The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is about to start a cleanup at the site of a major recycled plastics fire in Richmond, Ind.
In an Oct. 17 news release, EPA officials said local residents soon could see heavy equipment preparing for the cleanup, set to begin in November. The cost of removing hazardous waste at the site is estimated at $2.8 million.
On April 11, two warehouses containing large amounts of chipped, shredded and bulk recycled plastic caught fire. Soon after the fire, debris found in the community was sampled by EPA and results showed asbestos-containing material.
EPA collected debris at 330 properties. Officials said the cleanup will address asbestos-containing material, lead and antimony compounds still at the site. Richmond Mayor Dave Snow added in a news release that "the city's top priority is protecting our residents."
"The EPA's cleanup operation is an essential step towards ensuring their safety and the environmental health of our community," he said. "We will continue to work closely with the EPA as we move forward in addressing this unfortunate incident."
City officials said in the release that the EPA issued a liability letter to Cornerstone Trading Group LLC, which had operated the site as My Way Trading Inc.
"The EPA has issued no such [liability] letter to the city of Richmond," they added. "The city understands that Cornerstone declined to pursue the cleanup and the EPA cleanup will be funded through the federal agency's funds."
At the city's request, officials said there are no plans to dispose of any hazardous materials removed from the properties at local landfills. Hazardous materials will be transported and disposed of at other appropriate hazardous waste facilities.
City officials said that the city is pursuing legal claims against Cornerstone for costs the city has incurred related to the fire and to the environmental investigation.
Cornerstone and owner Seth Smith already are being sued for damages by two Richmond residents, Tushawn Craig and Marquetta Stokes, and a merchandise liquidation business, Limitless Pallets LLC. The fire forced more than a thousand residents within a half-mile radius to be evacuated for several days.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants' conduct "resulted in a widespread fire which released noxious fumes and hazardous materials including asbestos into the air and ground water of the surrounding area."
The fire eventually spread to six buildings. All six buildings and their contents were completely consumed by the fire.
According to the suit, Smith was issued an unsafe building order by the city in July 2019. The notice referenced the "significant fire hazard" that existed at the facility and adjacent properties. In a motion to dismiss the suit, Smith blamed the fire on the city, which owns part of the property.