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Flint Ink to Pay Penalty for Waste Violations at Hazleton Plant

Release Date: 8/30/2000
Contact Information: Ruth Wuenschel, (215) 814-5540

Ruth Wuenschel, 215-814-5540

WEST HAZLETON, Pa. -- Flint Ink Corp. has agreed to pay a $25,000 penalty for alleged violations of federal hazardous waste laws at its ink manufacturing plant in West Hazleton, Pa., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.

In a September 1999 administrative complaint, EPA cited Flint Ink for violating the federal statute regulating the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. EPA alleged violations of rules designed to reduce risks of hazardous wastes that are stored on a short-term basis prior to disposal.

During a joint inspection in June 1998, EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, inspectors discovered hazardous waste stored beyond the 90-day legal limit for temporary storage, and drums that were not dated when placed in storage. The drums were shipped to a hazardous waste disposal facility on June 23, 1998, a week after the inspection. The company identified the drums’ contents as industrial solvent.

The settlement amount reflects the company’s good faith efforts to comply with regulatory requirements and its cooperation with EPA’s investigation. In the settlement, the company neither admitted nor denied liability for the alleged violations.