Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Officials cite Bill Gates' burning, radioactive landfill near St. Louis

It's burning underground, AND radioactive
Billionaire Bill Gates' burniing, radioactive landfill near St. Louis has been cited by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for multiple violations.

A citation was issued on April 21 against Republic Services, of which Bill Gates is the largest shareholder. The DNR cited the Bridgeton landfill for
'failure to operate the landfill in a manner which protects the health and safety of personnel and associated with and affected by its operations.' (That would include our Teamster brothers and sisters.)

It was also cited for:
  • Storage or disposal of solid waste in a manner that creates a public nuisance or adversely affects public health
  • Failure to operate the landfill in compliance with the terms and conditions of the permit to prevent or minimize potential health hazards or conditions that could create a public nuisance or environ. Pollution
  • Burning of solid waste.
  • Conducting solid waste burning operations in violation of the rules and regulations of the Missouri Air Conservation Commission or the Department.
Teamsters want Republic Services to clean up its mess. Yesterday,  Teamsters and community members protested Republic Services, Inc., at WASTE EXPO 2014 in Atlanta. According to the press statement:
The protesters held banners that read “Republic Services: Toxic For Our Communities” as they called on Republic to protect the health and safety of its workers and communities. The protesters had also distributed leaflets and reports to attendees of the WASTE EXPO Investor Summit ... The protest was followed by a press conference about Republic’s risks to investors and the public. 
In Bridgeton, Missouri, Republic’s West Lake landfill is a Superfund site containing illegally buried radioactive nuclear waste. An underground fire at the landfill is spreading dangerously close to the radioactive wastes, forcing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build a barrier trench. 
Radioactivity has allegedly spread outside the boundaries of the Bridgeton landfill. Elected Missouri officials, community groups, environmental activists and labor organizations are advocating for the Army Corps of Engineers to completely remove the nuclear wastes and charge Republic for the cost of the cleanup.