MEADVILLE – Department of Environmental Protection staff recently found 31 operational and safety violations on 26 trucks during inspections at four landfills and a transfer station.
The inspections were conducted on June 13 at Seneca Landfill in Butler County, Lake View Landfill in Erie County, Veolia Greentree Landfill in Elk County, McKean County Landfill and Tri-County Transfer Station in Mercer County.
“We made these inspections a priority to help improve compliance with DEP’s environmental regulations and state traffic safety laws,” DEP Regional Director Kelly Burch said. “We have conducted thousands of trash truck inspections over the past several years because we want to get unsafe trash trucks off the highways.”
DEP regional staff inspected a total of 563 trucks on June 13 and discovered the following at the respective locations:
· Seneca Landfill — 117 trucks inspected, 13 trucks with violations (7 leaking loads, 2 incomplete signage, 4 improper closure)
· Lake View Landfill — 185 trucks inspected, 5 trucks with violations (2 leaking loads, 3 incomplete signage, 2 without valid written authorization)
· Veolia Greentree Landfill — 196 trucks inspected, 5 trucks with violations (2 leaking loads, 3 incomplete signage, 3 for failure to have a contingency plan to minimize and abate a discharge of residual waste during transport)
· McKean Landfill — 35 trucks inspected, 2 trucks with violations (1 leaking load, 1 incomplete signage)
· Tri-County Transfer Station — 30 trucks inspected, 1 truck with a leaking load
All of the violations were against haulers, not the landfills.
Trash haulers must get authorization from DEP through Act 90, the state’s Waste Transportation Safety Act, to haul trash in Pennsylvania. DEP inspectors look at compliance history, and if outstanding violations exist or there is an inability to comply with Act 90 regulations, the state can revoke authorization.
In addition to checking the Act 90 authorization, DEP inspectors also look for fire extinguisher and sign violations; drivers not properly managing waste during transport; leaking loads; improper covers over the waste; trucks that are overweight or otherwise overloaded; and log book or record-keeping violations.
Pennsylvania State Police also participated in the June 13 inspections, looking for vehicle safety compliance.