NOVEMBER 15, 2021 - CONSENT AGREEMENT AND FINAL ORDER ISSUED: MULTIREGIONAL CASE WITH EPA HQ, REGION 4, REGION 5 AND REGION 8.
Since 2015, Respondent 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 recycle contracts. The blast media is leased or purchased by the clients and used for cleaning, removing paint, and maintaining equipment surfaces.
During use, blast media comes into contact with contaminants from the surfaces to which it is applied. Once used, the blast media cannot be used again for these purposes and blast media becomes spent blast media (SBM). Therefore, at all times relevant to the allegations in this CA/FO, SBM contains high levels of contaminants, particularly cadmium, chromium, and lead. SBM is a spent material pursuant 40 C.F.R. ? 261.1(c)(1). Under the terms of Buy and Recycle and Lease and Recycle? contracts, UST Media arranges for the SBM to be transported from the clients to the Georgia, Ohio, or Utah facilities. At the Utah facility, Respondent receives, stores, and then ships the SBM to either the
Georgia or Ohio facilities. At the Georgia and Ohio facilities, Respondent receives, blends, stores, and either further transports the SBM between the Ohio and Georgia facilities, or sends it for recycling.
EPA Region 8 and/or State of Utah representatives inspected the Utah facility on June 19 and October 23, 2018, June 26, 2019, and Feb