EPA Fines Apple for Hazardous Waste Violations at Santa Clara Facility

Key Takeaways

• EPA Settlement Apple reached a settlement with the EPA after inspectors found hazardous-waste violations at its Santa Clara facility.
• Inspection Findings Regulators identified failures in waste characterization, container labeling, storage permitting, documentation, and air-emissions controls.
• Corrective Actions Apple updated its waste-management practices, improved solvent-waste handling, and installed an emissions-control device.
• Penalty The company will pay a $261,283 civil penalty to resolve EPA’s claims under RCRA.

Deep Dive

The Environmental Protection Agency has taken enforcement action against Apple Inc., citing a series of hazardous-waste management lapses at one of the company’s Santa Clara facilities and reaching a settlement that brings the site back into compliance with federal law.

The case stems from two inspections (one in August 2023 and another in January 2024) that EPA officials conducted after receiving a tip from the public. What inspectors found, according to the agency, were multiple failures to meet long-standing requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the federal law that governs how companies store, handle, and monitor hazardous waste.

“Hazardous waste regulations serve as critical safeguards for facility workers, communities, and the environment,” said Amy Miller, who leads enforcement and compliance efforts for EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. She added that the agency’s actions are intended to protect Santa Clara residents from the risks that come with mismanaged waste.

According to EPA, Apple’s Scott Boulevard facility had not properly characterized certain hazardous wastes, did not identify or communicate land-disposal restriction requirements, and lacked the permit needed to store hazardous waste on site for more than 90 days. Inspectors also found problems with a solvent waste tank that was operating without the required air-emissions controls. Containers holding hazardous waste were missing proper labels and dates, and daily inspections of hazardous-waste tanks were either not performed or not documented.

Apple has since corrected the issues. The company updated how it evaluates and manages its solvent waste, installed an emissions-control device on the tank in question, and resolved the remaining violations identified during the inspections. As part of the settlement, Apple will pay a $261,283 penalty.

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