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HB176 • 2026

Foundry wastes; Environmental Management Department required to adopt rules for beneficial reuse

Foundry wastes; Environmental Management Department required to adopt rules for beneficial reuse

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Robbins
Last action
2026-01-21
Official status
Read Second Time in House of Origin
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on environmental benefits or quantities of foundry sand that will be reused.

Rules for Reusing Foundry Sand

This bill requires the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to create rules allowing foundry sand to be reused in various ways by January 1, 2027.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the department to adopt rules providing for the beneficial reuse of foundry sand by January 1, 2027.
  • Specifies that foundry sand can be used as raw material in manufacturing asphalt, cement, and concrete products; subbase for road construction; fill material; filler for emergency flood control sandbags; leachate control drainage material at sanitary landfills; and alternative cover material at sanitary landfills.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Alabama Department of Environmental Management
  • Foundries that produce foundry sand as a by-product
  • Companies that use foundry sand for manufacturing or construction

Terms To Know

foundry sand
A solid by-product from the foundry industry derived from molding, core-making, and casting cleaning processes primarily containing sand, olivine, or clay.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much foundry sand will be reused or where it will be used.
  • It is unclear what specific environmental benefits this reuse might bring.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

2JV1AKS-1

Economic Development and Tourism

Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

Plain English: 2JV1AKS-1 01/21/2026 ZAK (H) HSE 2025-3590 House Economic Development and Tourism Reported Substitute for HB176 Page 1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to recycling; to amend Section 22-27-12, Code of Alabama 1975, to require the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to adopt rules providing for the beneficial reuse of foundry sand; and to make nonsubstantive, technical revisions to update the existing code language to current style..

  • 2JV1AKS-1 01/21/2026 ZAK (H) HSE 2025-3590 House Economic Development and Tourism Reported Substitute for HB176 Page 1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to recycling; to amend Section 22-27-12, Code of Alabama 1975, to require the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to adopt rules providing for the beneficial reuse of foundry sand; and to make nonsubstantive, technical revisions to update the existing code language to current style..
  • BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA: Section 1.
  • Section 22-27-12, Code of Alabama 1975, is amended to read as follows: "§22-27-12 (a) The department may do the following: (1) Adopt rules to implement this article.
  • (2)a.
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-21 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  2. 2026-01-21 House

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  3. 2026-01-13 House

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  4. 2026-01-13 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Economic Development and Tourism

Official Summary Text

Foundry wastes; Environmental Management Department required to adopt rules for beneficial reuse

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB176 INTRODUCED
Page 0
HB176
SLZ3E55-1
By Representative Robbins
RFD: Economic Development and Tourism
First Read: 13-Jan-26
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SLZ3E55-1 01/12/2026 ZAK (F)ma 2025-3590
Page 1
First Read: 13-Jan-26
SYNOPSIS:
Under the Solid Wastes and Recyclable Materials
Management Act, the Alabama Department of Environmental
Management is authorized to adopt rules to provide for
the disposal and reuse of solid wastes.
This bill would require the department to adopt
rules providing for the beneficial reuse of foundry
sand.
This bill would also make nonsubstantive,
technical revisions to update the existing code
language to current style.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to recycling; to amend Section 22-27-12, Code
of Alabama 1975, to require the Alabama Department of
Environmental Management to adopt rules providing for the
beneficial reuse of foundry sand; and to make nonsubstantive,
technical revisions to update the existing code language to
current style..
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 22-27-12, Code of Alabama 1975, is
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HB176 INTRODUCED
Page 2
Section 1. Section 22-27-12, Code of Alabama 1975, is
amended to read as follows:
"§22-27-12
(a) The department may do the following:
(1) Adopt rules to implement this article.
(2)a. Adopt rules establishing requirements and
restrictions for the management of solid waste, excluding the
collection and transportation of nonhazardous and nonmedical
solid waste.
b. The rules may include factors such as the
characteristics of the solid waste, the potential for
contamination of soils or ground and surface waters, the
design and operation of management facilities, the financial
capabilities of the applicant, soil and geological
considerations, human health, and other environmental
considerations.
c. With respect to solid waste disposal or materials
recovery facilities, the rules may also include factors such
as the quantity, nature, and origin of solid wastes and
recovered materials to be managed.
(3) The department may condition Condition the issuance
of a permit for any solid waste management or materials
recovery facility upon the facility being consistent with
applicable rules as are necessary to carry out the intent of
this article and the department's responsibilities under this
article. Permits shall be issued for a period of time based on
design life of the a facility and may include renewal periods
as determined by rules and not inconsistent with federal law.
(3)(4) Issue permits, notices, and orders, specify the
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HB176 INTRODUCED
Page 3
(3)(4) Issue permits, notices, and orders, specify the
terms and conditions of permits or notices, conduct
inspections, require that records be established and
maintained, direct the abatement of unauthorized dumps or
other public nuisances involving solid waste, and implement
the rules and standards adopted pursuant to this article.
(4)(5) Require postclosure activities be conducted in
accordance with the Alabama Uniform Environmental Covenants
Act and the corresponding rules developed adopted by the
department.
(5)(6) Require that solid waste management facilities
identify the volumes and types of solid waste to be managed
and the counties and state where such the solid waste will be
generated.
(6)(7) Enter upon, during reasonable hours, all solid
waste management and materials recovery facilities owned and
operated by persons subject to this chapter to inspect,
investigate, obtain samples, monitor, or observe the transfer,
treatment, storage, or disposal of solid waste and recovered
materials, and to examine or copy records to determine
compliance with this article and the rules promulgated adopted
under this article.
(7)(8) No later than April 15, 2010, require Require
that operators of all public solid waste management facilities
be certified. The department shall , by rule or regulation ,
shall establish qualifications for certification programs, to
include including variance procedures for existing programs
which that meet the qualifications and while taking into
account the types of solid waste management facilities.
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HB176 INTRODUCED
Page 4
account the types of solid waste management facilities.
(8)(9) Promote, initiate, conduct, and support
research, demonstration projects, and investigations and
participate in all state agency research programs pertaining
to solid waste handling, disposal, materials recovery, and
energy recovery systems.
(9)(10) Promulgate Adopt rules to ban certain wastes
from landfilling or incineration in order to protect the
public health and environment and to promote recycling.
(10)(11) Regulate the management, including collection
and transportation , of all medical waste , until such time as
the United States Environmental Protection Agency may
establish establishes specific rules which that are applicable
within the state for infectious waste under Subtitle C of the
federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, 42
U.S.C. §6901, et seq., as amended.
(11)(12) Do Take any and all other actions not
inconsistent with this article or other state law which it
that the department deems necessary and proper for the
effective enforcement of this article and the rules
promulgated adopted pursuant to it this article .
(b)(1) Not later than January 1, 2027, the department
shall adopt rules that provide for the beneficial reuse of
foundry sand. The rules shall provide that foundry sand may be
used as any of the following:
a. Raw material in the manufacture of asphalt, cement,
and concrete products.
b. Subbase for hard-surface road construction.
c. Fill Material.
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HB176 INTRODUCED
Page 5
c. Fill Material.
d. Filler for sandbags used for emergency flood
control.
e. Leachate control drainage material at sanitary
landfills.
f. Alternative cover material at sanitary landfills.
(2) For purposes of this subsection, the term "foundry
sand" means a solid by-product from the foundry industry that
is derived from molding, core-making, and casting cleaning
processes that primarily contains sand, olivine, or clay and
this is suitable for disposal as a solid waste in a sanitary
landfill. "
Section 2. This act shall become effective on June 1,
2026.
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