Southern Maine Specialties is facing a charge from the US environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is required to pay a penalty of $54,397 for five counts of violating state and federal hazardous waste laws at its metal finishing and electroplating facility in Saco, Maine.
The violation of the state hazardous waste laws and the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act that surfaced due to EPA inspection of the facility in January included improper storage, labeling and other management of hazardous waste, and inadequate employee training.
EPA discovered that Southern Maine stored containers of hazardous waste next to incompatible material and exceeded the limit of 55 gallons of one type hazardous waste in one place by storing two 55-gallon containers of sodium hydroxide sludge together.
In addition, the company failed to comply with tank management standards by having a tank of hazardous waste that was not designed to hold hazardous waste, was not labeled with the words ‘hazardous waste’, and was not being managed according to the required tank operating standards.
The settlement resolves Southern Maine Specialties’ alleged violation of the state hazardous waste laws and the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act that oversee the safe management of hazardous waste to avoid posing risk to human health and environment