Office of Land Revitalization and Sustainable Materials Management

The 50th anniversary of Earth Day also marks the unveiling of a new name and refocused priorities for DEM’s Office of Waste Management. On April 22, 2020, the Office of Waste Management officially changed to Office of Land Revitalization and Sustainable Materials Management. As part of DEM’s Environmental Protection Bureau, the new name aims to showcase the Office’s goals to supports a healthier environment and accelerate economic growth and better encompasses the breadth of activities that the Office handles each day.

On the facility "permitting" side, staff manage a wide range of topics including underground storage tank (UST) facilities; hazardous, solid, and medical waste facilities, and all the recycling programs from electronics to food waste.

On the "remediation" side, program staff oversee Superfund clean ups, Department of Defense sites, remediation of brownfield sites, leaking UST’s, the State’s Brownfield Bond, landfill closures, and more.

Land Revitalization acknowledges the link between successful environmental cleanup and transforming a brownfield site into a reusable piece of property. Both are critical to success and most importantly improving the livability of RI’s communities.

Sustainable Materials Management emphasizes the recycle/reuse goals and zero waste concepts which are the ultimate aim of managing waste and materials.

Programs:

1. Underground Storage Tank Management - Registration and Modification of Underground Storage Tank Systems (UST program), as well as, the clean-up of Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (LUST program). Aboveground Tank Registration
 
2. Solid, Hazardous, and Medical Waste - Generation, transportation, treatment, recycling, and disposal of regulated wastes. Also, included are the closure of active and inactive landfills and Beneficial Use Determination (BUD) permits.
 
3. Contaminated Site Cleanup - These programs include the investigation and remediation of sites contaminated with hazardous materials
• Site Remediation Program - Investigation and remediation of sites contaminated with hazardous materials and petroleum, which includes the redevelopment and reuse of sites commonly known as Brownfields.
• Superfund and Department of Defense Program - Includes Brownfields, Superfund, Department of Defense Clean-ups, and evaluation of sites on EPA's CERCLIS list for consideration of action under the Superfund Program.