Dive Brief:

• The PA Department of Environmental Protection announced its approval for a solid waste disposal permit modification which would allow the Keystone Sanitary landfill in Lackawanna County, PA to process liquid drilling waste. Used in fracking, the okayed substance is water-based and is used to separate solid material for disposal.
• After separation is completed, the liquid is returned to operators to use again. The solid waste stays at the landfill with additional natural gas wastes that are created during production. 
• The landfill was reportedly authorized to accept drill cuttings in 2011, and the new changes do not alter the daily limit of drilling substances the site can accept; it remains at 2,000 tons per day.

Dive Insight:

A local borough council president has reservations about the landfill processing materials that, in his opinion, should be categorized as hazardous waste. Different areas around the U.S. have been handling controversial fracking waste differently. In 2013, the legislature in Rockland, NY voted to ban the waste, while a bill in West Virginia would allow drill waste to be disposed of at solid waste landfills, and is currently pending. The industry continues to wrestle with classifications; in some cases, more testing is conducted to determine proper disposal methods for byproducts of fracking waste.

As this sector of the industry grows,​ Waste Management is seeking opportunities, expanding into multiple states, including Pennsylvania. The waste and recycling company acquired fracking disposal firms and is offering equipment maintenance and cleaning for its clients.