Washington University to Pay Fine for Hazardous Issues

Posted 27 Sep 2010

Washington University in St. Louis is paying a $15,000 civil penalty over what the federal government calls "hazardous waste management issues."

The school also will spend at least $45,000 on a supplemental project to help clean local high school laboratories of hazardous waste, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said.

Washington University’s hazardous waste problems at the school’s Danforth and School of Medicine campuses were uncovered through inspections conducted in April 2008.

Inspections found violations for failure to make hazardous waste determinations and for operating a treatment, storage and disposal facility without a proper permit. There also were "issues related to the storage of hazardous waste beyond legal time limits," failure to properly label hazardous waste storage containers, and failure to manage waste lamps among the problems, the EPA said.

As part of a settlement, the school will spend a minimum of $45,000 on a supplemental environmental project to address hazardous waste issues in 12 high schools within the St. Louis Public Schools District.

The university agreed to conduct ongoing clean-out operations at laboratories at the two campuses, the EPA said.

*For more information on news about waste and recycling go to www.wasterecyclingnews.com

From: http://veoliaes-ts.com/buzz-newsletters/September2010/3