The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is today granting a variance from EPA's hazardous waste requirements for certain materials reclaimed by the World Resources Company (WRC) from metal-bearing sludges. This action responds to a petition submitted by WRC requesting that the Agency exclude from the definition of solid waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) its concentrate material that is partially reclaimed from metal-bearing sludges and sold to smelters. In response to the petition, EPA published a Federal Register notice proposing to grant the variance on December 9, 1999 (64 FR 68968).