Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements Under EPA's WasteWise Program (Renewal), EPA ICR Number 1698.05, OMB Control Number 2050-0139

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on May 31, 2004. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES:

Additional comments may be submitted on or before June 24, 2004.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number RCRA-2000-0066, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail to rcra-docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode 5305T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB at: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Charles Heizenroth, Office of Solid Waste, 5306W, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (703) 308-0154; fax number: (703) 308-8686; e-mail address: heizenroth.charles@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 1320.12. On January 13, 2004 (69 FR 1977), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments.

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. RCRA-2000-0066, which is available for public viewing at the RCRA Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the RCRA Docket is (202) 566-0270. An electronic version of the public docket is available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. Use EDOCKET to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, select “search,” then key in the docket ID number identified above.

Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days of this notice. EPA's policy is that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that material in the version of the comment that is placed in EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket. Although identified as an item in the official docket, information claimed as CBI, or whose disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not included in the official public docket, and will not be available for public viewing in EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic docket, see EPA's Federal Register notice describing the electronic docket at 67 FR 38102 (May 31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov/edocket.

Title: Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements Under EPA's WasteWise Program (Renewal).

Abstract: EPA's voluntary WasteWise program encourages businesses and other organizations to reduce solid waste through waste prevention, recycling, and the purchase or manufacture of recycled-content products. WasteWise participants include partners, which commit to implementing waste reduction activities of their choice, and endorsers which promote the WasteWise program and waste reduction to their members.

The Partner Registration Form identifies an organization and its facilities registering to participate in WasteWise, and requires the signature of a senior official that can commit the organization to the program. (This form can be submitted either electronically or in hard copy.) Within six months of registering, each partner is asked to conduct a waste assessment and submit baseline data and waste reduction goals to EPA via the Annual Assessment Form. (This form can also be submitted either electronically or in hard copy.) On an annual basis partners are asked to report, via the Annual Assessment Form, on their progress toward achieving their waste reduction goals by estimating amounts of waste prevented and recyclables collected, and describing buying or manufacturing recycled-content products. They can also provide WasteWise with information on total waste prevention revenue, total recycling revenue, total avoided purchasing costs due to waste prevention, and total avoided disposal costs due to recycling and waste prevention. Additionally, they are asked to submit new waste reduction goals.

Endorsers, which are typically trade associations or state/local governments, submit the Endorser Registration Form once during their endorser relationship with WasteWise. (This form can be submitted either electronically or in hard copy.) The Endorser Registration Form identifies the organization, the principal contact, and the activities to which the Endorser commits.

EPA's WasteWise program uses the submitted information to (1) identify and recognize outstanding waste reduction achievements by individual organizations, (2) compile aggregate results that indicate overall accomplishments of WasteWise partners, (3) identify cost-effective waste reduction strategies to share with other organizations, and (4) identify topics on which to develop assistance and information efforts.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control numbers for EPA's regulations in 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and are identified on the form and/or instrument, if applicable.

Burden Statement: The respondent burden for this collection is estimated to average 1 hour per response for the Partner Registration Form, 40 hours per response for the Annual Assessment Form, and 10 hours per response for the Endorser Registration Form. This results in an estimated annual partner respondent burden of 41 hours for new partners, 40 hours for established partners, and a one-time respondent burden of 10 hours for endorsers.

The estimated number of respondents is 1,325 in Year 1; 1,425 in Year 2; and 1,525 in Year 3. Estimated total annual burden on all respondents is 52,350 hours in Year 1; 56,350 hours in Year 2; and 60,350 hours in Year 3. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements; train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the information.

Respondents/Affected Entities: The WasteWise program was initially targeted to the Fortune 500 manufacturing companies and the Fortune 500 service companies. During the period covered by this ICR, however, WasteWise will continue to focus its marketing efforts on a broader audience, including medium to large size businesses, universities, and federal/state/local/tribal governments. While WasteWise actively promotes the program to a smaller subset of these groups, the program is open to all companies, trade associations, nonprofit organizations, schools, colleges, universities, and federal/state/local/tribal governments. Due to the broad universe of eligible WasteWise partners, a relevant list of NAICS codes would include virtually every business area contained in the NAICS code manual. Therefore, it is not practical to include such a comprehensive list of affected organizations. The WasteWise Endorser Program initially targeted more than 100 trade associations across numerous industry sectors. The program is, however, open to all trade associations, membership organizations, and federal/state/local/tribal organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,425.

Frequency of Response: Once when registering for the program, then yearly to report progress.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 56,350.

Estimated Total Annual Cost: $3,527,000, includes $0 annual capital/startup costs, $0 annual O&M and $3,527,000 annual labor costs.

Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 7,910 hours in the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease is due to a change in program requirements. The goals identification form was eliminated and the new annual assessment form is easier for respondents to complete.