Two companies convicted of illegally disposing of electronic waste in Wayne County

WAYNE COUNTY, N.Y. — Two companies, ALPCO Recycling along with Finger Lakes Cleanup and Recycling Consultants, were convicted of illegally disposing 800 tons of electronic waste in Wayne County.

The guilty pleas came after an investigation from the New York State Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Finger Lakes Cleanup and Recycling Consultants was hired in 2016 to clean up waste, including computer monitors, abandoned at the Geneva Enterprise Development in 2015. That waste included cathode ray tubes which contain lead.

The AG’s office says the project manager of Finger Lakes Cleanup and Recycling Consultants, Craig Foster, recruited ALPCO owner Alton Plumb, Jr. to help dispose of the waste. According to the state, Foster knew that ALPCO didn’t have a permit to dispose of hazardous waste.

The state says ALPCO illegally disposed of electronic waste from May 2016 to July 2016. The waste remaining at the site was properly disposed of at ALPCO’s cost. The DEC says the state’s permitting process for disposing waste is critical to protecting the environment and public health.

Both Foster and Finger Lakes Cleanup and Recycling Consultants pleaded guilty on Wednesday of unauthorized possession, disposal, and dealing in hazardous wastes. Foster was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge. Finger Lakes Cleanup and Recycling Consultants pleaded guilty to unlawful dealing in hazardous wastes, a felony. They were both fined $5,000 each. 

Plumb and his company, ALPCO, previously pleaded guilty of violating the state’s Environmental Conservation Law. He was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge and paid a $1,500 fine. ALPCO pleaded guilty to unauthorized possession, disposal, and dealing in hazardous wastes and was sentenced to an unconditional discharge. Plumb also previously agreed to a DEC consent order, requiring him to pay $225,000 in civil penalties for Environmental Conservation Law and permit violations.