Dive Brief:
- Waste Management has agreed to exercise extra precautions at its Cortland, Illinois landfill after the Illinois Attorney General filed a lawsuit against the waste and recycling company.
- Employees are prohibited from digging into solid waste at the site if wind conditions are greater than 10 miles per hour and the wind comes from the south. Work must also be stopped if other conditions would cause digging to interfere with the air quality at a nearby elementary school. All employees and contractors must wear monitors which detect oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and combustible gas levels.
- Although certain agreements were reached between Waste Management and the Attorney General, the lawsuit alleges many environmental law violations. For each count named, the Attorney General is seeking the statutory maximum penalty of $50,000 for every violation and $10,000 for every day each violation continues.
Dive Insight:
The suit is the result of an incident that occurred in mid-January. Workers hit a pocket of decomposing waste while digging at the landfill. Carbon monoxide was released into the air, and travelled into the nearby school, where children and staff were affected by the odor. Over 60 people were treated for carbon monoxide exposure at a local hospital.
A status hearing has been scheduled for March 25. If the company does not meet the requirements of the order, it will be fined $300 per day for each violation. Waste Management officials reiterated that they would reimburse the costs for the families whose children were involved in this incident.
