York County Company Settles Hazardous Waste Violations at its Glen Rock, Pa. Manufacturing Facility

York County Company Settles Hazardous Waste Violations at its Glen Rock, Pa. Manufacturing Facility

PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 2, 2012) — Bimax, Inc. has agreed to pay a $36,455 penalty to settle alleged violations of hazardous waste regulations at its chemical manufacturing facility, located at 158 Industrial Road in Glen Rock, Pa., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today. As part of the settlement, Bimax has also agreed to spend $305,000 to install a system that will eliminate 99 percent of the hazardous pollutants emitted from the facility.

Following a March 2011 compliance inspection at Bimax, EPA noted hazardous waste, including solvents, that was improperly stored in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the federal law governing the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA is designed to protect public health and the environment, and avoid costly cleanups, by requiring the safe, environmentally sound storage and disposal of hazardous waste.

The alleged violations included operating a treatment, storage or disposal facility without a permit, failure to determine if the waste was hazardous, failure to obtain required certification from a qualified professional engineer attesting that the facility’s tank system has sufficient structural integrity for the storage of hazardous waste, failure to monitor pump leaks weekly, and failure to monitor valves for air emission leaks.

By completing the supplemental environment project valued at $305,000, Bimax exceeds the requirements of federal and state environmental regulations. The company will install and operate a thermal oxidizer as part of its existing air pollution control system at the Glen Rock facility that is designed to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants by 99 percent.

The settlement penalty reflects the company’s compliance efforts, and its cooperation with EPA in the investigation and resolution of this matter. As part of the settlement, Bimax has neither admitted nor denied liability for the alleged violations, but has certified its compliance with applicable RCRA requirements.

For more information about hazardous waste and RCRA, visit http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/index.htm.