A list of the ten U.S. states with the highest number of significant hazardous waste violations
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registers 25,081 total current, “significant” hazardous waste violations as of August 28, 2018 across the country. Significant violations can range from improper temporary storage of hazardous waste, transporting hazardous waste without a permit, illegal dumping/disposal of hazardous waste, to name a few. Penalties can include jail time and fines in the tens of thousands of dollars. Violators include businesses, colleges and universities, hospitals, government operations and any other non-residential waste generators.

The ten states with the greatest number of current, “significant” hazardous waste violations are (totals as of Sept. 28):
10. Alabama 680
9. Pennsylvania 685
8. Kentucky 765
7. Maryland 872
6. Louisiana 1607
5. Texas 1733
4. Missouri 1804
3. Washington 2068
2. Ohio 2244
1. West Virginia 3308
The ten states with the greatest number of total current hazardous waste violations are:
10. Illinois 3235
9. Pennsylvania 3344
8. Ohio 3574
7. New York 3813
6. Louisiana 4165
5. California 4399
4. Washington 4707
3. Missouri 4732
2. Texas 4912
1. West Virginia 5270
The EPA defines hazardous waste as a waste with properties that make it dangerous or capable of having a harmful effect on human health or the environment. And though there are many industrial waste products that fall into this category, there are a large number of “everyday” materials that are hazardous, too. Burned-out fluorescent bulbs, batteries (alkaline and rechargeable), lighting ballasts and thermostats are some of the common items that are also considered hazardous waste. TerraCycle’s Regulated Waste division offers options for the safe recycling and disposal of fluorescent bulbs, batteries, ballasts, medical sharps to keep businesses of every size EPA-compliant.
And in case you were wondering, the Top Ten states with the least number of significant EPA hazardous waste violations this week are:
10. Kansas 81
9. Rhode Island 73
8. Maine 62
7. Florida 60
6. Arizona 59
5. Vermont 53
4. South Dakota 51
3. Nevada 40
2. Minnesota 39
1. Delaware 23
The EPA reports that one out of every ten hazardous waste violations is related to the mismanagement of universal waste like batteries, mercury-containing components and lamps. Unmarked or improperly marked universal waste containment and improper universal waste storage are two of the three most common violations. Utilizing an EasyPak container for smaller quantities or a BulbEater 3® for larger quantities can prevent storage issues.