AG Kaul Announces Judgment Including $90,000 Penalty for Alleged Hazardous Waste Violations

MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Josh Kaul announced today that his office has obtained a civil judgment against Recycling Compliance Specialists, LLC, dba Midwest Lamp Recycling (Midwest Lamp), requiring it to pay a $90,000 monetary penalty for alleged violations of the State’s hazardous waste laws at a Dane County facility where it previously conducted lamp crushing operations. Midwest Lamp must also retain a consultant to develop and implement a State-approved plan to sample for and address any residual mercury contamination at the facility.

“Hazardous waste endangers human health and the environment,” said Attorney General Kaul. “Facilities that handle hazardous waste must comply with applicable laws in order to protect the public.”

According to the complaint, the lamp crushing operations were cause for various prior enforcement efforts, including action by the City of Madison, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The complaint alleges that Midwest Lamp operated an unlicensed hazardous waste facility, disposed of hazardous waste at an unlicensed landfill, failed to correctly dispose of waste that exceeded restrictions for mercury, and failed to implement and follow sampling protocols for hazardous waste.

Mercury is a persistent, bio-accumulative toxic pollutant that poses a significant risk to human health and the environment. Human health effects associated with mercury include severe neurological disorders in infants and children and kidney damage.

After the violations alleged in the complaint, Midwest Lamp voluntarily decommissioned its lamp crushing operations and transitioned to an electronics broker and transfer facility.

Assistant Attorney Tressie K. Kamp represented the State and worked closely with DNR to obtain this judgment. The Order for Judgment was signed by Dane County Circuit Court Judge Rhonda Lanford  on December 17, 2021.

Because this compromise was reached prior to the commencement of a civil action, requirements of 2017 Wisconsin Act 369 do not apply.

Press Release: https://www.doj.state.wi.us/news-releases/ag-kaul-announces-judgment-including-90000-penalty-alleged-hazardous-waste-violations

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.