A leading national environmental services provider has reached a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address violations at multiple facilities across the country. The U.S. Department of Justice also participated in the announcement, accusing Heritage-Crystal Clean, LLC (HCC) of breaching laws related to the disposal of used oil.
The EPA reported that its investigators discovered non-compliance with hazardous waste management requirements at HCC's current or former operations in Indianapolis, Ind., Shreveport, La., Atlanta, Ga., Fairless Hills, Pa., and Denver, Colo.
Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance stated, "Companies that manage hazardous wastes for other companies are required to ensure that those wastes are handled properly, which Heritage Crystal Clean repeatedly failed to do." He added that the "EPA is committed to fair and robust enforcement of our hazardous waste laws to ensure that our communities and the environment are protected from mismanaged hazardous wastes."
To resolve the alleged issue, HCC has agreed to pay $1.6 million and establish protocols ensuring their operations will not treat, store or dispose of hazardous waste until they receive a permit allowing them to handle such waste.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) said, "While federal law encourages responsible recycling of hazardous waste, recyclers must still comply with legal requirements designed to ensure the health and safety of our communities." Kim emphasized that this settlement reflects their commitment to ensuring hazardous waste recycling operations comply with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and its regulations.
According to an EPA media release, agency investigators were alerted about these violations following a 21-count complaint filed against HCC in federal district court in the Northern District of Illinois in January 2022. The complaint alleged that HCC accepted some used solvent qualifying as hazardous waste while providing parts-washing services nationwide. However, the company did not dispose of the hazardous waste as mandated by law.
