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Beneficial Use Permits for Common Municipal Wastes

Waste TypePermit #Description
Animal Fat and
Restaurant Oil
WMGM008 (pdf)Beneficial use of restaurant oil and animal fat for use as an alternative fuel.
WMGM026 (pdf)

Beneficial use of sewage sludge incinerator ash as an ingredient or a component in the production of a high quality topsoil or compost material.

WMGM031 (pdf)Processing (i.e., blending) and beneficial use of: (a) Class B (related to pathogen treatment requirements) biosolids, (b) Gilberton coal ash and (c) other absorbing materials (i.e., pulp and paper mill sludge, woodchips or sawdust produced from clean, unpainted and untreated wood) to mitigate odors from land application at mine sites.
WMGM036 (pdf)
Blending or mixing, utilizing a portable processing unit, of sewage sludge generated by municipal sewage collection and treatment systems or treatment works, to produce a lime-stabilized sewage sludge for beneficial use by land application for agricultural utilization and mine reclamation purposes.
WMGM042 (pdf)
Anaerobic digestion of animal manure on a farm mixed with (i) grease trap waste (collected from restaurants or grocery stores) and (ii) pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste from commercial or institutional establishments.
Construction Waste WMGM011 (pdf)Beneficial use of processed construction waste to produce mulch as a soil additive and an aggregate in concrete or asphalt mixtures for construction purposes
WMGM014 (pdf)Beneficial use of roadway excavation waste as roadway construction material.
WMGM019 (pdf)Processing and beneficial use of concrete, asphalt, hardwood timber as mulch and uncontaminated soil as construction material, and topsoil for commercial purposes.
WMGM022 (pdf)Processing and beneficial use of waste concrete, brick, aggregate previously used as sub-grade or sub-base material in roadway construction, shot rock, roof ballast, and waste asphalt to produce a roadway or parking lot construction material, and/or substitute for PennDOT approved aggregate.
WMGM023 (pdf)On site processing and beneficial use of gypsum board from new home construction as an on-site soil amendment.
WMGM024 (pdf)
Processing and beneficial use of concrete and asphalt waste as: an aggregate, sub-grade or sub-base material for roadway construction; cold-mix or hot-mix construction material for compacted roadway applications covered with a pavement; or construction material for compacted roadway shoulder applications covered with a sealer.
WMGM025 (pdf)

On-site or off-site processing of unpainted and untreated wood waste, gypsum board, brick, block and concrete waste, from new residential and commercial construction, for beneficial use as (1) mulch for landscaping purposes, (2) soil erosion control, and/or (3) temporary walkway material at new residential home or commercial building construction sites or distributed to wholesale outlets.

WMGM027 (pdf)
Processing of:
  1. compost, drinking water treatment plant sludge, waste gypsum, foundry sand and SMS with non-waste soils to produce topsoil for landscaping purposes, and
  2. clean, uncontaminated rock, stone, gravel, brick, block, concrete and used asphalt) for use as a construction material at the processing facility only.
WMGM038 (pdf)

Grinding, shredding, and screening of untreated and unpainted standard gypsum wallboard, commonly known as Type X, generated at residential home and commercial construction sites, or manufacturing facilities, and backing paper for beneficial use as: (i) a component of mushroom growing media, (ii) a soil additive material, (iii) a soil amendment, (iv) a component or ingredient in a manufacturing process, and (v) an animal bedding material.

WMGM039 (pdf)

The general permit is for the processing and beneficial use of post-consumer asphalt shingles (tear-offs) and pre-consumer asphalt shingles (i.e., imperfections, tabs, trimming scraps, etc., generated in the manufacturing of new asphalt shingles and damaged, unused shingles) as an ingredient in hot-mix and cold-mix asphalt paving material, a component of a sub-base material, as dust control on rural roads when applied with a binder, and as a component or ingredient in fuel used in cement or manufacturing or in the generation of electricity or steam. The processing is limited to transferring, screening, shredding, grinding, sorting and magnetic removal of ferrous metal.

WMGM044 (pdf)

Processing of unpainted and untreated wood waste; gypsum board; brick, block and concrete waste; various organic wastes; non-asbestos containing asphalt shingles; pallets; skids; saw dust; source segregated paper; cardboard and newspaper; plastic waste; scrap metal; unused structural sound building materials; and architectural elements. The processed waste materials are beneficial use as (a) mulch or wood chips for further processing off-site, (b) aggregate material in roadway construction, (c) soil conditioner or soil amendment, (d) alternative fuel, (e) animal bedding, or (f) distributed to wholesale outlets.

Food Waste WMGM017 (pdf)Processing and beneficial use of compost of manure, yard waste, source separated food scraps from food markets, grocery stores, food banks, food distribution centers, school cafeterias and institutions, source-separated newspaper, and source-separated corrugated paper (cardboard) as soil substitute, soil conditioner, fertilizer, mulch or soil amendment.
WMGM027 (pdf)Processing of leaf and yard waste, food processing residuals, and spent mushroom substrate (SMS) to produce compost, and
WMGM042 (pdf)
Anaerobic digestion of animal manure on a farm mixed with (i) grease trap waste (collected from restaurants or grocery stores) and (ii) pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste from commercial or institutional establishments.
WMGM045 (pdf)
Processing and beneficial use activities performed by facilities that, at any one time, do not exceed (i) 5 acres and (ii) 6,000 cubic yards per acre of wastes as follows: 1. Processing by mixing or blending, screening and composting of (a) source separated food processing waste, (b) source separated pre-and-post consumer food wastes, (c) yard waste, (d) unpainted and untreated wood waste, (e) source segregated paper and cardboard, (f) land clearing and grubbing waste, and (g) agricultural waste on an active or abandoned mine site approved by the Department as part of a mine reclamation permit or project. 2. Beneficial use of the cured compost as (a) a soil additive, (b) a mulch for landscaping purposes, (c) a fertilizer in normal farming operations or mine reclamation activities, or (d) in the production of a manufactured topsoil .
Landfill Gas WMGM028 (pdf)Processing of landfill gas (LFG) generated by the decomposition of municipal waste and residual waste, for beneficial use as (1) a substitute for high or medium BTU-LFG for natural gas or other fuel, (2) a substitute for natural gas or other fuel to be interconnected with another pipeline for consumer use, and (3) an alternative fuel for the electric generators to produce electricity.
WMGM033 (pdf)Processing of landfill gas (LFG) generated by the decomposition of municipal waste and residual waste, for beneficial use as a n alternative fuel for the electric generators to produce electricity that will be used: (1) for the landfill's daily needs, (2) transmitted to the local electric utility grid, and/or (3) distributed for direct consumer use.
WMGM020 (pdf)Processing (shaking, scraping and screening) of ferrous/non-ferrous metal coated with ash residue and recycling/beneficial use of the scrap metal.
Sewage Sludge WMGM050(pdf)Processing of non-liquid sewage sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants and alkaline fly/bed ash to be beneficially used as a fuel at power plants. Processing is limited to mechanical mixing by auger and drying.
Wood Waste WMGM015 (pdf)Processing and beneficial use of wood and timber waste (i.e., tree stumps, limbs, clean wood, untreated and unpainted wood and pallets) and the leaf and yard waste as mulch and compost to compliment the mulch production.
WMGM016 (pdf)Processing and beneficial use of trees, tree stumps, limbs, clean pallets, untreated and unpainted scrap lumber, packing crates and brush.
WMGM022 (pdf)Processing and beneficial use of timber waste (i.e., tree stumps, limbs, clean wood, untreated and unpainted lumber, shrubs, clean pallets, clean skids and packing crates), and leaf and yard waste (i.e., source segregated leaf and yard waste, grass clippings) to produce bedding material for livestock
WMGM027 (pdf)
Processing of:
  1. wood waste (clean and uncontaminated land clearing, grubbing and excavation waste, yard waste, and residual and municipal wood scrap) to produce mulch for landscaping purposes,
  2. leaf and yard waste, food processing residuals, and spent mushroom substrate (SMS) to produce compost, and
  3. organic, non-organic residuals with a BTU value of at least 5,000 BTU/lb for use as alternative fuels.
Yard Waste WMGM030 (pdf)

Composting yard waste facilities between five acres and 15 acres.