0502TP_INSP_20201028

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 1 of 3

UNIT TYPE:
Lined
MSWLF LCID YW Transfer Compost SLAS COUNTY: Ashe
Closed
MSWLF HHW X White
goods Incin T&P FIRM PERMIT NO.: 0502TP-HHW-
CDLF Tire T&P / Collection Tire Monofill Industrial Landfill DEMO SDTF FILE TYPE: COMPLIANCE

Date of Site Inspection: October 28, 2020 Date of Last Inspection: September 12, 2019

FACILITY NAME AND ADDRESS:
Ashe County HHW Facility
311 Doggett Road
West Jefferson, North Carolina 28694

GPS COORDINATES (decimal degrees): Lat.: 36.4128 Long.: -81.4901

FACILITY CONTACT NAME AND PHONE NUMBER:
Name: Scott Hurley, Director – Environmental Services
Telephone: [phone]
Email address: [e-mail]

FACILITY CONTACT ADDRESS:
Ashe County Department of Environmental Services
Attn: Scott Hurley, Director
Post Office Box 1327
West Jefferson, North Carolina 28694

PARTICIPANTS:
Brian Houck, Environmental Services – Ashe County
Charles Gerstell, NCDEQ – Solid Waste Section

STATUS OF PERMIT:
A Permit to Operate 0502-HHW (Ashe County HHW Facility) was issued to Ashe County on October 28, 2019. This
permit shall expire on November 5, 2024.

PURPOSE OF SITE VISIT:
Comprehensive Inspection

STATUS OF PAST NOTED VIOLATIONS:
N/A

OBSERVED VIOLATIONS:
None

The item(s) listed above were observed by Section staff and require action on behalf of the facility in order to come into or maintain compliance
with the Statutes, Rules, and/or other regulatory requirements applicable to this facility. Be advised that pursuant to N.C.G.S. 130A-22, an
administrative penalty of up to $15,000 per day may be assessed for each violation of the Solid Waste Laws, Regulations, Conditions of a Permit,
or Order under Article 9 of Chapter 130A of the N.C. General Statutes. Further, the facility and/or all responsible parties may also be subject to
enforcement actions including penalties, injunction from operation of a solid waste management facility or a solid waste collection service and any
such further relief as may be necessary to achieve compliance with the North Carolina Solid Waste Management Act and Rules.
FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 2 of 3

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

1. The facility is permitted to receive Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) from Ashe County only.
2. The facility also acts as convenience area for the collection of electronics, used oil, oil filters, vehicle batteries,
cardboard, aluminum and metal cans, glass, paper, plastics, and scrap tires.
3. The Facility Annual Report for the period of July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020 showed that the facility received
41,052.30-pounds (20.5-tons) of household hazardous waste during that time.
4. The permit and operations plan were verified. Both documents were current and available upon request.
5. The facility provides annual training for employees. These documents are kept at the facility and made available
upon request. Documentation indicated that staff training was last completed on September 30, 2019.
6. A gate was provided at the entrance to the facility to prevent unauthorized access. The entire facility is surrounded
by a chain-length-fence with 3 strands of barbed-wire at the top.
7. The facility had proper signage.
8. The facility is closed to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Upon arrival at the site, facility gates were
closed and locked.
9. Facility safety equipment is inspected each operating day. Records for August 2020 to present were verified.
Equipment inspected included gloves, hard hat, aprons, mask and cartridges, and the eye wash station.
10. A Customer Registration Form is completed for each load of household hazardous material received at the facility.
These forms verify the type and amount of waste received, and that the waste was generated from a household in
Ashe County requiring the customer’s signature. A random sampling of forms was verified.
11. All HHW is stored in a steel, trailer-type structure with three separate compartments. The first compartment (left
to right) is designated for storage of oil-based paint and flammable liquids. The second compartment is designated
for the storage of latex paint, and the third compartment is designated for storage of insecticides, pesticides, and
antifreeze. All compartments were well maintained.
12. All drums containing materials were observed to have been clearly labeled with the date each period of
accumulation began as required.
13. The HHW storage building was equipped with a dry chemical suppression system.
14. A fire extinguisher was provided within the site attendant’s office which read a full charge and was last serviced in
July 2020.
15. All sump outlets leading from the secondary containment areas were capped at the time of inspection.
16. Pad locks were provided for each HHW compartment. All compartments were locked upon arrival at the facility.
17. A metal building is provided for the collection of florescent bulbs. All bulbs were packaged for shipment to the
vendor at the time of inspection.
18. All scrap tires were laced and being maintained within an enclosed trailer.
19. Access around the facility was free of obstacles.
20. Waste manifests were being maintained at the facility.
21. During the previous inspection, multiple televisions were observed within the designated container with various
amounts of damage. It was recommended that Ashe County explore different methods of storing electronics at the
facility to minimize damage to the devices. Mr. Hock explained that the County previously explored leaving the
door to the container open, so individuals could walk the electronics into the container to prevent damage.
However, it was explained that due to the limited space, this was not a reasonable option for the facility.
Electronics were in much better condition during this inspection. Please continue to monitor this collection
operation to ensure electronics are not severely damaged once discarded at the facility.

FACILITY COMPLIANCE INSPECTION REPORT
Division of Waste Management
Solid Waste Section

Page 3 of 3

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding this inspection report.

________________________________________ Phone: [phone]
Charles T. Gerstell
Environmental Senior Specialist
Regional Representative

Sent on: 11/5/20 X Email Hand delivery US Mail Certified No. [ _]

Copies: Deb Aja, Western District Supervisor - Solid Waste Section
Brian Houck, Environmental Services – Ashe County
Digitally signed by Charles T. Gerstell
DN: cn=Charles T. Gerstell, o=Divsion of
Waste Management, ou=Solid Waste
Section,
email=[e-mail], c=US
Date: 2020.11.05 07:01:33 -05'00'