Business Owners in New York City: Have You Heard of the DEP Right to Know Reporting?
Under the Community Right-to-Know Program, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) requires businesses to report the amount of chemicals used or stored at their facility by March 1st every year. Heavy fines are given to businesses that do not file or falsely report their chemicals: up to $2,500 for a first time violator. Check out our Right to Know Webpage for more information on the Right to Know Process and Walden’s Tier II Filing Services.
A Smart Way to Save Money: Chemical Disposal
As part of the Right to Know filing process, companies are required to pay a reporting fee proportional to the amount of chemicals they report. To reduce this fee collected by the DEP, consider reducing your chemical inventory by safely dispose of unused, unnecessary chemicals instead of storing them on-site.
Are your flammable cabinets or storage areas always full? 
How many of those chemicals do you actually use?
Walden’s Right to Know staff often see packed chemical storage shelves with the majority of products collecting dust. Year after year these products remain on-site while orders are placed for similar products. Maybe your supplier gave you a good deal on a new product; maybe your business processes have changed and you no longer use that chemical – if that’s the case: dispose it properly!
It is always a good idea to decrease stores of toxic chemicals on-site to reduce liability in the case of a spill or leak. Additionally, high quantities of toxic substances or the presence of an extremely hazardous substance can warrant further reporting requirements to the Environmental Protection Agency in the form of a Risk Management Plan.
The main reason businesses store chemicals instead of disposing them is the logistical hassle of determining legal, safe ways to get rid of their waste. New York City’s Department of Sanitation gives helpful guidelines of what can be disposed of in regular garbage pickup.
Not sure what to do with your unnecessary chemicals? Walden can help!
Our environmental engineers and scientists are well-informed about chemical regulations (including and the NYSDEC Part 360 Solid Waste Regulations) and know the ins and outs of chemical disposal. When creating chemical disposal plans, we employ strategies to ensure our clients legally and responsibly get rid of their unwanted chemicals without unnecessary costs. Give us a call at (516) 624-7200 for more information on Right-to-Know filing and chemical disposal.