US Technology Media, Inc. Settlement Information Sheet

(Washington, DC  – November 15, 2021)  – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced a settlement with US Technology Media (UST Media) to resolve alleged violations of hazardous waste environmental laws at UST Media’s facilities in Georgia, Ohio, and Utah. Under this settlement agreement, UST Media will pay a $200,000 civil penalty. This settlement resolves alleged violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and related state laws and regulations. 

• Overview
• Violations
• Injunctive Relief
• Pollutant Impacts
• Health Effects and Environmental Benefits
• Civil Penalty
• For More Information, Contact

Overview

US Technology Media, Inc. is an Ohio corporation with facilities in Georgia, Ohio, and Utah.  Since 2015, it has been in the business of selling and leasing blast media made of combinations of plastic, acrylic, glass beads, aluminum oxide, and urea to clients under “Buy and Recycle,” or “Lease and Recycle” contracts.  The blast media is purchased or leased by client companies under UST Media contracts and used for cleaning, removing paint, and maintaining equipment surfaces from small equipment to large aircraft. During use, blast media comes into contact with contaminants from the surfaces to which it is applied.  Once used, the blast media becomes SBM containing contaminants, particularly cadmium, chromium, and lead. 

Violations

The company speculatively accumulated the waste in its three facilities company-wide and at times transported the SBM between facilities for storage instead of transporting for recycling or for hazardous waste disposal.  The regulations at 40 C.F.R. § 261.1(c)(8) require recycling of at least 75% of the SBM accumulated in its January 1st inventory during the calendar year. The company failed to recycle 75% in 2017 and 2019 and therefore should have sent the remaining waste for hazardous waste disposal. The company did not send this waste for disposal, and the company also did not have a hazardous waste storage permit for any of its facilities. For this reason, the company has illegally stored hazardous waste without a permit in violation of RCRA Section 3005(a), 42 U.S.C. § 6925(a). 

Injunctive Relief

As part of this settlement, UST Media will cease receipt of SBM at all facilities until the company disposes of the 3.4 million pounds of this material currently on site.  Respondent will manage three categories of SBM under Facility Work Plans submitted for EPA approval, this includes a requirement to sample and test SBM at the point of generation for proper disposal of hazardous waste and/or recycling or disposal of nonhazardous waste.

Pollutant Impacts

SBM may contain high levels of contaminants, particularly cadmium, chromium, and lead, and since SBM may exhibit the characteristic of toxicity, it can be a hazardous waste. UST Media’s transport of SBM for purposes of storage and recycling at various facilities across the country presents human health and environmental concerns in the potential for release of small powder-like particles into the air, water, soil, and the environment.

Health Effects and Environmental Benefits

Cadmium, chromium, and lead are systemic toxicants known to induce adverse health effects in humans.  The Agency encourages safe and legitimate recycling of hazardous secondary materials. This settlement helps minimize the threats of harm that arise when too much hazardous secondary material is accumulated without being legitimately recycled, and the hazardous waste is stored without a hazardous waste storage permit.

Civil Penalty

Under this settlement agreement, UST Media will pay a $200,000 civil penalty.

For More Information, Contact:

Negin M. Mostaghim, Attorney-Advisor
Waste and Chemical Enforcement Division
US EPA Office of Civil Enforcement
(202) 564-4694
[email protected]