Providence facility owner and operator face EPA penalty

THE OPERATOR and owner of an Allens Avenue hazardous-waste-management facility face a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency penalty for violating federal and state hazardous waste laws, the EPA announced late Tuesday. / BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO/STEPHEN HILGER
THE OPERATOR and owner of an Allens Avenue hazardous-waste-management facility face a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency penalty for violating federal and state hazardous waste laws, the EPA announced late Tuesday. / BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO/STEPHEN HILGER

PROVIDENCE – Both the operator and owner of an Allens Avenue hazardous-waste-management facility face a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency penalty for violating federal and state hazardous waste laws, the EPA announced late Tuesday.

PCS Environmental Services owns the facility and Northland Environmental operates it.
In a recent complaint, the EPA’s Boston-based New England Office detailed 16 counts of hazardous-waste-management violations at the facility.
In the most significant violations, the companies failed to properly determine that some of the wastes managed and shipped off site as non hazardous wastes were actually hazardous. Because of this, hazardous waste was disposed of at facilities not designed or permitted to handle it.
Futhermore, Northland Environmental and PSC Environmental Services failed to list all hazardous-waste constituents on required notification and shipping documents, according to the environmental watchdog agency.
“Many incompatible hazardous wastes were stored next to one another without adequate means of separation or protection, potentially resulting in fires or explosions,” said the EPA complaint.
Northland and PCS each face a penalty of up to $37,500 per violation, per day, until the violations are resolved.

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