Dept. of Environmental Protection
Northeast Regional Office
2 Public Square
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711-0790
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
7/29/2005

CONTACT:
Mark Carmon
Phone: (570) 826-2511

DEP FINDS 90 TRASH TRUCKS IN VIOLATION DURING INSPECTIONS AT KEYSTONE LANDFILL

WILKES-BARRE: Operational and safety violations were found on 90 trash trucks during inspections at Keystone Landfill in Dunmore and Throop boroughs, Lackawanna County, according to Environmental Protection Northeast Regional Director Michael Bedrin.

The inspections were conducted from 5 a.m. until 4 p.m. Thursday, July 28. All of the violations were against haulers, not the landfill.

"DEP has made these inspections a priority to help improve compliance with environmental regulations and the Commonwealth?s traffic safety laws," Bedrin said. "We have conducted literally thousands of trash-truck inspections over the past several years because we want to get unsafe trash trucks off the highways."

DEP regional staff inspected 435 trash trucks and found 90 trucks with violations. The number of violations totaled 91, with 29 involving Act 90, the state?s Waste Transportation Safety Act, which authorizes trucks and trucking companies to haul trash in Pennsylvania. These violations included improper paperwork, and lack of or improper location of authorization stickers on each truck.

DEP inspectors also found 13 violations for trucks with no signs or improper signs; 34 violations for improper enclosures; 12 violations for discharged fire extinguishers; two violations for no fire extinguisher; and one violation for a leaking truck. Inspectors issued 73 verbal warnings; one written warning; and nine notices of violation, or NOVs; and eight summary citations that will be heard at a local magistrate.

In 2004, the Northeast Regional Office inspected 1,730 trash trucks, found 324 violations and issued 138 NOVs and 124 summary citations. Since June 2000, the regional office has inspected more than 4,000 trash trucks and found over 1,000 violations. Many of these violations were being heard before local magistrates.

The regional program is done as part of statewide "trashnet" inspections done in conjunction with the Department of Transportation and Pennsylvania State Police.

For more information on the inspections, visit DEP's Web site at www.dep.state.pa.us, Keyword: "DEP Targeting Trash."

# # #

You can find older DEP Waste Truck Inspection News Releases here:
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/mrw/News/WasteTransportationNews.htm