Cash buyback
None
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RI
Rhode Island
Active programCollected
11,000 gal
4 collections
Target
,
Destruction
Clean Harbors, incineration
Deadline
UpcomingUse ban Jul 1, 2026
Federal law applies in every state
- EPA set enforceable drinking-water limits for PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion (2024). A May 2026 proposal would keep those two, extend compliance to 2031, and rescind the others. Proposed, not final.
- Under CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), PFOA and PFOS are hazardous substances, so cleanup liability is strict, retroactive, and joint and several.
- Federally required uses at Part 139 airports and military installations follow federal rules regardless of state law.
- The Department of Defense is phasing out AFFF under the NDAA.
State law and program in Rhode Island
Rhode Island General Laws section 23-18.18-5 (Consumer PFAS Ban Act of 2024) ↗
What's still allowed
Discharge/use of Class B PFAS foam (including training) has been prohibited since Jan 1, 2025. A full use ban, and a manufacture/sale ban, takes effect July 1, 2026. Part 139 airport and military uses remain exempt.
How to get rid of PFAS foam
Bring foam to RI DEM collections at the RI Fire Academy (Exeter); the state funds disposal (Clean Harbors, incineration) at no per-gallon charge to departments.
Funding and help
Collection and destruction run through the Rhode Island program; check the official page for what the state covers.
Federal funding, available in every state
- EPA Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities grant ↗, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- Drinking Water State Revolving Fund ↗, including the infrastructure-law set-aside for emerging contaminants like PFAS.
- FAA airport foam transition support ↗ for Part 139 commercial airports moving off fluorinated foam.
- Fire departments with contaminated water may qualify as claimants in the aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) settlements.
Future plans
The July 1, 2026 use/sale ban is imminent; the state notes more foam remains to be collected.
Destruction & vendors
Foam in Rhode Island is handled by: Clean Harbors, incineration. ~98,120 lbs across four collections; full use ban takes effect Jul 1, 2026.
Official sources
Rhode Island official program page ↗A note for smaller departments
Large departments and municipalities usually have legal counsel and a budget to manage PFAS liability. Small and volunteer departments often do not. That makes a documented chain of custody and a certificate of destruction the strongest protection a small department has: proof that the foam was handled lawfully and never released. See liability and litigation.
⚠ Never discharge PFAS foam. Keep the certificate of destruction.
Firefighting foam containing PFAS cannot lawfully be released anywhere: not overboard, in a harbor or slip, down a drain or sewer, onto the ground, or into an ordinary landfill. Under CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), PFOA and PFOS are hazardous substances, and disposal liability is strict, retroactive, and joint and several, so whoever sent the waste can be billed for the cleanup years later. Keep the certificate of destruction: if you cannot document that the foam was destroyed, you cannot prove where it went, and foam you cannot account for can be treated as a release to the environment, with the liability that follows. EPA / CERCLA ↗