A company in Taoyuan was found to be illegally dumping toxic chemicals used by a screw maker, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday, adding that management personnel at the firm that dumped the solution could face prison terms of up to five years.
The solution — which the agency said was toluene — was used at a plant in Taoyuan and about 190 liters were poured into several barrels, which were left under a viaduct of Provincial Highway No. 61 in the city’s Guanyin District (觀音), EPA Bureau of Environmental Inspection acting chief inspector Lee Ming-hui (李明輝) said.
Toluene is flammable, so it could catch fire or cause an explosion in hot weather, Lee said.
The bureau only said that the first character of the screw manufacturer’s Chinese name was nai (耐) and refused to confirm its full name. It did the same for the other company.
After receiving a report in April from local residents about suspicious barrels, the bureau formed a task force with the Taoyuan Environmental Protection Department and the Ministry of the Interior’s Seventh Special Police Corps to investigate.
With permission from the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office, the task force on May 2 searched plants in Taoyuan and Kaohsiung and determined that the screw maker had contracted another firm to take away its used toluene, the bureau said.
The screw manufacturer allegedly labeled the toluene “waste oil” to save on disposal cost, the bureau said.
As the company that took the toluene away did not have a license to do so, its management might face prison terms between one and five years, or a maximum fine of NT$15 million (US$486,823), for breaches of Article 41 of the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法), the bureau said.
The screw processor would be held jointly liable, but the penalties it faces might not be as heavy, Lee said.
Some companies might try to save money by illegally dumping waste, the bureau said, adding that all businesses should adhere to environmental protection laws.
People who see suspicious behavior or items can report suspected illegal dumping by calling the EPA hotline, it said.
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