Alpine Cabinetry LLC fined $12,933 for hazardous waste violations at St. Cloud cabinet facility

According to a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) enforcement investigation, Alpine Cabinetry LLC mislabeled and improperly stored hazardous materials, failed to conduct weekly inspections, and failed to train staff to properly handle and store hazardous waste in 2023 at its residential and commercial cabinet production facility in St. Cloud, Minn.

An MPCA staff inspection in August 2023 confirmed violations including:

• Failing to properly contain hazardous waste paint in and around a collection area, resulting in excess spilled paints on the floor and surrounding walls.
• Storing improperly labeled barrels of hazardous waste paint and oils on wood pallets on bare soil and in an unsecured tent with inadequate aisle space. This created a risk of unauthorized access and potential for the containers to easily tip over or rupture from the heat and leak hazardous waste straight onto the ground.

In addition to paying the $12,933 civil penalty, Alpine Cabinetry has completed a series of corrective actions including:

• Providing hazardous waste training for employees and documenting weekly inspections.
• Cleaning up all hazardous waste spills and submitting a management plan for how the company will prevent these spills in the future.
• Submitting a management plan for how the company will store outdoor hazardous waste appropriately.
• Documenting shipments of used oil.
• Applying for an industrial stormwater permit.

MPCA rules and regulations are designed to protect human health and the environment by limiting pollution emissions and discharges from facilities. When companies do not fully comply with regulatory requirements, the resulting pollution can be harmful to people and the environment. 

When calculating penalties, the MPCA considers how seriously the violations affected or could have affected the environment, and whether they were first-time or repeat violations. The agency also attempts to recover the economic benefit the company gained by failing to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.