Akron Steel Treating pays $106K penalty for hazardous waste violations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached an agreement with Akron Steel Treating Co. to resolve alleged hazardous waste violations at its facility in Akron, Ohio. According to the EPA, Akron Steel Treating, which specializes in treating carbon and stainless-steel parts with heat to remove scale, stored hazardous waste at the facility for more than 180 days without a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit, as required. The company was cited for several RCRA violations, including exceeding the weight limit for hazardous waste storage and failing to maintain a manifest system to track waste shipped off-site.
As part of the settlement, Akron Steel Treating will address the alleged violations and pay a civil penalty of $105,855 to the federal government.
What people are saying
In a recent quote, EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore said, “EPA is dedicated to protecting communities such as Akron from the dangers posed by improper and unregulated hazardous waste storage. This settlement with Akron Steel Treating underscores EPA’s commitment to enforcing regulations and promoting environmental justice.”
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About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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