U.S. EPA Region 5 issued a Consent Agreement and Final Order (CAFO) to Top Metal Buyers, Inc. (Top Metal) to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA). EPA alleged that Top Metal accepted for recycling small appliances, such as refrigerators and room air conditioners, that contained or once contained ozone-depleting refrigerants, without either recovering the refrigerant from the appliances or verifying that the refrigerant had been properly recovered prior to sale to Top Metal, in violation of regulations found at 40 CFR 82.156. EPA issued a Finding of Violation to Top Metal on March 8, 2013. The CAFO requires Top Metal to pay a penalty of $14,871.