[GreenYes] Waste firm cited in oil dumping

[Philip Fredericks <philfredericks@pgtc.com>]

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/2002/05/19/news/local/3292033.htm

Posted on Sun, May. 19, 2002

Waste firm cited in oil dumping

SARASOTA - Waste Management Inc. withdrew from negotiations with
Sarasota County for a $100 million trash-hauling contract after the
county
cited the company for mixing used motor oil with trash.
Sarasota County started a weekly program in 1999 to pick up used motor
oil separately. Recycling keeps it out of groundwater supplies and out
of
rivers.
When the amount of oil being recycled decreased, the county went
undercover.
Investigators marked the bottoms of plastic jugs filled with used motor
oil
and set them out curbside for pickup to see whether they arrived at the
collection center.
Out of nine jugs, four never made it, and officials suspected they wound
up
in the landfill with the rest of the garbage. To be sure, code
enforcement
officials staked out collection routes. At two stops, Waste Management
haulers reportedly were seen tossing oil into the back of the truck with
other
household trash.
County officials issued two citations to Waste Management on Friday for
improperly disposing of used oil. The citations carry a $500 fine
apiece.
"We need to work on this and restore our credibility with the
community,"
said Sarah Voss, a spokesman at company headquarters in Houston. "We
need to let people know this is not how we do business."
Waste Management, which has picked up the county's trash for a decade,
plans to bid on the new contract. Its current contract ends Sept. 30,
2003.
The company works in 48 states, Canada and Puerto Rico.

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