Covanta Environmental Solutions, LLC Pays DEP $400,000 Penalty To Resolve Waste Violations In Lawrence County

On December 16, Department of Environmental Protection announced Covanta Environmental Solutions, LLC has agreed to pay $400,000 in a consent assessment of civil penalty to resolve violations at its residual waste facility in New Castle, Lawrence County.

Violations at the facility began in 2016, prior to Covanta Environmental Solution, LLC’s purchasing of the facility, through 2018 and include the following:

-- Accepting, handling, and processing residual waste without approval;

-- Exceeding DEP-approved waste acceptance volume;

-- Accepting residual waste streams after the expiration of DEP’s approval for those waste streams;

-- Accepting unapproved residual waste streams;

-- Failure to conduct odor control inspections or maintain odor patrol logs; and

-- Failure to maintain complete daily operational records.

Covanta Environmental Solutions, LLC has corrected all violations to the approval of DEP. 

The civil penalty will be paid to the state’s Solid Waste Abatement Fund, which establishes programs for the proper abatement or elimination of present or potential hazards to human health or to the environment from the improper treatment, transportation, storage, processing, or disposal of solid waste material.

Covanta Environmental Solutions, LLC owns and operates a residual waste processing facility located at 101 River Park Drive in the City of New Castle. The facility was previously owned and operated by Advanced Waste Services of Pennsylvania, LLC (“Advanced Waste”). 

On January 1, 2017, Advanced Waste merged with Covanta Environmental Solutions, LLC, and Advanced Waste dissolved as a result of the merger. The industrial waste accepted, handled, processed, and disposed of by Covanta Environmental Solutions, LLC at the facility is “residual waste” and “solid waste.”

Click Here for a copy of the consent assessment.  Questions should be directed to Tom Decker, DEP Northwest Regional Office, at 814-332-6615 or send email to: thomadecke@pa.gov. 

[Posted: December 16, 2019]  www.PaEnvironmentDigest.com