S. Carolina Abandoned Site Remediation Project

Timeline: 

30 days from mobilization to EPA clearance

Hazardous containers: 

1,000+ drums and vessels

Debris removed:

1,100+ cubic yards (55 truckloads)

EPA supervision: 

Full compliance, zero violations

Result:

Property moved from liability to asset, ready for sale

When the bank foreclosed on the property, they expected a standard industrial site. What they got was an environmental disaster:

What we found on arrival:

• Over 1,000 containers scattered across 2 acres
• Unknown contents in most drums—labels faded, corroded, or missing
• Severely damaged containers—rusted through, leaking, collapsed
• Piles of debris—scrap metal, construction waste, household trash mixed with industrial materials
• Exposed chemicals—liquids pooling on ground, fumes in the air
• No site records—previous operator left no inventory or documentation

Why this was a major problem:

• Health and safety risks – Workers, neighbors, and passing traffic exposed to toxic fumes and spills
• Environmental contamination – Chemicals leaching into soil and potentially reaching groundwater
• Legal liability – Bank responsible for cleanup under CERCLA (Superfund law)
• Property value – Site couldn't be sold or leased until certified clean
• Unknown costs – Impossible to estimate cleanup expenses without identifying waste types

EPA involvement:

Due to the severity and uncertainty, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency placed the site under direct oversight. This meant:

• EPA personnel on-site to supervise all work
• Strict compliance with RCRA, DOT, and CERCLA regulations
• Real-time approvals required for handling and disposal decisions
• Full documentation of every container, test result, and disposal destination

Most contractors would walk away. This wasn't a routine cleanup—it was a multi-hazard, high-liability project requiring specialized expertise, extensive testing, and flawless regulatory compliance.

Step 1: Site Assessment and Safety Protocols

Before touching a single container, we:

• Established safety perimeter – Fenced and posted warning signs
• Set up decontamination station – For personnel and equipment leaving the site
• Deployed air monitoring – Continuous testing for VOCs, ammonia, and other airborne hazards
• Staged emergency response equipment – Spill kits, containment berms, fire suppression, medical support

All field personnel wore Level C or Level B personal protective equipment depending on exposure risk.

Step 2: Container-by-Container Inventory and Testing

Every single container required individual assessment. Our process:

Visual inspection:

• Recorded container type, size, and condition
• Noted visible labels, markings, or color-coding
• Documented leaks, damage, or instability
• Photographed each container for records

Field testing:

• pH strips – Identified acids and bases
• Colorimetric tubes – Detected specific chemicals (ammonia, chlorine, solvents)
• Flash point testing – Determined flammability risk
• Reactivity screening – Tested for explosive or shock-sensitive materials

Laboratory analysis:

• Collected samples from containers with unknown or ambiguous contents
• Sent samples to certified labs for full characterization:
• TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure)
• Ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity testing
• Specific chemical identification (GC/MS analysis)

This combination of field and lab testing allowed us to accurately classify every container as:

• RCRA hazardous waste (requires EPA manifest and TSDF disposal)
• Non-hazardous industrial waste (standard disposal)
• Universal waste (streamlined handling for batteries, bulbs, etc.)
• Incompatible materials (must be segregated to prevent dangerous reactions)
  

Hazardous waste identification – Field testing and laboratory analysis

Container repacking – DOT-compliant overpacking and labeling

Multi-hazard waste disposal – Acids, bases, flammables, corrosives, unknowns

Debris removal – Non-hazardous trash and scrap material

EPA coordination – Full regulatory compliance under federal oversight

Site restoration – Complete cleanup to certified safe condition

HAZWOPER expertise: Our field teams are trained specifically for hazardous waste site operations. They know how to assess risks, prevent exposure, and handle unknowns safely.

In-house analytical capability: We didn't have to wait weeks for outside labs. Our ability to perform field testing and coordinate rapid lab analysis kept the project moving.

Multi-agency coordination: Working with EPA, state DHEC, and local authorities requires experience and professionalism. We've done it hundreds of times.

Regulatory fluency: We know RCRA, DOT, CERCLA, and state rules inside and out. Every decision was compliant because compliance is built into our standard operating procedures.

Comprehensive service: Most contractors handle either hazardous waste or debris removal. We did both under one contract—no coordination delays, no finger-pointing.

EPA trust: The fact that EPA allowed us to complete this project unsupervised (after initial oversight) speaks to our track record. They knew the job would be done right.

U.S. Waste Industries provides abandoned site remediation and hazardous waste cleanup for:

Financial Institutions:

• Foreclosed industrial properties
• Distressed asset portfolios
• Property redevelopment projects

Real Estate:

• Property acquisitions with environmental issues
• Brownfield site cleanup
• Pre-sale due diligence and remediation

Industrial:

• Facility closures
• Plant decommissioning
• Legacy contamination management

Government:

• Municipal property cleanup
• Superfund site support
• Emergency response assistance
  

Dealing with a contaminated or abandoned property?

Tell us what you know—location, property history, visible hazards, timeline needs.

Don't have all the details?

That's okay. We can conduct site assessments to help you understand scope and cost before committing to cleanup.