EPA says it is looking into electronics recycling company
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The federal Environmental Protection Agency is investigating an Oklahoma electronics recycling company that partnered with a number of area charity organizations earlier this year in a free electronics recycling program.
Terri White, a spokeswoman for the agency, yesterday said federal investigators are looking into the practices of Tulsa-based EarthEcycle LLC, which is owned and operated by Jeff Nixon, 44, a former Allegheny County employee.
"Whenever we get a tip about alleged illegal exports, we look into them," Ms. White said, adding that "we cannot comment further about this because this is an ongoing investigation."
The Seattle-based environmental watchdog Basel Action Network last month released a report claiming that EarthEcycle collects electronics and then exports them as hazardous waste to countries where the electronics most likely would be dumped in open-air toxic landfills.
The environmental group, which has a stated mission of curbing the dumping of hazardous waste in places like China, India, and parts of Africa, said that it tracked EarthEcycle containers as they left two Pittsburgh-area storage locations and headed to Newark, N.J., and then to Hong Kong and South Africa.
EarthEcycle has held recycling programs with the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society and other charities in the region.
The company offered to donate to the charities $10,000 for every 100,000 pounds of old electronics collected.
Yesterday, Ms. White would not specify what division of the agency is conducting the investigation into the company's operations or how long it will last.
"We were made aware of [EarthEcycle] and we are looking into it," she said.
First Published June 4, 2009 12:00 am
