Document g26kBp2QZQpRadO3rzgEXOakN

Inspection Entry Date/Time Inspection Exit Date/Time Regulatory Program Type of Inspection EPA REGION 10 Enforcement Division INSPECTION REPORT 03/09/2023 01:10 PM (AKT) Announced: No 03/09/2023 03:31 PM (AKT) Access: Granted RCRA Compliance Evaluation Inspection (CEI) Company Name Facility or Site Name Facility/Site Identifier Facility/Site Physical Address City, State, Zip Code County/Borough Generator Status NAICS Type of Operation Geographic Coordinates Mailing Address/Secondary Address City, State, Zip Code Costco Wholesale Corporation Costco Wholesale #1342 AKR000207423 48 College Road Fairbanks, AK 99701 Fairbanks North Star Borough Small Quantity Generator (SQG) 452311 447190 Warehouse Club and Supercenter 64.853184, -147.706751 Ms. Brittnie Welsh, Administrative Supervisor w01342fe13@costco.com 48 College Road Fairbanks, AK 99701 Cc: Mr. Jason Soule, Warehouse Manager w01342mgr@costco.com Fairbanks, AK 99701 Permit Number (If Applicable) Not Applicable Lead Inspector: Jon Jones EPA REGION 10 Jones.Jon@epa.gov (907) 227-4316 Supervisor Review: Matt Quarterman EPA REGION 10 Quarterman.Matthew@epa.gov (206) 553-2146 SECTION I - INTRODUCTION Site Entry and Purpose of the Inspection Type of inspection: Compliance Evaluation Inspection (CEI) EPA REGION 10 Lead Inspector, Jon Jones, arrived at the Costco Wholesale #1342 Facility (the "Site" or "Facility"), located at 48 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99701, at 01:10 PM (AKT) on 03/09/2023 for an unannounced inspection. 1 of 8 Costco Wholesale #1342 Inspection Date(s): 03/09/2023 - 03/09/2023 This was a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) inspection. The facility was inspected to ensure compliance with standards for hazardous waste generators and universal waste management (40 C.F.R. Part 262 through 273). The inspection was conducted as part of a Core Program requirement for FY 2023. EPA REGION 10 Lead Inspector presented credentials to and informed Ms. Brittnie Welsh that this was an EPA REGION 10 inspection to determine compliance with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). This report is based on information supplied by Costco Wholesale #1342 Facility representatives, observations made by the EPA REGION 10 inspector, and records and reports maintained by the facility and its HQ including, but not limited to: direct observations made by the EPA REGION 10 Inspector(s), photographs taken by EPA REGION 10 inspector(s), physical evidence collected by the EPA REGION 10 inspector(s), measurements or samples taken by EPA REGION 10 inspector(s), verbal or written statements made by information supplied by the facility representatives during or subsequent to the on-site Inspection, and materials, processes, data, photographs, or documents shown, demonstrated, or submitted to the EPA REGION 10 inspector(s) by the facility representatives during or subsequent to the on-site Inspection. In addition, information gathered prior to or subsequent to the Inspection from a review of USEPA, State, and public records may be included in this report. Attendees Title/Organization Name Lead Inspector/EPA Jon Jones REGION 10 Phone (907) 2716329 Administrative Supervisor/Costco Staff Manager/Costco Hazardous Waste Program Specialist/ADEC Brittnie Welsh Payton Faulkner Ashley Streveler (907) 2053615 (907) 2694556 Email Jones.Jon@epa.gov Opening Conf. Closing Conf. Yes Yes w01342fe13@costco.com Yes Yes w01342frn@costco.com Yes No ashley.streveler@alaska.gov Yes Yes Opening Conference Shortly after arriving at Costco Wholesale #1342, we were met by Ms. Welsh, Administrative Supervisor and Mr. Faulkner, Staff Manager. I held the opening conference, presented my inspector credentials, and informed them that this was an EPA Region 10 inspection to determine compliance with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). During the opening conference, I explained that the focus of the RCRA inspection was to identify types of wastes generated, points of waste generation, methods of waste management, and review relevant documents. Only those areas in which I observed potential compliance concerns or noted other pertinent issues are discussed in Section III of this inspection report. Facility/Site Information Number of employees Approximately 260 employees Length of Facility at Location Since 2018 Operating Hours 10:00 am to 8:30 pm on weekdays and 9:30 am to 6:00 pm on weekends 2 of 8 Costco Wholesale #1342 Inspection Date(s): 03/09/2023 - 03/09/2023 Safety Training Provided to Inspector(s)? Size of Facility What type of generator facility notified? What type of generator facility verified as? No 160,851 square feet Small Quantity Generator (SQG) Small Quantity Generator (SQG) verified by facility personnel Process Description During the opening conference, Ms. Welsh told us the wastes generated at the facility were generated either due to product being damaged as it enters the store through receiving, damaged on the shelf at the store, or customer returns that cannot be resold. We were accompanied during the inspection by Ms. Welsh. I looked at the facility's processes, hazardous waste management practices, generation points, and accumulation areas. I looked for wastes that facility representatives had not yet identified or designated as hazardous. I also observed the facility's universal waste. Building(s) Building/Area/Sub-area Costco Wholesale Warehouse Hearing Aid Department Pharmacy Return to Vendor (RTV) Tire Shop SECTION II - OBSERVATIONS Process Description Universal waste batteries Generation of Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals (HWPharms) Central Accumulation Area (CAA) Generation of waste aerosol cans and waste gas Area of Concern No No No No No I inspected the areas of the facility, listed in the table above, and observed no areas of concern. SECTION III - RECORDS REVIEW Record: Manifests Ref #: JJ1-RR-001 Reviewed By: Jon Jones AOC: Yes Reviewed Date: 03/09/2023 While inspecting the facility's hazardous waste manifests, I saw that the facility had authorized the first transporter to sign the generators certification "on behalf of" the generator (Costco Wholesale #1342). During this review of the manifests, covering the period of 3/9/20 through 3/9/23, I saw nine hazardous waste manifests where the generators certification had not been signed by their authorized official. The following 3 of 8 Costco Wholesale #1342 Inspection Date(s): 03/09/2023 - 03/09/2023 hazardous waste manifests were missing a generator certification signature: Manifest # Date of shipment 004899336FLE 11/9/21 004899337FLE 11/9/21 004899258FLE 4/28/22 004899297FLE 4/28/22 004899298FLE 4/28/22 004899299FLE 4/28/22 004899296FLE 4/28/22 004899234FLE 7/18/22 004899235FLE 7/18/22 Document(s) 1. 004899234FLE-9-23-2022-10-31-54-AM.pdf 2. 004899235FLE-9-12-2022-11-40-32-AM.pdf 3. 004899258FLE-6-14-2022-12-50-14-AM (1).pdf 4. 004899296FLE-6-14-2022-12-15-46-AM.pdf 5. 004899297FLE-6-14-2022-1-00-10-AM.pdf 6. 004899298FLE-6-14-2022-12-16-33-AM.pdf 7. 004899299FLE-8-1-2022-12-03-59-AM.pdf 8. 004899336FLE-1-11-2022-12-33-23-PM.pdf 9. 004899337FLE-1-11-2022-12-59-48-PM.pdf Photo(s) 1. IMG_0668.jpg 2. IMG_0669.jpg 3. IMG_0670.jpg 4. IMG_0671.jpg Record: Inspections Ref #: JJ1-RR-002 Reviewed By: Jon Jones AOC: Yes Reviewed Date: 03/09/2023 While inspecting the facility's weekly hazardous waste inspection logs, covering the period of 3/9/20 through 3/9/23, I saw that no inspection was conducted for the week of December 26, 2021, through January 1, 2022. There was no record of an inspection for that week in the inspection log. SECTION IV - AREA OF CONCERN The presentation of Area(s) of Concern does not constitute a formal compliance determination or violation. Record: Manifests JJ1-RR-001 I saw nine hazardous waste manifests where the generators certification had not been signed by their authorized official. The following hazardous waste manifests were missing a generator Regulations: 4 of 8 Sections: Costco Wholesale #1342 Inspection Date(s): certification signature: Manifest # Date of shipment 004899336FLE 11/9/21 004899337FLE 11/9/21 004899258FLE 4/28/22 004899297FLE 4/28/22 004899298FLE 4/28/22 004899299FLE 4/28/22 004899296FLE 4/28/22 004899234FLE 7/18/22 004899235FLE 7/18/22 Record: Inspections JJ1-RR-002 No inspection was conducted for the Regulations: week of December 26, 2021, through January 1, 2022. There was no record of an inspection for that week in the inspection log. 03/09/2023 - 03/09/2023 Sections: SECTION V - CLOSING CONFERENCE AND FOLLOW UP Closing Conference At the conclusion of the inspection, I conducted a closing conference that was attended by those listed in the Attendees table, in Section I of this report. I thanked everyone for their time and cooperation during the inspection and began a review of the areas of concern (listed in Section III - Areas of Concern) that I observed during my inspection of the facility. I then explained the follow-up process that would take place once I finished the report. I explained they would receive a copy of the report as would a case officer. I told them the case officer would review the report to determine if any of my areas of concern documented violations. Follow Up N/A Communication Log N/A SECTION VI - SAMPLING ACTIVITIES AND ANALYTICAL RESULTS - No sampling was conducted. SECTION VII - LIST OF APPENDICES 1. Photo Log 2. Document Log 5 of 8 Costco Wholesale #1342 Inspection Date(s): APPENDIX 1: PHOTO LOG 03/09/2023 - 03/09/2023 [Title] IMG_0668.jpg 03/09/2023 02:23 PM No CBI No PII Photographer: Jon Jones [Building/Area] 64.852975, -147.70605555 View of a hazardous waste manifest (generator copy) that is missing the certification signature. [Title] IMG_0669.jpg 03/09/2023 02:27 PM No CBI No PII Photographer: Jon Jones [Building/Area] 64.85296666, -147.70614722 View of a hazardous waste manifest (generator copy) that is missing the certification signature. 6 of 8 Costco Wholesale #1342 Inspection Date(s): 03/09/2023 - 03/09/2023 [Title] IMG_0670.jpg 03/09/2023 02:29 PM No CBI No PII Photographer: Jon Jones [Building/Area] 64.85296666, -147.70620833 View of a hazardous waste manifest (generator copy) that is missing the certification signature. [Title] IMG_0671.jpg 03/09/2023 02:30 PM No CBI No PII Photographer: Jon Jones [Building/Area] 64.85291388, -147.70677222 View of a hazardous waste manifest (generator copy) that is missing the certification signature. 7 of 8 Costco Wholesale #1342 Inspection Date(s): 03/09/2023 - 03/09/2023 APPENDIX 2: DOCUMENT LOG Document Type Document Name Contains Contains Uploaded By CBI PII Date Received Records Review 004899234FLE-9-23- No No Jon Jones 2022-10-31-54-AM.pdf Records Review 004899235FLE-9-12- No No Jon Jones 2022-11-40-32-AM.pdf Records Review 004899258FLE-6-14- No No Jon Jones 2022-12-50-14-AM (1).pdf Records Review 004899296FLE-6-14- No No Jon Jones 2022-12-15-46-AM.pdf Records Review 004899297FLE-6-14- No No Jon Jones 2022-1-00-10-AM.pdf Records Review 004899298FLE-6-14- No No Jon Jones 2022-12-16-33-AM.pdf Records Review 004899299FLE-8-1- No No Jon Jones 2022-12-03-59-AM.pdf Records Review 004899336FLE-1-11- No No Jon Jones 2022-12-33-23-PM.pdf Records Review 004899337FLE-1-11- No No Jon Jones 2022-12-59-48-PM.pdf Other - Manifest and BOL Liquor Carboy US No No Jon Jones for alcohol exempt waste Ecology 03.15.2023.pdf Other - Pharmacy RD CLS Documents Costco No No Jon Jones Reports Fairbanks #1342.pdf Other - Email from Email From Interstate No No Jon Jones Interstate Battery to Batteries (Vendor) Costco Wholesale #1342 Recycling Procedures.pdf Other - BOLs for battery Interstate Batteries BOL No No Jon Jones recycling Sourdough Express 03.23.23.pdf Communications EPA Visit Thank You No No Jon Jones Letter.pdf Communications Visit on March 7th.msg No No Jon Jones 06/29/2023 06/29/2023 06/29/2023 06/29/2023 06/29/2023 06/29/2023 06/29/2023 06/29/2023 06/29/2023 06/29/2023 06/29/2023 06/29/2023 06/29/2023 06/29/2023 06/29/2023 8 of 8