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Five Cleveland companies agree to EPA orders to comply with federal rules to protect stratospheric ozone

Release Date: 10/21/2009
Contact Information: William Omohundro, 312-353-8254, [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 09-OPA196

(Chicago - Oct. 21, 2009) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has issued administrative consent orders to five Cleveland, Ohio, scrap metal recycling companies - All City Recycling Inc., JBI Scrap Processors Inc., Brookside Auto Parts Inc., All Scrap Salvage Co. Inc., and Aetna Recycling.

The companies agreed to comply with EPA regulations designed to protect the stratospheric ozone layer at their scrap metal recycling facilities. The All City plant is at 17149 St. Clair Ave., the JBI plant is at 2925 E. 55th St., the Brookside plant is at 3979 Pearl Road, the All Scrap plant is at 3550 W. 140th St. and the Aetna plant is at 8300 Aetna Road.

EPA cited All City and JBI in June 2008, All Scrap in July and Brookside and Aetna in August 2008 for alleged violations of EPA regulations requiring recovery of ozone-depleting refrigerants from small appliances before they are recycled. The allegations resulted from EPA inspections of the facilities in April 2008 and subsequent requests for information in May 2008.

This April EPA conducted a second inspection of the facilities. EPA met with JBI in May and with All City, Brookside, All Scrap and Aetna in June to discuss the proposed compliance orders, and all 5 companies agreed to the respective orders.

The companies agreed, among other things, to take steps to ensure that the refrigerants in all appliances they process have been recovered according to EPA regulations. The companies will be responsible for recovering the refrigerant from the appliances they accept for recycling.

Chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants and certain substitute refrigerants deplete the stratospheric, or "good," ozone layer allowing dangerous amounts of cancer-causing ultraviolet rays from the sun to strike the earth. Some chlorofluorocarbons are also potent greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Production of some of these chemicals was stopped in 1995, and federal law strictly controls their use and handling.

Information about EPA Region 5's air enforcement program is at https://www.epa.gov/region5/air/enforce/index.html. Potential environmental violations may be reported at https://www.epa.gov/compliance/complaints.