Violations of RCRA Regulations Result in Significant Cost for California Retailers

Violations of RCRA Regulations Result in Significant Cost for California Retailers

When thinking of those subject to state and Federal regulations for the management of hazardous waste, it’s natural to think manufacturing and industry.  However, when the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) was drafted the intent was to regulate the generation, management, treatment, transportation, and disposal of hazardous waste from Cradle-to-Grave no matter the source.  This means that businesses very different from what we think of as heavy industry or manufacturing are subject to RCRA regulations and can be subject to penalties, fines, and violations for non-compliance.  A perfect example of this is the retail sector which has had a few high-profile compliance issues recently:

As an example of the cost of non-compliance for the retail industry in just one state, see the table below for data collected by the California EPA’s Department of Toxic Substances Control for monetary settlements received just since 2010.

California EPA Department of Toxic Substances Control Regulations

The hazardous waste regulations in California are more strict & more broad than those of the USEPA.

Retailer

Year

Total Settlement

Money Recouped by DTSC

Wal-Mart

2010

$27.7 Million

$1.17 Million

Target

2011

$22.5 Million

$578,000

Walgreens

2012

$16.6 Million

$991,625

CVS

2012

$13.75 Million

$249,625

Costco

2012

$3.5 Million

$37,750

Save Mart

2013

$2.55 Million

$28,000

Lowe’s

2014

$18.1 Million

$1.67 Million

Let me help you to provide Hazardous Waste Personnel training

Have you trained your Facility Personnel on the RCRA Hazardous Waste regulations?

Of course, training – both HazMat Employee and Hazardous Waste Personnel – can prevent the violations that lead to these monetary settlements.  Another potential source of relief is the request for comments from the USEPA regarding the creation of hazardous waste regulations specific to the Retail Sector.  Now is the time for your voice to be heard!  But hurry, the deadline for comments is April 15th.

There is no deadline for training, so contact me with any questions you have about the regulations of the USEPA & the USDOT and the specific requirements of your state.