Safety-Kleen Agrees to Pay $945,018 to Settle Hazardous Waste Violations

Oct. 3, 2002
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reached agreement with Safety-Kleen Systems Inc. for violations of federal rules on hazardous waste at its Hebron, Ohio, facility. The company admits the violations and will pay a $945,018 penalty following approval by a bankruptcy court.

The Hebron Safety-Kleen facility recycles used industrial solvents including mineral spirits and perchloroethylene.

The violations, which occurred between Sept. 1, 1996, and Feb. 28, 2000, included failure to properly operate air emissions equipment on recycling machinery and failure to monitor pumps for air emissions regulated under the Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA).

According to EPA, the Safety-Kleen hazardous recycling facility failed to operate controls to reduce air emissions, monitor equipment for emission leaks, tag faulty equipment and perform a necessary inspection. EPA and Ohio EPA discovered the violations during their surveys in April 1999 and 2000.

Under RCRA, passed by Congress in 1976, EPA regulates hazardous waste from production to final disposal.

About the Author

Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is the former content director of EHS Today, and is currently the EHSQ content & community lead at Intelex Technologies Inc. She has written about occupational safety and health and environmental issues since 1990.

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