DEP fines Rostraver Township landfill as part of agreement

By CHRISTINE HAINES
chaines@yourmvi.com

Fines have been levied against the Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill as part of a consent order and agreement with the state Department of Environmental Protection and for violations of a past consent order.
In an order issued Wednesday, the DEP fined the landfill, located off of Tyrol Boulevard in Rostraver Township, and its subsidiary County Hauling, for violations which occurred between Dec. 31, 2018, and July 3, 2019. The DEP also fined the landfill $27,500 for off-site dirt and mud tracking violations which occurred between Dec. 2, 2020, and Feb. 2, 2021, in violation of two previous consent orders in October and February 2020. Under the new agreement, the companies will pay a civil penalty of $25,000 and will provide an additional $25,000 for a community environmental project or projects in lieu of paying an additional $15,000 fine.
According to a DEP news release, there were numerous occasions during the violation period in which County Hauling used two trucks to transport waste to the Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill for disposal without valid Act 90 authorizations, and the landfill accepted the vehicles for disposal of waste. In Pennsylvania, landfill facilities are prohibited from accepting waste from vehicles without valid Act 90 authorization.
Rostraver Township Commissioners’ President John Lorenzo said he had reported additional Act 90 violations at the landfill to the DEP earlier this year, but hasn’t heard anything back from the agency.
“While it’s great to see them get hit with a $25,000 civil penalty and to see this structured with cleanups for the host community, we’d love to see something that actually hits their bottom dollar and lets them know maybe they need to come into compliance,” Lorenzo said.
Lorenzo said the township has been dealing with ongoing issues at the landfill including mud and run-off on Tyrol Boulevard over much of the past year.
The $25,000 civil penalty will be paid into the commonwealth’s Waste Transportation Safety Account.
As part of this agreement, the companies are also required to provide $25,000 in free landfill disposal and waste transportation services for cleanup projects identified by the DEP.
The companies have five years to provide the community environmental grants, which will cover the transportation and disposal of 250 tons of waste, or 25 30-cubic yard roll-off containers.
The operators are required to receive DEP approval, provide the DEP with receipts within two weeks of disposal and provide quarterly statements.
The community projects will be prioritized by the DEP to locations within three environmental justice areas located near the landfill. An environmental justice area is defined as an area where 20% or more of the residents live at or below the federal poverty guideline and/or 30% or more of the population identifies as a non-white minority based on U.S. Census information.
To be considered for CEP services, organizations should contact Ben Williams at 412-442-5806 or benjwillia@pa.gov to make the DEP aware of environmental cleanup projects.