Waste Transporter Penalized for Accepting Unmarked Hazardous Waste

National Waste Clean, Inc. was penalized by The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) for waste violations.

According to a press release, the South Plainfield, NJ company accepted hazardous waste from dry cleaning facilities in Massachusetts that were not registered as generators of hazardous waste and also accepted hazardous waste without the required uniform hazardous waste manifest.

National Waste Clean, a licensed Massachusetts transporter of hazardous waste, failed to submit to MassDEP monthly records known as Electronic Monthly Operating Reports (EMORs) from December 2011 to April 2013. Submission of the records are required by law.

The investigation was conducted by the Massachusetts Environmental Strike Force (ESF), which found that National Waste Clean on 221 different dates violated its license to transport hazardous waste by accepting waste perchloroethylene and waste petroleum hydrocarbons from dry cleaning establishments that were not registered in Massachusetts as hazardous waste generators. The ESF is a joint investigative effort of MassDEP, the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the Massachusetts Environmental Police.

National Waste Clean responded by submitting the required EMORs and agreeing to cease transporting hazardous waste in Massachusetts without a uniform hazardous waste manifest. The company will submit a plan to MassDEP for approval on how the company will comply with the regulations going forward. Employees will be trained on the requirements.

If the company complies with all terms of the consent order, MassDEP has agreed to suspend $53,425 of the penalty with the remaining $50,000 payable over the next two years.

Image courtesy of MassDEP.