Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Regional Director Kelly Burch today announced that trash truck inspections to check compliance with state environmental and safety laws were conducted Sept. 9 at Seneca Landfill in Jackson and Lancaster townships, Butler County.
As a result, DEP found a total of 16 environmental violations on the 114 trash trucks that were inspected. Eleven of the violations were due to leaking loads. Three trucks either lacked a sign or had an improper sign, two had discharged fire extinguishers and one failed to have a municipal waste log. All of the violations were against haulers, not the facility.
“We have made these inspections a priority to help improve compliance with DEP environmental regulations and the Commonwealth’s traffic safety laws,” Burch said. “We continue these inspections in northwestern Pennsylvania because we want to get unsafe trash-hauling trucks off the highways.”
As part of the inspections, the DEP checked for the proper license as required under Act 90. Three trucks failed to have valid Act 90 stickers and three failed to have valid written authorization letters. Act 90, enacted in June 2002, requires all municipal and residual waste haulers using waste disposal and processing facilities in Pennsylvania to obtain authorization from DEP to use those facilities.
Also during inspections this week, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) cited numerous trash trucks for being overweight. Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) also cited numerous trucks for mechanical and safety problems.
For more information on solid waste, please visit the PA PowerPort at www.state.pa.us, Keyword: “DEP Targeting Trash.”