EPA Fines Company for Ignoring Order on Electronic Waste
The EPA issued an order seeking penalties up to $37,500 per day to ZKW Trading for failing to properly manage electronic waste that it attempted to export to Hong Kong.
EPA issued the penalty order after ZKW failed to comply with an order requiring ZKW to remove 31,993 pounds of cathode ray tubes that had been rejected in Hong Kong and returned to the Port of Long Beach. ZKW failed to provide appropriate notice to EPA or to the receiving country as required by federal law. After receiving the earlier order, ZKW informed EPA that it would not comply with the order.
“EPA requires all exporters of e-waste for recycling to provide notification,” said Amy Miller, who leads Resource Conservation and Recovery Act enforcement in EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “Companies that fail to comply will face significant penalties.”
Commonly known as CRTs, cathode ray tubes are the video display components of televisions and computer monitors. The glass in these units typically contains enough lead to require managing it as hazardous waste when they are discarded or recycled.
