Oregon regulators have reached an agreement with a steel company over its air quality violations in North Portland.
The violations stemmed from the use of a metal shredder at Radius Recycling, formerly Schnitzer Steel. The company installed the shredder in 2007. It’s used to break down old cars, appliances and other metal pieces for recycling.
Since then, new studies have shown that these shredders release hazardous pollutants, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
The shredder has been a major source of volatile organic compounds, according to the legal agreement between Oregon DEQ and Radius Recycling. The shredder had the potential to emit up to 670 tons of volatile organic compounds a year, significantly exceeding the state limit of 40 tons a year.
The company also failed to get several permits that would have regulated its emissions.
As part of the settlement, Radius Recycling needs to install pollution controls by March 2024. It also needs to pay $500,000 in civil penalties.
“Schnitzer Steel’s commitment to install an enclosure and emission controls at its Portland shredder signals a positive change to protect human health and the environment,” Oregon DEQ compliance manager Kieran O’Donnell said in a statement.