EPA Reaches Settlement With Safety Kleen Systems, Inc. Regarding Hazardous Waste

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today a settlement with Safety Kleen Systems, Inc. to resolve alleged violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) at the company’s facility in Dolton, Illinois. The settlement includes a $350,000 civil penalty.

“EPA is committed to protecting all communities by enforcing companies’ obligations to properly manage solid and hazardous waste,” said EPA Region 5 Acting Administrator Cheryl Newton. “This settlement with Safety Kleen reflects EPA’s commitment to protect human health and the environment by ensuring compliance with state and federal environmental laws and advancing environmental justice.”

Safety-Kleen’s Dolton facility is a RCRA-permitted organic chemical and solvent reclamation and recycling facility that regenerates spent solvent and blends hazardous waste into fuel. EPA alleged that Safety-Kleen violated RCRA by treating hazardous waste in thin-film evaporators that were not authorized in Safety-Kleen’s RCRA permit to treat hazardous waste. Maintaining permit coverage to correctly treat hazardous waste ensures that hazardous waste is controlled from the time it is generated until its ultimate disposal. EPA also alleged that Safety-Kleen violated several conditions of its RCRA permit and federally authorized Illinois RCRA regulations. RCRA is the nation’s primary law governing the disposal of solid and hazardous waste, which helps protect human health and the environment from the potential hazards.

Under the terms of the Consent Agreement and Final Order with EPA, Safety-Kleen has addressed the alleged RCRA violations at the Dolton facility and will pay a civil penalty of $350,000. The Dolton facility is located in a community with environmental justice concerns. Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

For more information about EPA’s enforcement program, visit: https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/basic-information-enforcement

For more information about RCRA, visit: https://www.epa.gov/rcra