Dive Brief:
- The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has fined National Waste Clean, Inc -- a licensed Massachusetts transporter of hazardous waste materials -- $103,425 for violations.
- After an investigation, it was determined that the South Plainfield, NJ-based company accepted hazardous waste from dry cleaners in Massachusetts that weren’t registered as hazardous waste generators. The waste management company accepted toxic materials without the required documentation.
- While National Waste Clean is a licensed transporter of hazardous waste in Massachusetts, it failed to submit monthly records to MassDEP. The reports, called Electronic Monthly Operating Reports (EMOR), are required by law -- and the company didn't submit any from December 2011 to April 2013.
Dive Insight:
The Massachusetts Environmental Strike Force (ESF) is an investigative entity that partners with the MassDEP, the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, and the Massachusetts Environmental Police. The ESF found National Waste Clean to be in violation on 221 separate dates.
National Waste Clean responded to the violations by eventually submitting the EMORs and agreed to stop transporting hazardous waste in the state of Massachusetts without the proper documentation. The company must also provide the MassDEP with a plan detailing the ways the company will comply with regulations in the future. Approval of the plan must be approved by MassDEP before moving forward.
If all terms of the agreement with MassDEP are fulfilled, MassDEP agreed to suspend $53,425 of the penalty amount, and the remaining $50,000 will be able to be paid over the next two years.
