WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – After the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, tons of contaminated dirt needed somewhere to go. That somewhere was US Ecology, a waste disposal company in Van Buren Township specializing in hazardous waste.
According to a release from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R), nearly 5,000 cubic yards of soil have been excavated from the derailment site that spilled thousands of gallons of vinyl chloride. The chemical is known to cause cancer and can be lethal.
According to DeWine’s office, the 6,700 tons of dirt were loaded onto dump trucks and immediately driven to US Ecology.
According to strict EPA standards, that soil is tracked, although while it’s generally covered and the bed of those trucks is lined, it was unclear if that’s how the dirt is being taken to Michigan.
We were asked to leave the property when Local4/ClickonDetroit arrived at their front gate.
“The soils may need pre-treatment depending on the type and concentrations of contaminants that are present,” said Jill Greenberg, a spokesperson for the Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). “EGLE does not have information at this time about quantity or contaminant types and levels that are present in the Ohio soils. We expect the Ohio soils to be handled in accordance with all laws and regulations as any other contaminated site material that is disposed of at the facility, which is subject to extensive monitoring to ensure that hazardous materials do not present a threat to the environment or human health.”
Contaminated soils are often pretreated before transportation to a waste facility to avoid spreading contamination during travel. According to the EPA, that can mean using tarps, liners, chemical neutralizers, foam, and even water to tamp down dust.
Once at a facility like US Ecology, contaminated soil is treated in a few ways, including washing the dirt with a treated water solution, allowing the contaminating chemicals to evaporate, or incinerating the dirt altogether.
The contaminated dirt can sometimes be recycled. In that process, it’s mixed with clean dirt and distributed over enough to keep the contamination below unsafe levels. It’s unclear what process US Ecology will be using to treat the soil from Ohio.
Here’s what US Ecology said in a statement to Local 4:
US Ecology is a leading provider of environmental solutions for the recycling and disposal of waste, and the company has comprehensive compliance programs in place to protect the environment.
The U.S. EPA is leading decisions regarding the classification of wastes from the East Palestine train derailment, and US Ecology’s landfill in Belleville, Mich., expects to begin receiving contaminated soil today. The low level of contaminants in the soil is well within the acceptable amount for disposal in our landfill.
This state-of-the-art landfill was developed in accordance with federal regulations and is routinely inspected by the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
US Ecology