 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Postconsumer
              Product                       Material          content % 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consolidated latex paint...........  Left-over latex paint           100
Reprocessed latex paint............  Left-over latex paint     \1\ 50-99
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Based on comments received from its interagency workgroup, EPA      
  believes that the content levels recommended in this table may        
  represent a limited range of colors, such as gray, brown, and other   
  earthtones, and requests comments on the availability of paint with   
  postconsumer content in white and lighter colors.                     

    Specifications: EPA recommends that procuring agencies use the 
following specifications when procuring reprocessed latex paint:
    (1) GSA specification TT-P-2846 covers three types of latex paint 
(interior, exterior, and interior/exterior), three classes (flat, 
eggshell, and semigloss) and three grades (A: 40 percent minimum volume 
solids, B: 30 percent minimum volume solids, and C: utility paint for 
graffiti abatement). GSA requires 50 percent postconsumer content for 
Grades A and B and 90 percent postconsumer content for Grade C. GSA 
specifications also require that recycled latex paint contain no more 
than 200 grams per liter of VOCs.
    (2) EPA further recommends that procuring agencies refer to 
performance requirements in the GSA specification when purchasing 
reprocessed latex paint made from less than 50 percent postconsumer 
content.

Part D--Transportation Products

Section D-2-Parking Stops Made from Concrete or Containing Recovered 
Plastic or Rubber
    Preference Program: EPA recommends that, based on the recovered 
materials content ranges shown in Table D-2, procuring agencies 
establish minimum content standards for use when purchasing parking 
stops.

 Table D-2.--Recommended Materials Content Levels for Parking Stops Made
         from Concrete or Containing Recovered Plastic or Rubber        
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Postconsumer
              Product                       Material         content (%)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parking stops......................  Plastic \1\ and/or              100
                                      rubber.                           
                                     Concrete containing          (\2\) 
                                      fly ash or GGBF.                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Parking stops made with recovered plastics may also include other   
  recovered materials such as sawdust, wood, or fiberglass. The         
  percentage of these materials contained in the product would also     
  count toward the recovered materials content level of the item.       
\2\ See recommendations for cement and concrete containing recovered    
  materials issued in Section C-3 of the May 1, 1995 RMAN (59 FR 21390).
                                                                        
Note: EPA's recommendation does not preclude a procuring agency from    
  purchasing parking stops manufactured from another material. It simply
  requires that a procuring agency, when purchasing parking stops made  
  from rubber, plastic, or concrete, purchase these items made with     
  recovered materials when these items meet applicable specifications   
  and performance requirements.                                         

    Specifications: EPA is not aware of any national specifications for 
parking stops and requests information on this topic.
Section D-3--Temporary Traffic Control Devices Containing Recovered 
Plastic, Rubber, or Steel
    Preference Program: EPA recommends that, based on the recovered 
materials content levels shown in Table D-3, procuring agencies 
establish minimum content standards for use in purchasing channelizers, 
delineators, and flexible delineators.

[[Page 57764]]



     Table D-3.--Recommended Recovered Materials Content Levels for     
Channelizers, Delineators, and Flexible Delineators Containing Recovered
                        Plastic, Rubber, or Steel                       
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Post- 
                                                                consumer
               Product                         Material          content
                                                                   (%)  
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Channelizers.........................  Plastic................     25-95
                                       Rubber base only.......       100
Delineators..........................  Plastic................     25-90
                                       Rubber (base only).....       100
                                       Steel (base only)......     25-50
Flexible Delineators.................  Plastic................    25-85 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: EPA's recommendation does not preclude a procuring agency from    
  purchasing temporary traffic control devices manufactured from another
  material. It simply requires that a procuring agency, when purchasing 
  channelizers, delineators, and flexible delineators made from rubber, 
  plastic, or steel, purchase these items made with recovered materials 
  when these items meet applicable specifications and performance       
  requirements.                                                         

    Specifications: EPA recommends that procuring agencies use the 
following specifications when procuring temporary traffic control 
devices, including channelizers, delineators, and flexible delineators:
    (1) The Federal Highway Administration publishes the Manual on 
Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which contains specifications used by 
most States for the size, shape, mounting, and placement of temporary 
traffic control devices.
    (2) The States of Florida and North Carolina have specifications 
that require the use of recovered materials in their flexible 
delineators. The California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) has 
specifications for ``Drivable Flexible Plastic Guide Marker and 
Clearance Marker Posts.'' A copy of these specifications are available 
from the RCRA Hotline at 1-800-424-9346.

Part E--Park and Recreation Products

Section E-2--Snow Fencing Containing Recovered Plastic
    Preference Program: EPA recommends that, based on the recovered 
materials content levels shown in Table E-2, procuring agencies 
establish minimum content standards for use in purchasing snow fencing.

   Table E-2.--Recommended Recovered Materials Content Levels for Snow  
                  Fencing Containing Recovered Plastic                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                 Total  
                                                       Post-   recovered
            Product                   Material       consumer  materials
                                                      content   content 
                                                        (%)       (%)   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Snow fencing...................  Plastic...........    60-100    90-100 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: EPA's recommendation does not preclude procuring agencies from    
  purchasing snow fencing manufactured from another material, such as   
  wood. It simply requires that a procuring agency, when purchasing snow
  fencing made from plastic, purchase this item with recovered materials
  when this item meets applicable specifications and performance        
  requirements.                                                         

    Specifications: The State of New York developed a specification for 
snow fencing containing 50-100 percent recovered material, but 
discontinued its use because the state did not purchase enough fencing 
to warrant maintaining the specification. New York required orange-
colored snow fencing four feet high and 100 feet long. Weight was 
specified at 48 pounds per 100 foot section, with porosity at 50 
percent. Temperature tolerance ranged from -50 to +180 degrees F. 
Strength specifications required machine direction breaking loading of 
1,210 pounds per foot-width and a transverse direction breaking load or 
340 pounds per foot-width. A copy of this specification is available 
from the RCRA Hotline at 1-800-424-9346.

Part F--Landscaping Products

Section F-3--Garden and Soaker Hoses Containing Recovered Plastic or 
Rubber
    Preference Program: EPA recommends that, based on the recovered 
materials content levels shown in Table F-3, procuring agencies 
establish minimum content standards for use in purchasing garden and 
soaker hose.

  Table F-3.--Recommended Recovered Materials Content Levels for Garden 
         and Soaker Hose Containing Recovered Plastic or Rubber         
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Postconsumer
              Product                       Material         content (%)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Garden Hose........................  Rubber and/or plastic       60-65  
Soaker Hose........................  Rubber and/or plastic      60-70   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note 1: EPA's recommendation does not preclude a procuring agency from  
  purchasing garden and soaker hoses manufactured from another material.
  It simply requires that a procuring agency, when purchasing garden and
  soaker hoses made from plastic or rubber, purchase these items made   
  with recovered materials when these items meet applicable             
  specifications and performance requirements.                          
Note 2: While Green Seal's specification includes a 50 percent          
  postconsumer content level for watering hoses, all companies from     
  which EPA obtained information, manufacture garden and/or soaker hoses
  with at least 60 percent postconsumer content.                        

    Specifications: EPA recommends that procuring agencies use the 
following specifications when procuring garden and soaker hose:
    (1) ASTM D3901: Consumer Specification for Garden Hose. The 
specification addresses physical and performance characteristics 
(pressure, tensile, and ripping strength tests) and states that the 
material components are to be agreed upon by the purchaser and seller.
    (2) Green Seal GC-2: Watering Hoses. The standard calls for the use 
of 50 percent postconsumer rubber material in garden hoses and 65 
percent postconsumer rubber material in soaker hoses.
Section F-4--Lawn and Garden Edging Containing Recovered Plastic or 
Rubber
    Preference Program: EPA recommends that, based on the recovered 
materials content levels shown in Table F-4, procuring agencies 
establish minimum content standards for use in purchasing lawn and 
garden edging.

[[Page 57765]]



 Table F-4.--Recommended Recovered Materials Content Levels for Lawn and
          Garden Edging Containing Recovered Plastic or Rubber          
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                 Total  
                                                       Post-   recovered
            Product                   Material       consumer  materials
                                                      content   content 
                                                        (%)       (%)   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lawn and garden edging.........  Plastic and/or        30-100    30-100 
                                  rubber.                               
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: EPA's recommendation does not preclude procuring agencies from    
  purchasing lawn and garden edging manufactured from another material, 
  such as wood. It simply requires that a procuring agency, when        
  purchasing lawn and garden edging made from plastic and/or rubber,    
  purchase these items made with recovered materials when these items   
  meet applicable specifications and performance requirements.          

    Specifications: EPA is not aware of any national performance 
specifications for lawn and garden edging and requests information on 
this topic.

Part G--Non-Paper Office Products

Section G-6--Printer Ribbons
    Preference Program: Minimum content standards are not appropriate 
for remanufactured items, such as printer ribbons, because a core part 
of the item is reused in the new product, even though certain 
components of a printer ribbon may contain recovered materials. In lieu 
of content standards, EPA recommends that procuring agencies adopt one 
or both of the following approaches: (1) procure printer ribbon 
reinking or reloading services or (2) procure reinked or reloaded 
printer ribbons. EPA further recommends that procuring agencies 
establish policies that give priority to reinking or reloading their 
expended printer ribbons. If reinking and reloading services are 
unavailable, procuring agencies should attempt to purchase reinked or 
reloaded printer ribbons.
    Specifications: The State of Alabama has a specification for 
reinked ribbons which requires the ribbons to be vacuum cleaned, 
reinked, and rewound to proper tension. A copy of this specification is 
available from the RCRA Hotline at 1-800-424-9346.
Section G-7--Ink Jet Cartridges
    Preference Program: Minimum content standards are not appropriate 
for remanufactured items, such as refilled ink jet cartridges, because 
a core part of the item is reused in the new product, even though 
certain components of an ink jet cartridge may contain recovered 
materials. In lieu of minimum content standards, EPA recommends that 
procuring agencies adopt one or both of the following approaches: (1) 
procure ink jet cartridge refilling services or (2) procure refilled 
ink jet cartridges. EPA further recommends that procuring agencies 
establish policies that give priority to refilling their ink jet 
cartridges. If refilling services are unavailable or impractical, then 
procuring agencies should attempt to purchase refilled ink jet 
cartridges.
    Specifications: EPA is not aware of any national specifications for 
refilled ink jet cartridges. The Agency identified a number of 
procuring agencies that have purchased these items. For example, the 
Internal Revenue Service of South Florida has purchased the items for 
the past five years for use in the majority of that agency's ink jet 
printers and facsimile machines. A copy of the specification used by 
the Internal Revenue Service is available from the RCRA Hotline at 1-
800-424-9346.
    GSA made ink jet cartridges available under the Multiple Award 
Schedule and the Special Item Number Schedule in 1995.
Section G-8--Plastic Envelopes
    Preference Program: EPA recommends that, based on the recovered 
materials content levels shown in Table G-8, procuring agencies 
establish minimum content standards for use in purchasing plastic 
envelopes.

 Table G-8.--Recommended Recovered Materials Content Levels for Plastic 
                                Envelopes                               
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                 Total  
                                                       Post-   recovered
            Product                   Material       consumer  materials
                                                      content   content 
                                                        (%)       (%)   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plastic envelopes..............  Plastic...........        25    25--35 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: EPA's recommendation does not preclude a procuring agency from    
  purchasing envelopes manufactured from another material, such as      
  paper. It simply requires that a procuring agency, when purchasing    
  envelopes made from plastic, purchase these items made from recovered 
  materials when these items meet applicable specifications and         
  performance requirements. When purchasing envelopes made from paper,  
  procuring agencies should consult the Paper Products RMAN which was   
  issued in the Federal Register on May 29, 1996 at 61 FR 26985.        

    Specifications: The General Services Administration (GSA), 
Government Printing Office (GPO) and U.S. Postal Service (USPS) all 
currently purchase plastic envelopes made from Tyvek 
containing recovered HDPE. GSA specifies ``DuPont Tyvek or 
equal.'' USPS requires ``DuPont Tyvek,'' and GPO requires 
``white spunbonded polyethylene with the characteristics of DuPont's 
product no. 1073.'' The title of the solicitation, however, states 
``Tyvek envelopes or similar.''
    The U.S. Navy requests that plastic envelopes not be sent to ships 
in order to minimize onboard disposal of plastic.

Part H--Miscellaneous Products

Part H-1--Pallets Containing Recovered Wood, Plastic, or Paperboard
    Preference Program: EPA recommends that, based on the recovered 
materials content levels shown in Table H-1, procuring agencies 
establish minimum content standards for use in purchasing pallets. EPA 
requests additional information on the performance of virgin versus 
recovered content plastic pallets for non-military Federal agency use 
and military applications.

 Table H-1.--Recommended Recovered Materials Content Levels for Pallets 
            Containing Recovered Wood, Plastic, or Paperboard           
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Post- 
                                                                consumer
               Product                         Material          content
                                                                   (%)  
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wooden pallets.......................  Wood...................    95-100
Plastic pallets......................  Plastic................       100
Paperboard pallets...................  Paperboard.............       50 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: EPA's recommendation does not preclude a procuring agency from    
  purchasing pallets manufactured from another material. It simply      
  requires that a procuring agency, when purchasing pallets made from   
  wood, plastic, or paperboard, purchase these items made with recovered
  materials when these items meet applicable specifications and         
  performance requirements.                                             


[[Page 57766]]

    Specifications: EPA recommends that procuring agencies use the 
following specifications when procuring pallets:
    (1) The Grocery Manufacturers of America issued a widely used 
standard for 48 by 40-inch stringer pallets known as the ``GMA spec.'' 
A copy of this specification is available from the RCRA Hotline at 1-
800-424-9346.
    (2) The National Wooden Pallet and Container Association is 
developing a standard through the American National Standards Institute 
(ANSI) for repairable 48 by 40-inch lumber-deck pallets. The ANSI 
standard is scheduled for release in Fall 1996.

[FR Doc. 96-28735 Filed 11-6-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P