DEP fines Greenridge Waste Services
The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) fined Greenridge Waste Services LLC of East Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County, $32,750 for multiple violations of the Solid Waste Management Act and Waste Transportation Safety Act. DEP documented violations including overweight and leaking loads, improper enclosures and containments and failure to carry documentation of the vehicle’s hauling authorization status between Dec. 1 and Aug. 24 on Greenridge Waste Services’ vehicles.
“Aside from damaging roadways, overweight trash trucks represent a hazard to other drivers because the added weight diminishes braking ability,” said Environmental Protection Southwest Regional Director Ken Bowman. “This landfill is not far from a school, and the area roads are used regularly by school buses. This enforcement action will help to keep residents safe by forcing the company to address the dangers that these trucks may pose.”
All of the violations were found on vehicles at the landfill owned by Greenridge Reclamation, a sister company of Greenridge Waste Services, which is also owned by Allied Waste Industries.
In addition to paying the fine, the hauling company agreed to implement new safety procedures for safer vehicles, including employing a trained inspector to conduct vehicle inspections two days per month and providing DEP with copies of certified weight receipts, vehicle registrations and shipping papers and licenses to enable DEP to assess civil penalties against vehicle operators that violate state regulations.
For more information on the trash truck inspections, visit DEP’s Web site at www.dep.state.pa.us
, Keyword: “Targeting Trash.”