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Collis Inc to Pay $31,379 Civil Penalty for Hazardous Waste Violations in Clinton, Iowa

Release Date: 04/02/2013
Contact Information: Ben Washburn, 913-551-7364, [email protected]

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., April 2, 2013) - Collis Inc, a manufacturer of metal racks and shelving brackets for refrigerators, has agreed to pay a $31,379 administrative civil penalty to settle several Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) violations in Clinton, Iowa.

In addition to paying the civil penalty, the company will spend a minimum of $91,809 to replace high-mercury fluorescent fixtures with low-mercury fixtures and bulbs, and complete a project to reduce the generation of hazardous solvent waste as part of a Supplemental Environmental Project.

According to an administrative complaint filed by EPA Region 7 in Lenexa, Kan., EPA representatives conducted a compliance evaluation inspection at the company’s Clinton, Iowa, facility in June 2010, and noted several RCRA violations. RCRA regulates the storage, handling, and labeling of hazardous waste.

“The penalty and injunctive relief required by this agreement remind not just Collis, but all businesses subject to RCRA, that fulfilling environmental-protection duties is part of their job,” EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks said. “The Supplemental Environmental Project is another element of the case that will help to further protect human health and the environment for the people of Clinton.”

The violations at Collis included failure to perform a hazardous waste determination, storage of hazardous waste without a RCRA permit, and failure to manage used oil and universal waste in accordance with applicable regulations. Collis is still addressing requirements from a RCRA Corrective Action Order filed by EPA in 1993.

By agreeing to the settlement with EPA, Collis Inc has certified that it is now in compliance with all requirements of the RCRA regulations.