Last Updated:	2004-05-10
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Introduction

Puerto Rico has not yet adopted regulations that specifically address the management of used or discarded electronic equipment. However, a Senate proposal calls for the regulation of “waste electronic equipment.”
EPA has not authorized Puerto Rico to implement its hazardous waste program in lieu of the federal RCRA program. Therefore, RCRA, including the UWR, has automatic, direct effect in Puerto Rico. A discussion of the federal hazardous waste law and the UWR is available at The USA - Federal Waste Page.

In Puerto Rico, hazardous wastes are regulated by the Public Policy Environmental Act and the Regulation for the Control of Hazardous and Non- Hazardous Solid Wastes, as well as by Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ("RCRA") and its underlying regulations. The Puerto Rico rules on hazardous waste management are similar and are essentially equivalent to the RCRA Subtitle C regulations. Until EPA authorizes Puerto Rico to implement its hazardous waste program in lieu of the federal scheme, both the local and federal hazardous waste regulations are enforceable in Puerto Rico. The local regulations do not differ from the federal RCRA regulations in a manner which affects the management of used electronics.