(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has secured a $16 million cleanup of millions of pounds of hazardous glass from the owners of two Columbus properties.
Garrison Southfield Park and Olymbec USA, both based in the state of Delaware, paid to clean up the hazardous waste that was allegedly amassed on the properties by Closed Loop Glass Solutions and Closed Loop Refining and Recovery, which leased the sites for glass-recycling operations.
“Garrison and Olymbec are responsible for the alleged violations at the sites they own,” Yost said. “Working with us to address hazardous situations and rectify environmental wrongs is always the best outcome.”
Yost’s office recently filed a joint motion in Franklin County Common Pleas Court to enter into a consent order with Garrison and Olymbec to settle the state’s lawsuit against them. According to the complaint filed with the motion, the Closed Loop businesses accepted millions of pounds of lead-containing cathode-ray-tube glass for recycling but did not recycle it. In 2016, the businesses suddenly ceased operations and the operators abandoned the facilities.
The consent order, which awaits court approval, requires Garrison Southfield and Olymbec to properly close the cleaned-up sites – one on Watkins Road and the other on Fairwood Avenue – and to pay a $250,000 civil penalty.
A cleanup plan has already been drawn up and reviewed by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA), which will monitor the site closures. Once the Ohio EPA certifies the closures and the landlords pay the civil penalty, Garrison Southfield and Olymbec will have met their legal obligations in the case.
Yost’s office continues to pursue its lawsuit against the Closed Loop companies.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Hannah Hundley: 614-906-9113
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