EPA, Zippo reach settlement on violations at Pa. facility

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Tuesday that it has reached a settlement with Zippo Manufacturing Company, which allegedly violated hazardous waste regulations at its Bradford, Pennsylvania facility.

Under the terms of the the settlement, Zippo does not admit or deny the EPA’s citations, but it has brought the facility into compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The company also will pay a civil penalty of $186,000.

The EPA alleged that Zippo’s facility violated the RCRA, which regulates the treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste at the federal level, as well as the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), which provides community members and local emergency responders with information on the hazardous and toxic chemical present in their area.

Zippo allegedly was storing hazardous waste without a permit, operating an unpermitted thermal treatment unit, not adequately managing hazardous waste containers and not properly updating the job descriptions of its employees who managed hazardous waste.

Additionally, the company allegedly did not submit annual toxic release reports for copper, nickel and chromium as required by the EPCRA for three years.