Dive Brief:
- Workers at the General James M. Gavin Residual Waste landfill in North Cheshire, OH filed a lawsuit against landfill owner American Electric Power (AEP) and their supervisor, Doug Workman.
- The suit alleges that employees were not protected from the toxicity of the materials and that the workers were told that coal ash was only a mixture of water and lime that contained “such low levels of arsenic it made no difference” and that the waste was “safe enough to eat.”
- According to the lawsuit filed on behalf of 77 workers, employees were not required to wear protective gear, resulting in illness and some deaths.
Dive Insight:
Coal ash is the second largest waste stream made in the U.S. The landfill site is owned by AEP, which deposits coal ash into the landfill from its adjacent coal-fired plant. The ash is known to contain arsenic, lead, and mercury.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn’t categorize coal ash as a “hazardous waste.” It is currently an “exempt waste” under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Waste Management is looking to potential coal ash disposal regulations as a new market segment that could offer significant growth for the company. Waste Management CEO David Steiner said that if the EPA implements new requirements, coal ash pits might be replaced by landfills.