A CRT-collecting e-scrap firm in Utah has come under extensive state-level scrutiny for being slow to address operational miscues identified by regulators.
The issues allegedly facing Stone Castle Recycling, which include improper storage of CRT glass, large outdoor and indoor stockpiles of various material and “deficiencies” in current plans of operation, were detailed in a pair of letters to the firm from Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) over the past several months.
The most recent letter, dated May 22 and obtained by E-Scrap News through a public records request, implored the firm to respond to regulators and “show cause why Stone Castle should be allowed to continue operations.”
This week the DEQ’s Patrick Sheehan told E-Scrap News Stone Castle had until June 2 to contact the Utah Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste but failed to do so. Scott Anderson, Solid and Hazardous Waste division head, added that the agency would “continue to work with Stone Castle to resolve the oustanding issues [and] as long as they continue to make progress, they can remain open.”
Stone Castle’s CEO, Anthony Stoddard, told E-Scrap News that “all the issues have been addressed.”
The emergence of those issues can be traced back to a March 2 fire at the company’s Parowan location, which prompted the DEQ to launch an investigation of all three of the firm’s sites in the state.
That fire, which occurred outdoors and burned CRTs and other materials, also led watchdog group Basel Action Network to issue a report that was highly critical of the firm. BAN’s executive director, Jim Puckett, wrote the state of Stone Castle’s operations were “every bit as horrible as what I’ve seen in Ghana or China.”
The DEQ’s first letter to the firm, dated April 16, detailed a list of problems identified at the locations and required the Parowan facility to be cleaned up. Regulators also told company to discontinue collecting material there.
In addition, the company’s Clearfield operation was reprimanded in the April 16 letter for storing CRTs outside in “Gaylord containers that are not properly labeled, constructed, filled and closed.” Similarly, the Cedar City site was ordered to label material after “the facility manager was unable to identify various wastes in storage” during a state inspection. All three sites were also asked to shore up their plans of operation to fully account for and describe the full extent of operations and storage practices.
When many of those problems were found to be unresolved, the DEQ sent its May 22 letter, again informing Stoddard to address the issues.
In February, Utah official Sheehan told E-Scrap News Stone Castle was experiencing trouble moving about 2,500 tons of CRT glass downstream.
This story has been updated to include comments from Scott Anderson of the the Utah Solid and Hazardous Waste Division. The story additionally stated Stone Castle Recycling’s Clearfield facility was certified to the R2 standard, according to the certification directory. That listing has since been removed and R2 (now SERI) staffers confirmed the facility is not certified to the standard.
