BALLICO, Calif. (Oct. 1, 2014) — The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has scheduled a hearing Oct. 15-17 at its Sacramento headquarters over a proposed $965,000 fine against one of the largest scrap tire haulers and recyclers in the state.
CalRecycle has accused Ballico-based Golden By-Products Inc. in Merced County of storing several times the number of passenger tire equivalents (PTEs) on its premises as its state permit allows.
Golden By-Products also failed to follow state regulations regarding storage of waste tires and prevention of mosquito breeding in waste tires, the agency said in an Aug. 27 administrative complaint.
According to the complaint, Golden By-Products has a permit to store up to 150,000 PTEs on its business site.
However, when CalRecycle and Merced County inspectors visited Golden By-Products on Nov. 13, 2013, they found more than 466,000 PTEs on the site, as well as violations of California state regulations involving outdoor storage of waste tires, according to the complaint.
CalRecycle issued Golden By-Products a Cleanup and Abatement Order on March 14, 2014, according to the document. But when inspectors returned on April 29, 2014, they found more than 946,000 PTEs on the company's premises, as well as evidence of mosquito larvae in standing water inside some of the tires, it said.
In addition to the $965,000 administrative penalty, CalRecycle seeks additional penalties against Golden By-Products “as the (CalRecycle) director, or an administrative law judge…deems just and proper,” as well as reimbursement for the cost of multiple inspections.
The hearing was originally scheduled for Sept. 10-12, but Golden By-Products requested and received a continuance until Oct. 15-17. The hearing may be canceled if CalRecycle and Golden By-Products reach a settlement beforehand.
According to its website, Golden By-Products is a fully permitted scrap tire hauler and recycler that supplies rubber mulch for playgrounds, tire-derived fuel and crumb rubber for rubberized asphalt, athletic fields and dog parks.
The company claims it currently handles in excess of 4 million tires annually — over one-third of the Northern California market share.