Clean Harbors Releases PFAS Disposal and Treatment Guidance Standards for Customers and Communities

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Clean Harbors today formally released its disposal and treatment guidance standards for PFAS (per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances), the “forever chemicals” that pose significant human health risks.

The company’s recommended framework of disposal and treatment options is designed to help decision-makers at organizations most effectively address PFAS based on concentration levels, waste forms and regulatory requirements.

“We have had many customers, governmental agencies and community leaders approach us for advice on how to best move forward with cost-effectively addressing the safe treatment and disposal of PFAS, as well as cleaning up contaminated sites,” said Eric Gerstenberg, Co-Chief Executive Officer. “At times, these customers are dealing with an emergency involving PFAS, such as an industrial fire. As of yet, there is no well-established comprehensive framework. We have developed our framework as a potential cost-effective roadmap to assist companies and communities looking to address PFAS site contamination, as well as eliminate existing inventories of PFAS-related products such as AFFF firefighting foam. Our recommendations are based on years of institutional knowledge that stems from assisting customers with efficient solutions for these forever chemicals in its many forms, including AFFF, industrial waters, impacted drinking water and soil. In addition, our framework is based on strong scientific data, including the PFAS incineration study we completed in conjunction with the EPA and the Pentagon in late 2024.”

The results of the Clean Harbors’ successful PFAS incineration study with the EPA can be found here.

“PFAS should not be viewed as a one-size-fits-all issue, but rather as a concentration-based framework that matches the waste with the right treatment or disposal pathway,” said Mike Battles, Co-Chief Executive Officer. “We took a tiered approach in our recommendations, which mirrors the way environmental regulators and remediation practitioners typically address complex contaminants – using a combination of destruction, containment and treatment technologies. As PFAS remediation accelerates nationwide, our integrated framework provides a practical and scalable model for industry and government partners.”

“We know that many customers – both private and public – want safe, assured destruction of PFAS at scale to eliminate any further liabilities as these chemicals never degrade and often migrate,” said Gerstenberg. “There are many locations that have soil, water or both contaminated by PFAS, as well as stockpiles of AFFF to address. In addition, over the decades, PFAS chemicals have leached into groundwater and contaminated many drinking supplies. Given that customers are facing PFAS in multiple forms, we introduced our ‘Total PFAS Solution’ back in 2024 consisting of eight core elements and providing customers with a range of services to meet all their needs, from analysis to water filtration to remediation to disposal. Today, we believe that Clean Harbors remains the only company that can cost effectively offer an end-to-end, single-source answer for any PFAS need, and at a commercially scalable level.”

“We have shared our disposal framework with the EPA, and it was also submitted as part of Eric Gerstenberg’s written testimony to the Senate EPW Committee in November 2025. Regulators, politicians and PFAS experts alike are increasingly recognizing that no single technology can address all PFAS waste streams. As a result, we developed our comprehensive framework incorporating multiple solutions as a baseline to help customers navigate the risks and challenges presented by these harmful forever chemicals,” Battles concluded.

Clean Harbors’ Total PFAS Solution offering and PFAS Management Framework are detailed on its PFAS website – www.cleanharbors.com/PFAS.