For Release: September 16, 1998

Contact: Bob Ballou, DEM 222-4700 ext. 4420

Gregg Perry, AG's Office 274-4400 ext. 2336

PROVIDENCE-Providence County Superior Court Associate Justice Michael Silverstein today issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the owners of four Rhode Island transfer stations from disposing out-of-state waste at the Central Landfill in Johnston. All four defendants agreed to comply with the court order until October 27, when the matter is scheduled for a hearing before Justice Silverstein.

The agreement and court order stem from a complaint filed September 4 by the Department of Environmental Management and the Department of the Attorney General, following a six-month long investigation by DEM. The matter was initially called to DEM's attention by the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, which operates the state-owned landfill. The complaint charges the owners of the four transfer stations with violating state law and associated regulatory requirements by receiving solid waste generated in neighboring states and then transporting it to the Central Landfill. The complaint also charges the companies with breaching the contracts each has with the Corporation and with creating a public nuisance.

The owners of the four transfer stations are: American Disposal Services, Inc., which operates in Johnston; New England Ecological Development, Inc., which also operates in Johnston; USA Waste of Connecticut, which operates in Providence; and Waste Management of Rhode Island, Inc., which operates in Cranston.

Andy McLeod, DEM Director, said: "Since September 4, when DEM and the Attorney General filed the complaint and it was served on the defendants, there has been a reduction of about 1,200 tons per day in the amount of waste being brought to the Central Landfill. This suggests that the enforcement actions undertaken by DEM and the Attorney General's Office have quickly and effectively enabled us to meet our objective-curtailing the amount of out-of-state waste coming into the landfill and protecting Rhode Island taxpayers."

McLeod also praised the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation for their continuing cooperation and assistance with the ongoing investigation and enforcement proceeding.