An e-scrap company must pay a $10,000 fine and hold one or more collection events costing $40,000, as part of a settlement with regulators.
The U.S. EPA and processor AERC Recycling Solutions in February resolved complaints over AERC’s storage of “waste lamps” at its Richmond, Va. facility. AERC has facilities across the country that process scrap electronics, fluorescent lamps, batteries and other materials.
The EPA alleged AERC was out of compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which governs hazardous waste management.
Based on a 2017 inspection, the EPA accused the company of handling materials that were not allowed by permits, improper labeling of materials, improperly of storage materials and more.
As part of the February 2020 settlement, AERC neither admits nor denies the allegations but agrees not to contest the EPA’s jurisdiction in levying penalties. Beyond a $10,000 civil penalty, the settlement takes the unusual step of laying out specifics of an electronics recycling event AERC must host.
Within 90 days of the settlement, AERC was required to conduct one or more electronics collection events with an overall cost of at least $40,000. The company was required to advertise the events, host them for a minimum of four hours, and collect a variety of items at no cost to the public. Those items included TVs, computers, monitors and other household electronics.
In advertising the events, AERC was required to reference that the event was part of an order settling an EPA enforcement action.
