NEWARK, Calif .– State regulators are asking for tens of thousands of dollars in penalties from a company that processes hazardous waste in Newark, officials from the California Department of Toxics Control have said.

Regulators are asking for fines of $ 25,000 to $ 70,000 per day for every violation by Safety-Kleen at 6880 Smith Ave. Safety-Kleen is owned by Clean Harbors, which also faces penalties for waste violation in Los Angeles County operations.

Regulators are also taking legal action against Emerald Transformer Los Angeles LLC and Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc. in connection with violations by a waste oil recycler that Clean Harbors sold to Emerald Transformer four years ago.

“Businesses that handle hazardous waste in California must do so safely and they must follow the laws put in place to protect the public and the environment,” said DTSC director Meredith Williams. “We will continue to rigorously inspect these types of operations and take enforcement action where appropriate.”

In Newark, Safety-Kleen reportedly put thousands of gallons of liquids containing hazardous waste into an uncoated underground concrete basin that was not licensed to store such waste.

The company allegedly moved 3,400 gallons of oily water sludge into an unauthorized container. Safety-Kleen also allegedly allowed oil to spill onto the ground from leaking pipes.
The company would not have obtained the approval of the DTSC to install a filtration unit and tanks.

The company is accused of having filed a required report more than four months late, of failing to collect and analyze the required samples and, among other things, of submitting late tank certifications.

It is not clear how much Clean Harbor will have to pay.

“The judge will ultimately determine that figure based on the evidence presented at trial,” DTSC spokesman Sanford Nax said.

Clean Harbors operates in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. The Los Angeles County and Newark County facilities provide services that include the handling, recycling and disposal of hazardous waste.

A spokesperson for Clean Harbors did not respond to a request for comment on Friday morning. Emerald Transformer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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