Refuse haulers racked up more than 11,000 safety and environmental violations during Pennsylvania's "Operation Clean Sweep."

Twelve trucking companies with more than 2,000 violations accounted for nearly one-fifth of all the violations issued during the enforcement action. The state's largest-ever environmental enforcement action lasted from May 21 to May 29, and was a joint effort between the state Department of Environmental Protection, state police and state Department of Transportation. They inspected more than 40,000 trucks.
Houston-based Waste Management was the worst offender, with 339 environmental violations and 554 safety violations. Other top offenders included Kephart Trucking of Bigler, Pa., with 107 environmental violations and 338 safety violations; and BFI, Houston, with 88 environmental and 65 safety violations.
"This should be a wake-up call for these trucking companies," said Environmental Protection Secretary David Hess. "These are some of the largest waste haulers that do business in Pennsylvania, and they should be able to afford to maintain their trucks and keep them operating safely."
So far, DEP has collected more than $34,000 in penalties for violations during Operation Clean Sweep, and more are expected as district justices hold hearings statewide.