Contact: Cathy Rofhus, 507-206-2608
After investigating illegal dumping of materials taken from a contractor and Craigslist responders, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) advises companies and consumers to make sure waste handlers are legitimate.
Hoaglund Properties of Dodge Center in southeastern Minnesota is a contractor that cleans out waste from foreclosed properties. While working for Hoaglund, Brent Diderrich of Wanamingo accepted waste materials for disposal and recycling. Hoaglund Properties and Diderrich will now split a $15,000 penalty (each paying $7,500) for several violations of state rules regulating solid waste and hazardous materials. In addition, Diderrich has agreed to clean up his property, where he disposed of materials, and to comply with state rules, including not accepting waste from others and not burning used oil.
The illegal dumping came to the attention of Goodhue County, which contacted the MPCA for assistance. During a January 2013 inspection of the Diderrich property along Goodhue County Highway 57, the county and MPCA found about 500 cubic yards of municipal solid waste, an amount that would fill about 50 dump trucks. Inspectors also found 250 waste tires; 100 waste electronic devices, such as televisions; and 20 cubic yards of potentially hazardous waste, such as paint thinner. In addition, they found areas where garbage and hazardous waste had been burned, unlicensed appliance processing, and several open containers of used oil stored on bare ground.
According to Diderrich, about 90 percent of the waste came from Hoaglund Properties and the rest from an ad he posted on Craigslist.
The hauling, dumping and burning of waste violated several state rules that require permits to ensure the proper handling and disposal of waste; rules designed to protect air quality; rules designed to prevent the release of hazardous materials, such as oil and heavy metals, to the environment; and rules that set standards for storing and burning used oil.
The penalty and cleanup are part of stipulation agreement between the regulated parties and the MPCA. This type of agreement is one of the tools the agency uses to achieve compliance with environmental laws. When calculating penalties, the MPCA takes into account how seriously the violation affected the environment, whether it was a first-time or repeat violation, and how promptly the violation was reported to appropriate authorities. The agency also attempts to recover the calculated economic benefit gained by failure to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.
Under Minnesota rules, property owners and occupants — whether business, residential or government — have a duty to dispose of waste only though authorized facilities. Waste haulers and recyclers need to be licensed by the cities or counties where they operate. Disposal facilities need the appropriate permits to ensure compliance with state rules designed to protect the environment.
To make sure waste haulers and recyclers have the appropriate licenses and permits, companies and consumer should contact their county environmental services departments.
For household hazardous waste, the MPCA offers guidance, including disposal sites by county, on its website: go to the MPCA’s Find you HHW collection site webpage.
For recycling guidelines and locations, check out visit RecycleMore Minnesota.
For electronic trash (e-waste), the MPCA offers information on its E-waste page, including a list of registered collectors.
