Waste Material

Hazardous materials teams combing a 100-acre cattle feedlot outside of San Jacinto began unearthing dozens of metal and plastic containers Friday, suggesting that a large amount of toxic waste could be buried at the site, according to sources close to the investigation. "They're bringing all kinds of stuff out," said one official, who asked not to be identified. "They're very concerned about contamination." A spokesman for Agri-Empire Corp.

When South Pasadena homeowners recycle, it's as easy as throwing their tuna cans and soda bottles into the trash can along with their food scraps and meat wrappers. It's called mixed waste processing, and it's an alternative way some cities have tried to increase recycling rates. In 2000, just 6% of South Pasadena's single-family residential waste was being recycled under a voluntary program that had residents sort recycling into a separate container. That percentage shot up to 25% in 2001 after the city decided to let waste and recycling go into one bin bound for a so-called dirty MRF, or mixed-waste materials recovery facility, where sorting equipment and trained workers separate paper, glass, plastic, metal and other commodities on the back end instead of the front.

Contradicting the statements of Mexican officials, the chief officer of a U.S. firm that helped arrange for the transport of toxic wastes from the United States to the Mexican border town of Tecate said Wednesday that the material was destined to be used in a valid recycling operation in Mexico. Darrel Duisen, chief executive officer of U.S. Technology and Disposal Services, denied the material was "just dumped on a roadside," as Mexican officials have alleged.

Composting fruit and vegetable scraps has become a darling of the sustainability movement, and government officials sing its praises, but drop the wrong carrot tops or lettuce leaves on a backyard compost pile and you could be breaking state law. "Overall, composting is great. We love it," said Andrew Hughan, spokesman for the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

Anna Maria Zuniga is worried. Three of her relatives have been ill in the past week, vomiting blood and showing signs of a fever. Other neighbors have similar ailments, she said. "No one in this house has ever been sick like that before," said Zuniga, a 17-year-old who lives with a family of 10 in a small rural community about 15 miles east of downtown Tecate, a border town nestled in the rugged hills of Mexico.

As a soft summer breeze wafted the smell of solvents past them, a group of Athens residents Tuesday stood outside the hazardous waste site they spent seven years trying to shut down and savored victory. Behind the 8-foot cinder block wall encircling the site, men wearing protective masks continued work. In front, residents--some of whom live only yards from the treatment complex--spoke of their relief that the chemical spills and searing fumes they had long complained about might soon end.

In a surprising scientific discovery that suggests pollution is feminizing animals throughout the wild, everyday concentrations of sewage effluent in rivers appear to contain estrogen-like chemicals potent enough to cause fish to be born half-male, half-female. The finding by British scientists provides strong new evidence that hormone-altering pollution--one of the most troubling and controversial environmental issues of modern times--could be a global ecological threat.

Wearing green-and-white protective suits and breathing with the aid of oxygen tanks, Richard Gillaspy and Tim Naprawa, poked at the charred remains of Villa Dry Cleaners in Compton on Monday, searching for cancer-causing chemicals and asbestos amid the rubble.

Composting fruit and vegetable scraps has become a darling of the sustainability movement, and government officials sing its praises, but drop the wrong carrot tops or lettuce leaves on a backyard compost pile and you could be breaking state law. "Overall, composting is great. We love it," said Andrew Hughan, spokesman for the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

The co-owner of a Sun Valley metal-plating firm that has contracts with large aerospace companies was being held in lieu of $555,000 bail Tuesday on felony charges that his company dumped potentially lethal amounts of cyanide and heavy metals into the Los Angeles sewer system. Jack Meltzer, 53, and his company, Quality Processing Inc., face 17 counts involving discharging waste from an illegal pipe connected directly to the sewer system, said Head Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Delaney.

In a surprising scientific discovery that suggests pollution is feminizing animals throughout the wild, everyday concentrations of sewage effluent in rivers appear to contain estrogen-like chemicals potent enough to cause fish to be born half-male, half-female. The finding by British scientists provides strong new evidence that hormone-altering pollution--one of the most troubling and controversial environmental issues of modern times--could be a global ecological threat.

As a soft summer breeze wafted the smell of solvents past them, a group of Athens residents Tuesday stood outside the hazardous waste site they spent seven years trying to shut down and savored victory. Behind the 8-foot cinder block wall encircling the site, men wearing protective masks continued work. In front, residents--some of whom live only yards from the treatment complex--spoke of their relief that the chemical spills and searing fumes they had long complained about might soon end.

The co-owner of a Sun Valley metal-plating firm that has contracts with large aerospace companies was being held in lieu of $555,000 bail Tuesday on felony charges that his company dumped potentially lethal amounts of cyanide and heavy metals into the Los Angeles sewer system. Jack Meltzer, 53, and his company, Quality Processing Inc., face 17 counts involving discharging waste from an illegal pipe connected directly to the sewer system, said Head Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Delaney.

Hazardous materials teams combing a 100-acre cattle feedlot outside of San Jacinto began unearthing dozens of metal and plastic containers Friday, suggesting that a large amount of toxic waste could be buried at the site, according to sources close to the investigation. "They're bringing all kinds of stuff out," said one official, who asked not to be identified. "They're very concerned about contamination." A spokesman for Agri-Empire Corp.

Wearing green-and-white protective suits and breathing with the aid of oxygen tanks, Richard Gillaspy and Tim Naprawa, poked at the charred remains of Villa Dry Cleaners in Compton on Monday, searching for cancer-causing chemicals and asbestos amid the rubble.

Contradicting the statements of Mexican officials, the chief officer of a U.S. firm that helped arrange for the transport of toxic wastes from the United States to the Mexican border town of Tecate said Wednesday that the material was destined to be used in a valid recycling operation in Mexico. Darrel Duisen, chief executive officer of U.S. Technology and Disposal Services, denied the material was "just dumped on a roadside," as Mexican officials have alleged.

When South Pasadena homeowners recycle, it's as easy as throwing their tuna cans and soda bottles into the trash can along with their food scraps and meat wrappers. It's called mixed waste processing, and it's an alternative way some cities have tried to increase recycling rates. In 2000, just 6% of South Pasadena's single-family residential waste was being recycled under a voluntary program that had residents sort recycling into a separate container. That percentage shot up to 25% in 2001 after the city decided to let waste and recycling go into one bin bound for a so-called dirty MRF, or mixed-waste materials recovery facility, where sorting equipment and trained workers separate paper, glass, plastic, metal and other commodities on the back end instead of the front.

Thousands of people formed a human chain in many northern coastal resorts of West Germany to protest North Sea pollution, police said. The protest, organized by tourist authorities in the state of Schleswig-Holstein and involving various groups, demanded specific measures to end marine pollution. The extent of North Sea pollution was dramatized recently when carpets of algae, which feed on waste material dumped in the sea, devastated marine life off the Scandinavian coast.

Anna Maria Zuniga is worried. Three of her relatives have been ill in the past week, vomiting blood and showing signs of a fever. Other neighbors have similar ailments, she said. "No one in this house has ever been sick like that before," said Zuniga, a 17-year-old who lives with a family of 10 in a small rural community about 15 miles east of downtown Tecate, a border town nestled in the rugged hills of Mexico.