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California Nearly Triples Daily Penalty for Improper Hazardous Waste Disposal

A California law recently raised the maximum daily penalty for improper hazardous waste disposal from $25,000 to $70,000. The civil penalty, passed last fall, can be levied “for each separate violation or, for continuing violations, for each day that violation continues.”

“This legislation establishes a huge increase from the previous penalty and raises the stakes for companies or individuals who might have ignored previous warnings that California is serious about safeguarding the environment and citizens from hazardous waste,” said Ryan Kiscaden, executive director of Thermostat Recycling Corp. (TRC), in a statement. “These are staggering penalty numbers that could cripple or drive a violator out of business. While TRC is focused on the safe removal and recycling of mercury containing thermostats, which is easily accomplished in one day, the overall threat of multiple daily fines is a cudgel that businesses and even consumers can’t afford to ignore.”

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