Introduction:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 was involved in removal activities at the Container Recycling site, 1161 S. 12th Street, Kansas City, Kansas in 2000 and 2001.
Site Background:
The Container Recycling site is about twenty acres in size. In the 1950's the site was used by a local steel mill, in the 1960's it was used to dispose of auto fluff. Auto fluff is the nonmagnetic material that remains after a car is crushed and shredded. Auto fluff was deposited on the site, as fill, to raise the site grade. The site was used for drum reconditioning from 1965 until 1996, when it ceased operation. Site investigations identified the following concerns:
- The process building had containers of hazardous wastes inside, as well as, contaminated ash, sludge, waste paint and shot from the drum reconditioning process.
- There was a sludge pit, a sludge pond and a sludge trench with contamination located on the site.
- Lead, arsenic, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons have been discovered in the soil throughout the site above health-based levels.
Removal Activities:
During the initial phase of the removal, over 65,000 drums were removed from the site. EPA and the owner of the property entered into a Prospective Purchaser Agreement to address specific needs at the site. Under this agreement, the owner agreed to address the site's storage tanks, trailers and empty drums. EPA oversaw the removal of drums containing liquid from the site. EPA also cleared the site of debris.
The final phase of the project was implemented to address soils contaminated with lead that were present at the site. During this phase a protective cover was installed over portions of the site to eliminate exposure pathways to people and to the environment. To ensure that the integrity of the protective cover is maintained, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has agreed to perform annual inspections at the site.
Currently all EPA removal activities have been completed at the site.
