UPS Inc. will pay more than $5.3 million to resolve violations of U.S. hazardous waste regulations at 1,160 facilities in 45 states and Puerto Rico, the Environmental Protection Agency said this week.
EPA alleged that UPS (NYSE: UPS) had failed to conduct proper on-site management of hazardous waste at its facilities and also failed to make land disposal determinations, the agency said in a statement Wednesday.
Under a consent agreement with EPA, UPS has three years to comply with the agency’s regulations at the 1,160 locations.
UPS generates hazardous waste that’s regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) when a package containing certain hazardous materials is damaged, as well as during day-to-day operations, EPA said. According to the agency, many UPS facilities were generating and managing hazardous waste without fully complying with all the RCRA requirements.
Under the settlement, UPS’ compliance will focus on making accurate hazardous waste determinations, timely annual and biennial hazardous waste reporting, proper on-site management of hazardous waste and employee training, among other requirements.
In 2021, UPS settled claims of violations with a regional EPA office covering the company’s facilities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. EPA subsequently expanded its investigation to other UPS facilities across the country and identified similar issues on a broader geographic scale.
UPS is implementing changes on the regional level and has begun similar efforts nationwide, according to EPA.