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HONOLULU FACILITY VIOLATES EPA HAZARDOUS WASTE LAW, FINED $249,994

Release Date: 10/14/1999
Contact Information: Lois Grunwald, U.S. EPA, 415-744-1588

     Violations include storing hazardous wastes without a permit
 
     SAN FRANCISCO --The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it has fined Brewer Environmental Industries $249,994 for hazardous waste violations at its facility in Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

     "Companies must take hazardous waste laws seriously," said Julie Anderson, the EPA's regional Waste Division director. "Disregard of the law poses threats to human health and the environment and will not be tolerated."

     Based on an EPA inspection, the EPA cited Brewer Environmental, which distributes pesticides, industrial chemicals and fertilizers, for storing hazardous fertilizer and pesticide wastes without a permit, storing the chemical ammonium nitrate in deteriorating containers, and failure to properly identify hazardous wastes. To resolve these issues, Brewer agreed to pay a $249,994 fine  and to design and implement a hazardous waste management plan that will prevent similar violations in the future.

     Companies that store hazardous substances must keep track of the products that can no longer be used for their intended purpose and become hazardous wastes. When products become hazardous wastes, companies must take the proper steps to ensure that the waste does not pose a threat to human health or the environment.

     The EPA inspected Brewer Environmental in cooperation with the Hawaii Department of Health. Brewer Environmental violated the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which governs the storage, transportation, and disposal of hazardous waste.