SAN FRANCISCO — EPA and U.S. Department of Justice fined Sims Metal Management $189,500 for allegedly polluting San Francisco Bay with scrap metal debris in violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA), contaminating the Bay with mercury, lead, zinc and PCBs, according to a press release.
For years, Sims allegedly has operated a conveyer belt without sufficient pollution controls preventing materials from falling off the belt and into the Bay, stated the release.
The release reported that Sims processes and exports over 300,000 tons of scrap metals from more than 200,000 recycled vehicles and other equipment each year to China and other areas around the world out of its Port of Redwood City facility.
“Taking strong enforcement action against polluters like Sims Metal is needed if we are to once and for all end illegal dumping into the fragile Bay ecosystem,” said EPA Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest Jared Blumenfeld.
Read the entire release here.
