Amscan, International Paper, Waste Management, Orange County, Ottaway Newspapers, Times Herald-Record

Albany, NY: (May-17-07) State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office filed charges against several companies, local businesses and municipalities that once sent their trash to the Orange County landfill. The suit alleged that the dumping had caused environmental damage and asked that they be made to pay to cover state costs of purging hazardous waste from the 75-acre dump. In a settlement reached, those who sent their trash to the landfill have agreed to pay the state $5 million. They include Amscan, International Paper, Waste Management and nearly every hospital and municipality in Orange County. Ottaway Newspapers, the community publishing subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co. that owns the Times Herald-Record, will also have to pay. The settlement allows landfill patrons to avoid a costly legal fight while the state collects some of the $15 million it spent cleaning enough toxic materials from the dump to fill the Giants Stadium three times. Pollutants included benzene, a carcinogenic gas additive, and toluene, an insoluble liquid used in paint thinner. In all, 77 of the largest companies and municipalities that likely sent hazardous waste to the landfill have agreed to the terms. The state, in turn, has dropped its right to sue the dumpers, unless new pollution is discovered on the site. [RECORD ONLINE: LANDFILL]

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Published on May-18-07