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U.S. EPA fines Merced storage drum firm $9,412 for hazardous waste violations

Release Date: 04/15/2008
Contact Information: Francisco Arcaute (213) 244-1815, cell (213) 798-1404 [email protected]

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined Greif, Inc. of Merced, Calif., $9,412, for violating multiple federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act hazardous waste regulations.

Greif, Inc. manufactures industrial packaging products, specifically steel, plastic, fiber, corrugated and multiwall containers and protective packaging for various industries.

“Companies that generate hazardous waste must properly contain, manage, and dispose of their wastes,” said Nancy Lindsay, director of the Waste Management Programs of the EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. “Failure to do so affects the safety of the community, workers, and the environment, as spilled waste can contaminate soil and underground water sources.”

Greif, Inc. violated the following hazardous waste requirements:
- Failure to comply with labeling requirements for containers of hazardous wastes;
- Storing hazardous waste in open containers;
- Failure to properly maintain a hazardous waste facility;
- Failure to comply with air emission standards for hazardous waste containers;
- Failure to maintain a complete contingency plan.

The EPA discovered the violations during a January 2007 inspection. Greif, Inc. has since corrected the violations.

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act creates a framework for the safe management and disposal of hazardous and nonhazardous waste. For more information, please visit: www.epa.gov/RCRA.