Plaze to pay $206K to resolve hazardous waste violations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached an agreement with Plaze Inc. to resolve allegations that the company violated the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). According to the EPA, the company, which formulates, blends, fills, and packages over 2,500 aerosol and liquid products, violated multiple federal regulations, which are designed to prevent workers and the surrounding community from exposure to hazardous waste. These violations, which were discovered during an inspection in 2022, include:
- Operating a hazardous treatment, storage, or disposal facility without a permit
- Failing to properly label and close hazardous waste containers
- Failing to control air emissions from equipment leaks
- Failing to perform hazardous waste tank inspections
- Failing to minimize the possibility of fire, explosion, or release of hazardous wastes
Plaze has agreed to return its facility to compliance and pay a civil penalty of $205,791.
EPA in the news
Grimmel Industries to pay $43K to resolve Clean Air Act violations at its metal shredding facility in Maine
The company’s scrap metal shredding facility in Topsham, Maine, failed to have the correct air emissions license for its shredder.
Metal shredding facility ordered to address Clean Air Act violations
"This action demonstrates that EPA will hold facilities accountable when they fail to take the actions necessary to meet health-based air quality standards.”
3 Louisiana facilities pay nearly $1.5M in penalties for Clean Air Act violations
“Many communities in Southern Louisiana live with a daily burden of pollution that would be unimaginable in other areas."
Learn more about hazardous waste
How to Prepare for OSHA’s New HazCom Final Rule
A look at the changes to OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard and guidance on how to ensure compliance.
Hazmat Gear Considerations for Chemical Spills
One item does not fit all, especially when it comes to chemical hazards. Here’s what you need to know when reviewing your personal protective equipment and chemical protective clothing options.
OSHA Changes Process Safety Management Standard
Directive governs the safe use and storage of highly hazardous chemicals.
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.
Connect with Alexis on LinkedIn
