EPA Begins Cleanup of Hazardous Materials at Cleveland Recycling Facility

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it began cleanup of a recycling facility that housing millions of potentially toxic light bulbs and other hazardous waste. 

Wednesday announcement came weeks after a fire at the former site of the Fluorescent Recycling Inc. warehouse in the 7200 block of Neville Avenue in the city’s West Boulevard. 

EPA workers are expected to remove two to three million spent fluorescent bulbs, 250 drums of polychlorinated biphenyl-containing lighting ballasts and other electronic equipment stored in the building, the EPA said in a statement. 

The recycling plant operated as a waste facility for fluorescent lamps until the fire, said Eric Pohl, an EPA on scene coordinator. 

The Cleveland fire department notified the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency which, in turn, contacted its federal counterpart to warn about the potential threat the facility posed the general public. The EPA determined the facility was contaminated with mercury vapors and PCBs.

Pohl said officials are removing the lamps and PCBs because they contain mercury. Mercury can be harmful if it’s inhaled or absorbed through the skin. 

Courtesy: https://wasteadvantage.com