Hazardous waste violations bring $78,000 penalty for plastic bag manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania:

 

“Bemis Company, Inc. Settles Hazardous Waste Violations at Plastic Bag Manufacturing Facility in West Hazleton, Pa.

PHILADELPHIA (June 14, 2019) — Bemis Company, Inc. has agreed to pay a $78,000 penalty to settle alleged violations of hazardous waste regulations at its plastic bag manufacturing facility in West Hazleton, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today.

EPA cited Bemis for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the federal law governing the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA is designed to protect public health and the environment, and avoid long and extensive cleanups, by requiring the safe, environmentally sound storage and disposal of hazardous waste.

According to EPA, Bemis violated RCRA rules designed to ensure the safe storage of hazardous waste at the facility. The facility generates waste inks and solvents from the printing presses that it uses to print on plastic bread bags.  The alleged violations included:

* Failure to maintain adequate aisle space for hazardous waste containers.

* Failure to perform and record daily inspections of hazardous waste tanks.

* Failure to provide secondary containment for hazardous waste tanks.

*  Failure to provide an adequate hazardous waste management training program.

* Failure to provide volatile hazardous waste tanks with air emission controls, and failure to perform required marking, inspections and monitoring of piping and equipment that conveys this volatile waste.

The settlement reflects the company’s compliance efforts, and its cooperation with EPA. As part of the settlement, Bemis has not admitted liability, but has certified its compliance with applicable RCRA requirements.”

 

 

Are you current on your RCRA training? What about your state hazardous waste laws and regulations? Maintaining your compliance is more than just keeping yourself and your company free from violations and penalties. It’s also important to keep everyone safe, including your environment. Stay knowledgeable; stay safe. Check out our Hazardous Waste Management course now:

 

Hazardous Waste Management

Topics covered include:

• What hazardous waste is
• Hazardous waste training requirements
• Preparing and responding to emergencies
• The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
• State hazardous waste laws and regulations
• Hazardous waste vs. solid waste
• How to determine if something is a hazardous waste
• Hazardous waste characteristics
• Listed and universal wastes
• Hazardous waste generator requirements
• Hazardous waste minimization
• Hazardous waste generator status
• How to properly manage hazardous waste containers
• Satellite Accumulation Area (SAA) requirements
• How to properly label hazardous waste
• Hazardous waste recordkeeping