48:13A-12. Penalties; injunctive relief; payment to fund

13. a. Any person or any officer or agent thereof who shall knowingly violate any of the provisions of this act or aid or advise in such violation, or who, as principal, manager, director, agent, servant or employee knowingly does any act comprising a part of such violation, is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree and shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than 18 months or, notwithstanding the provisions of N.J.S.2C:43-3, by a fine of not more than $50,000.00, or both; and if a corporation by a fine of not more than $100,000.00. Each day during which the violation continues constitutes an additional, separate and distinct offense.

b. Any person who shall violate any provision of P.L.1970, c.40 (C.48:13A-1 et seq.) or P.L.1991, c.381 (C.48:13A-7.1 et al.) or any rule, regulation or administrative order adopted or issued pursuant thereto, including an interdistrict, intradistrict or interstate waste flow order issued in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Protection, or under any applicable provision of Title 48 of the Revised Statutes, or who shall engage in the solid waste collection business or solid waste disposal business without having been issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity, shall be liable to a penalty of not more than $10,000.00 for a first offense, not more than $25,000.00 for a second offense and not more than $50,000.00 for a third and every subsequent offense. Each day during which the violation continues constitutes an additional, separate and distinct offense. The penalties herein provided shall be enforced by summary proceedings instituted by the board under "the penalty enforcement law" (N.J.S.2A:58-1 et seq.). The Superior Court and the municipal courts shall all have jurisdiction to enforce "the penalty enforcement law" in connection with this act.

c. Whenever it shall appear to the board, a municipality, local board of health, or county health department, as the case may be, that any person has violated, intends to violate, or will violate any provision of P.L.1970, c.40 (C.48:13A-1 et seq.) or P.L.1991, c.381 (C.48:13A-7.1 et al.) or any rule, regulation or administrative order adopted or issued pursuant thereto, or under any applicable provision of Title 48 of the Revised Statutes, the board, the municipality, local board of health or county health department may institute a civil action in the Superior Court for injunctive relief and for such other relief as may be appropriate in the circumstances, and the court may proceed in any such action in a summary manner.

Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, or any rule or regulation adopted pursuant thereto to the contrary, all penalties recovered pursuant to actions brought by the board under this section shall be paid to the "Solid Waste Enforcement Fund" established pursuant to section 21 of P.L.1991, c.381 (C.48:13A-21). If a money judgment is rendered against a defendant pursuant to subsections a. or b. of this section, the payment made to the court shall be remitted to the fund.

L.1970,c.40,s.13; amended 1987,c.149; 1989,c.95; 1989,c.118,s.1; 1991,c.381,s.34.