Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    • Environmental Topics
    • Air
    • Bed Bugs
    • Cancer
    • Chemicals, Toxics, and Pesticide
    • Emergency Response
    • Environmental Information by Location
    • Health
    • Land, Waste, and Cleanup
    • Lead
    • Mold
    • Radon
    • Research
    • Science Topics
    • Water Topics
    • A-Z Topic Index
    • Laws & Regulations
    • By Business Sector
    • By Topic
    • Compliance
    • Enforcement
    • Laws and Executive Orders
    • Regulations
    • Report a Violation
    • Environmental Violations
    • Fraud, Waste or Abuse
    • About EPA
    • Our Mission and What We Do
    • Headquarters Offices
    • Regional Offices
    • Labs and Research Centers
    • Planning, Budget, and Results
    • Organization Chart
    • EPA History

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. News Releases

Bemis Company, Inc. Settles Hazardous Waste Violations at Plastic Bag Manufacturing Facility in West Hazleton, Pa.

June 14, 2019

Contact Information
(R3press@epa.gov)

PHILADELPHIA (June 14, 2019) -- Bemis Company, Inc. has agreed to pay a $78,000 penalty to settle alleged violations of hazardous waste regulations at its plastic bag manufacturing facility in West Hazleton, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today.

EPA cited Bemis for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the federal law governing the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA is designed to protect public health and the environment, and avoid long and extensive cleanups, by requiring the safe, environmentally sound storage and disposal of hazardous waste.

According to EPA, Bemis violated RCRA rules designed to ensure the safe storage of hazardous waste at the facility. The facility generates waste inks and solvents from the printing presses that it uses to print on plastic bread bags.  The alleged violations included:

* Failure to maintain adequate aisle space for hazardous waste containers.

* Failure to perform and record daily inspections of hazardous waste tanks.

* Failure to provide secondary containment for hazardous waste tanks.

*  Failure to provide an adequate hazardous waste management training program.

* Failure to provide volatile hazardous waste tanks with air emission controls, and failure to perform required marking, inspections and monitoring of piping and equipment that conveys this volatile waste.

The settlement reflects the company’s compliance efforts, and its cooperation with EPA. As part of the settlement, Bemis has not admitted liability, but has certified its compliance with applicable RCRA requirements.

For more information about EPA’s hazardous waste program, visit https://www.epa.gov/hw

Related Links

  • Region 03
  • Read other EPA News Releases about Compliance and Enforcement
  • Read other EPA News Releases about Hazardous Waste
Contact Us about News Releases
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on July 13, 2023
  • Assistance
  • Spanish
  • Arabic
  • Chinese (simplified)
  • Chinese (traditional)
  • French
  • Haitian Creole
  • Korean
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Tagalog
  • Vietnamese
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Discover.

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Budget & Performance
  • Contracting
  • EPA www Web Snapshot
  • Grants
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Plain Writing
  • Privacy
  • Privacy and Security Notice

Connect.

  • Data
  • Inspector General
  • Jobs
  • Newsroom
  • Regulations.gov
  • Subscribe
  • USA.gov
  • White House

Ask.

  • Contact EPA
  • EPA Disclaimers
  • Hotlines
  • FOIA Requests
  • Frequent Questions
  • Site Feedback

Follow.