Dover recycling firm fined $200G for violations

CONCORD, N.H. - Attorney General Joseph A. Foster and Commissioner Thomas S. Burack of the New

Hampshire Department of Environmental Services ("NHDES") announce that the Strafford County Superior Court approved a consent decree between the State and Universal Recycling Technologies, LLC ("URT") resolving allegations of violations of the Hazardous Waste Management Act at URT's facility in Dover.

The decree assesses a total civil penalty of $200,000, to be paid in installments over time.

URT, a Wisconsin corporation, conducts recycling of universal waste lamps and cathode ray tubes at its facility in Dover, New Hampshire. The hazardous waste violations stem from URT's improper storage and disposal of these items.

NHDES officials inspected URT's facility in Dover and found, among other things, that

URT disposed of cathode ray tube (CRT) glass fines and CRT baghouse dust at a solid waste landfill that is not authorized to accept hazardous waste. Analysis of the CRT glass fines and CRT baghouse dust indicated that the lead concentration exceeded that permitted by New Hampshire's Hazardous Waste laws and rules.

NHDES officials also discovered that URT shipped lamp glass (from its recycling

process) for use as an ingredient in roadbed aggregate. URT's recycling process for the lamps did not effectively lower the concentration of mercury to levels that met applicable State and federal standards, which led to additional violations of State law.

After NHDES notified URT that its management of these hazardous wastes violated the law, URT cooperated fully and corrected the violations found by NHDES.

"The hazardous waste rules and its permitting system are designed to protect human

health and the environment from the mismanagement of hazardous chemical wastes. It is important for regulated entities to comply with State laws and rules, which are designed to safeguard our environment. Anyone who has questions should contact NHDES prior to treating, storing, or disposing of hazardous waste," said Thomas Burack, NHDES Commissioner.