environmental Strategist, between the lines: Illegal disposal of waste in the United States is a tens of billions of dollars a year industry. The medical industry generates huge amounts of regulated wastes.
A favorite place to illegally dispose of waste is on vacant land. Do you have any client’s that own vacant land? Under Federal law, property owners are responsible for the environmental condition of their property.
In some cases people / businesses are not aware they are illegally disposing of waste. For example fluorescent light bulbs. When fluorescent light bulbs burn out they are supposed to be disposed of as hazardous waste due to the mercury in the lights. My experience is fluorescent lights are more often than not disposed of in the dumpster versus being properly disposed of as hazardous waste.
New Hampshire Hospital Pays $200,000 Fine for Hazardous Waste Violations
Thu, 2012-05-31 18:27
Concord (N.H.) Hospital Inc. has agreed to pay a fine of $205,000 for hazardous waste violations.
The New Hampshire Department of Justice said in a news release that the Merrimack County Superior Court approved a settlement between the state and Capital Regional Health Care Corp. New Hampshire alleged that Concord Hospital failed to identify certain pharmaceutical wastes as hazardous wastes. Concord Hospital shipped the hazardous waste pharmaceuticals to facilities that were not authorized to accept the waste material.
The state during an inspection discovered these violations, as well as the hospital’s failure to identify hazardous waste alcohols, solvents and used oil for recycling, and follow certain hazardous waste management requirements. The hospital quickly corrected the problems once they were identified by the state.