Iowa Paint Company Fined $21,700 for RCRA Waste Mistakes
An Iowa-based paint company will pay a fine of $21,700 for alleged violations of US EPA’s RCRA hazardous waste regulations at its Burlington facility.
According to an EPA press release, the facility failed to make hazardous waste determinations for more than 9,600 gallons of waste paint material uncovered during an EPA site inspection in 2012.
To make a “hazardous waste determination,” the generator of the waste must decide if the particular material meets the definition of a RCRA hazardous waste—either because constituents in the waste pose a threat to the environment, the waste exhibits hazardous properties like ignitability or toxicity, or because the waste appears on one of the lists in the 40 CFR hazardous waste rules.
In addition to the company not properly identifying the waste paint as hazardous waste, EPA cited the following violations in its enforcement order:
In addition to the $21,700 fine, the paint company must provide photographic evidence that storage containers are now kept closed and labeled, submit an updated contingency plan, and for three months provide EPA with documentation proving weekly inspections of the hazardous waste storage area were carried out as required.
Avoid These Common RCRA Mistakes
Don’t risk big fines for small mistakes—prepare for any hazardous waste compliance challenge with expert training. Join us for the Hazardous/Toxic Waste Management Workshop in your area this year to meet your annual training mandate* in a collaborative, fun environment.
Want more control over your hazardous waste training? Enroll in self-paced initial and refresher RCRA online courses, available 24/7.
*EPA requires annual training for hazardous waste personnel. [40 CFR 262.34(a) and 265.16]
According to an EPA press release, the facility failed to make hazardous waste determinations for more than 9,600 gallons of waste paint material uncovered during an EPA site inspection in 2012.
To make a “hazardous waste determination,” the generator of the waste must decide if the particular material meets the definition of a RCRA hazardous waste—either because constituents in the waste pose a threat to the environment, the waste exhibits hazardous properties like ignitability or toxicity, or because the waste appears on one of the lists in the 40 CFR hazardous waste rules.
In addition to the company not properly identifying the waste paint as hazardous waste, EPA cited the following violations in its enforcement order:
- Failure to keep hazardous waste storage containers closed
- Failure to properly label hazardous waste containers
- Failure to conduct weekly inspections of the hazardous waste storage area
- Failure to identify a secondary or “back-up” emergency coordinator in the site contingency plan
In addition to the $21,700 fine, the paint company must provide photographic evidence that storage containers are now kept closed and labeled, submit an updated contingency plan, and for three months provide EPA with documentation proving weekly inspections of the hazardous waste storage area were carried out as required.
Avoid These Common RCRA Mistakes
Don’t risk big fines for small mistakes—prepare for any hazardous waste compliance challenge with expert training. Join us for the Hazardous/Toxic Waste Management Workshop in your area this year to meet your annual training mandate* in a collaborative, fun environment.
Want more control over your hazardous waste training? Enroll in self-paced initial and refresher RCRA online courses, available 24/7.
*EPA requires annual training for hazardous waste personnel. [40 CFR 262.34(a) and 265.16]
Tags: EPA, hazardous waste, RCRA
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