Waste Violations Cost Massachusetts Facility Nearly $44K

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a settlement with Precise Packaging LLC (a subsidiary of Delaware-based PLZ Corp.) of Fall River, Massachusetts, under which the company will pay a penalty of US$43,877 due to violations in its hazardous waste management.

The Precise Packaging facility is an aerosol and liquid product manufacturing plant, where the company produces an assortment of consumer products.

An EPA inspection of the company’s hazardous waste management practices identified violations of state and federal hazardous waste management laws, including the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the State of Maine Hazardous Waste Rules. Specifically, EPA alleged that the facility failed to provide required hazardous waste management training to employees; maintain a sufficient contingency plan designed to prevent and to minimize hazards to public health, safety, or welfare or the environment from unplanned sudden or non-sudden release of hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents; conduct weekly inspections of the containers that held hazardous waste at the facility; and maintain accurate records or provide accurate reporting to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), including regarding its status as a large quantity generator.

As part of the settlement, Precise Packaging has confirmed that the facility is now complying with state and federal hazardous waste management laws. The company has also agreed to spend no less than $57,114 on a supplemental environmental project that will provide the Fall River Fire Department with two handheld chemical detection units that permit more effective responses to hazardous waste emergencies, including better detection of the specific type of hazardous waste generated at this facility. This equipment will benefit the community at large, including historically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

“EPA’s action underscores the importance of the safe management of chemicals, and when a company like Precise Packaging does not comply with its safety obligations, it threatens the safety of our communities,” said EPA New England regional administrator David W. Cash. “EPA’s work is designed to protect all communities from chemical releases, and we have a special responsibility to reduce the burden of environmental pollution and risks of chemical accidents to the workers and residents of communities that have shouldered a greater share of these impacts.”

Visit EPA’s website to learn EPA requirements for the handling of hazardous waste.