For at least the past year, Seattle Barrel Company has failed to implement safe management of their dangerous waste, despite multiple attempts by staff from the Washington Department of Ecology to bring them into compliance. The company failed to properly store, track, and manage dangerous wastes, increasing the risk of a spill or hazardous release. Today, Ecology issued a $150,000 penalty for dangerous waste violations to Seattle Barrel Company.
Seattle Barrel Company refurbishes and recycles used steel and plastic drums that previously contained petroleum products, solvents, paints, ink, and food-grade fats/oils/grease. The company drains any residue out of the drums and then washes, inspects, and either reconditions them for sale or recycles them. The facility is classified as a large quantity generator of dangerous waste and is responsible for safely managing dangerous waste found in their washwater, wastewater evaporator sludge, absorbent pads, and filters.
Seattle Barrel Company has had previous environmental compliance issues, leading to a penalty from Ecology in 2014, a legal order from Ecology in 2017, and criminal convictions with a penalty secured by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2023.
In February 2025, Ecology inspectors found a number of dangerous waste violations at the facility, including failure to document whether waste was properly identified and handled as dangerous waste, failure to track dangerous waste through the disposal process as required, failure to safely store hazardous materials, and failure to maintain emergency plans and training programs for employees.
Seattle Barrel Company corrected some violations immediately but did not respond to multiple attempts by Ecology to correct the remaining violations. In August 2025, Ecology issued a legal order that gave the business 30 days to address the remaining violations. Seattle Barrel has not responded to that order.
Katrina Lassiter, manager of Ecology’s Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program, said all businesses generating dangerous waste must demonstrate they are taking their responsibilities seriously.
“Ensuring they’re testing and documenting whether their waste is hazardous, training staff on what to do in emergencies, and regularly inspecting their dangerous waste storage are all basic safety principles,” Lassiter said. “Given their history of compliance problems, it’s concerning that they did not respond to our legal order. These everyday steps for managing waste are how we catch issues and prevent them from becoming dangerous, expensive problems for human health and the environment.”
Seattle Barrel Company has 30 days to pay the penalty or appeal it to the Washington Pollution Control Hearings Board.