Dive Brief:
- Pittsburgh Recycling Services closed in January 2014, and the building has attracted a legion of rats that have made themselves at home in the shuttered facility.
- Neighbors living nearby have said that debris left behind has caused an infestation. Residents are planning a demonstration to voice their disapproval of the sale of the center to Pittsburgh-based GGMJS LLC, a company that plans to reinstate recycling at the plant after it cleans up the property.
- The city of Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Health Department and the Department of Environmental Protection are working in tandem to clean up the site. The organizations are waiting to make any moves until May 5, when a judge determines if the property will be purchased by GGMJS, as reported by Trib Live.
Dive Insight:
The executor of the bankrupt plant's assets is not able to demand a clean-up at this time because the company has no funds in its accounts. The recycling center still owes the city $100,000 for recyclables it collected in 2013, according to Trib Live. And rodent removal can be costly: In September of 2013, rats were discovered living at a waste-to-energy plant in Lasalle, NY. Covanta, the owner of the property, paid $150,000 to have the vermin exterminated.
