On June 14, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the 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, Luzerne County.
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.
For more information about this program, visit EPA’s Hazardous Waste Program webpage.
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