A Washington state agency has levied a $150,000 penalty against Seattle Barrel Company, citing repeated hazardous-waste mismanagement at the facility.
Ecology officials say the Seattle-based drum refurbisher, a long-time producer of dangerous waste, failed for at least the past year to properly store, track, and handle hazardous materials on site.
A February 2025 inspection uncovered several deficiencies: the company did not document whether waste was correctly identified as hazardous, failed to monitor waste through the disposal pipeline, did not safely store dangerous materials, and lacked required emergency plans and employee training.
The business refurbishes and recycles used steel and plastic drums that previously held petroleum products, solvents, paints, inks, and fats and oils used in food processing.
Waste generated during cleaning includes wash water, evaporator sludge, absorbent pads, and filters.
Ecology noted that some violations were corrected, but others were not addressed or responded to a legal order issued in August 2025 that demanded compliance within 30 days.
“Regular testing and documentation of whether waste is hazardous, training staff for emergencies, and routine inspections of dangerous-waste storage are fundamental safety practices,” said Katrina Lassiter, head of Ecology’s Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program.
This penalty adds to prior enforcement actions: Ecology fined the company in 2014 and issued a legal order in 2017.
In 2023, the company, then operating as Seattle Barrel and Cooperage Company, and its owner, Louie Sanft, were sentenced in federal court for conspiracy, making false statements, and 33 Clean Water Act violations related to discharging highly caustic wastewater into the sewer system.
Sanft received an 18-month prison term and a $250,000 fine, while the company was placed on five years of probation.
