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Dental Amalgam/Mercury Recycling: About the Voluntary Program The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) worked with the Massachusetts Dental Society in 2004 to establish a voluntary program for dental practices and facilities to certify to MassDEP that they were using amalgam separators and recycling amalgam waste containing mercury.
Dental practices participating in this voluntary program before March 1, 2005, were exempted from MassDEP amalgam separation system installation, operation, maintenance and upgrade regulations, and related fees, until February 1, 2010. Dentists who submitted voluntary certifications after February 28, 2005, but before February 1, 2006, were exempted from additional amalgam separator rules and fees until February 1, 2007.
Why The Program Was Launched
The program was intended to reduce the amount of mercury released into the environment by Massachusetts dental practices and facilities. MassDEP initially implemented a voluntary approach to encourage early installation and use of amalgam separators by dentists before adopting regulations that now require these actions.
Amalgam waste from the dental sector contributes to the mercury released into the environment from Massachusetts sources, and was identified in the 2000 Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Zero Mercury Strategy as a potential candidate for pollution prevention.
MassDEP Regulations
Subsequent to rolling out the voluntary program, MassDEP developed regulations requiring dental facilities to install and operate amalgam separators, and to use "best management practices" for waste amalgam containing mercury.
While the voluntary program required that amalgam separators be demonstrated to achieve 95 percent efficiency in removing waste amalgam from wastewater, the regulations require that amalgam separators meet a 98 percent removal efficiency standard.
Facilities that participated in the voluntary program are allowed to continue using their 95 percent efficient amalgam separators, as long as the equipment continues to achieve this removal efficiency and is maintained in accordance with manufacturer instructions. When separators need to be replaced, units that meet the 98 percent removal efficiency standard must be installed.
For More Information
Call Karen Rafeld at the Massachusetts Dental Society (800-342-8747 or 508-480-9797) or John Reinhardt in the MassDEP Bureau of Waste Prevention (617-292-5667). |
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