LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a settlement with an industrial waste management and recycling facility accused of improperly managing hazardous waste at its plant in Los Angeles.
Under the agreement, Pacific Resource Recovery Services will spend $100,000 on an air filtration system to improve air quality in classrooms at a school near the facility and pay a $36,000 penalty, according to EPA.
“Compliance with hazardous waste permits is imperative to protect the surrounding community and environment,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. “We are pleased the company will invest in the local community by bringing air filters to local classrooms.”
During a July 2017 inspection, the EPA identified violations of federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act regulations at the facility, according to Stoker. The rules require the safe management of hazardous waste to protect public health and the environment and to prevent the need for costly and extensive cleanups.
According to the EPA, violations identified during the inspection included:
-- failure to properly prevent emissions of volatile organic compounds from tanks;
-- failure to maintain air emission monitoring equipment; and
-- failure to monitor and inspect equipment to accurately detect and prevent emissions.
The installation, operation and management of the school air filtration system will be managed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which will provide training to school staff to maintain the system, which is expected to remove more than 90% of ultra-fine particulate matter and black carbon from the school's indoor air, according to the EPA.
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