The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) fined Schwing Bioset, Inc. $18,939 for air permitting and waste management violations at its facility in North Branch.
On Oct. 30, 2024, MPCA staff observed a paint booth at the facility even though it did not have an air emissions permit for that equipment. MPCA investigators requested information and learned that the facility had the potential to emit particulate matter less than 10 microns and volatile organic compounds higher than the statutory threshold, which would have necessitated an air emissions permit. The facility had been operating without an air emissions permit or an industrial stormwater permit since operations began in August 2021.
On Dec. 20, 2024, the MPCA determined that Schwing Bioset had failed to evaluate and properly manage hazardous waste at its North Branch facility. Staff did not evaluate waste generated at the facility within the required 60 days of its generation. Staff at the facility was also disposing of hazardous paint booth filters in its solid waste stream. Between August 2021 and November 2024, the facility failed to properly manage approximately 208 pounds of hazardous paint booth filters per month, equating to 8,112 total pounds.
In addition to paying the fine, the company has submitted an application for and received an appropriate air permit, ceased disposing of hazardous waste in the solid waste stream, and submitted the necessary emissions inventory reports. Schwing Bioset has also pledged to apply for an industrial stormwater permit.
The MPCA is committed to protecting human health and the environment by enforcing rules and regulations and limiting pollution and discharges from facilities. When facilities do not fully comply with regulatory requirements, the resulting pollution can be harmful to people and the environment. Since 2019, the MPCA has issued 8,475 enforcement actions amounting to nearly $25 million in penalties. Penalty payments go into the state’s environmental fund, which is appropriated by the Legislature and enables the MPCA to protect communities and the environment from harmful pollution.