New York sues 29 companies for illegal dumping

New York officials have announced a lawsuit against 29 waste haulers and brokers for illegally dumping waste at a site in Saugerties, New York, the Mid Hudson News reports.

According to New York Attorney General Letitia James and Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos, the companies repeatedly violated state law by transporting more than 3,000 truckloads of construction and demolition (C&D) waste that originated from the New York City metropolitan area to the site in Saugerties. This site was only authorized to accept waste from Ulster and Dutchess counties.

As part of the lawsuit, James is seeking full disgorgement of all revenues and profits gained from the illegal activity, and potentially “millions of dollars in penalties,” according to the Mid Hudson News.

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“We have environmental and solid waste laws in New York for a reason: to protect our land, our water and our people,” James tells the New York news outlet. “By ignoring these laws and repeatedly dumping construction waste where they were not permitted, these 29 companies threatened our natural resources and risked [the] health and safety of New Yorkers in Ulster County.”

Seggos adds, “Rather than bring their solid waste to local facilities that were authorized to accept it, Joseph Karolys and dozens of hauling accomplices chose instead to treat the waste illegally, dump it in violation of our stringent environmental laws, and then not address the consequences.”

In June 2020, James and Seggos filed a lawsuit against Joseph Karolys, the owner and operator of the Saugerties dump site, for repeatedly accepting C&D waste from the 29 haulers and brokers named in the most recent lawsuit. In tandem with that action, the Attorney General’s office and the DEC launched an investigation into the various companies that brought waste to Karolys’ site. The investigation revealed that over a period of three years, 29 waste transporters and waste brokers allowed for more than 3,000 loads—approximately 100,000 cubic yards—of C&D waste to be transported from multiple construction sites in New York City and Long Island to the site.