East Chicago hazardous waste facility with frequent violations expands, then asks for permission

Residents of East Chicago’s Calumet neighborhood are concerned about a hazardous waste facility’s plans to expand. Attorneys representing the East Chicago Calumet Coalition-Community Advisory Group said the state isn’t doing enough to enforce environmental laws and keep residents safe.

Mark Templeton directs the Abrams Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School. He said Tradebe Treatment and Recycling, LLC has had hundreds of permit violations within the past five years — often the same ones. Things like open or leaking hazardous waste containers, improper labeling and unsafe storage.

Templeton said not only has the Indiana Department of Environmental Management failed to make sure Tradebe follows the law, it’s let the company do things without getting state approval first. In fact, he said Tradebe has already expanded its operations.

“IDEM is catching up with what the company had been doing in practice already. That's not how environmental regulation is supposed to work_,” Templeton said.

In the past, Tradebe has said problems that came out of the pandemic created a backlog of hazardous waste — forcing incinerators to hold on to it longer than what’s allowed.

Tradebe also recently asked to modify its air permit to accommodate a shredding machine it already has. Templeton said this machine can put out particle pollution — which can harm your heart and lungs.

Templeton also has concerns about how the company is using its thermal desorption units — equipment that’s supposed to use heat to remove toxic chemicals from material in the recycling process. He said Tradebe hasn’t properly proved that there’s no oxygen in the process — which means the company could be incinerating the waste instead, putting unknown hazardous chemicals into the air.

Resident Akeeshea Daniels co-chairs the East Chicago Calumet Coalition–Community Advisory Group. She said residents often aren’t told what goes on at facilities like Tradebe and local and state officials don’t seem to care. Meanwhile, people living nearby continue to suffer from things like asthma and cancer.

“They're still letting people buy homes in this area, still letting people move into this area. These people have no clue what they're moving into — and some of these people are young and they have young children," Daniels said.

Among other things, the ECCC-CAG wants to have air monitors installed around Tradebe's perimeter, for IDEM to respond within three hours of a report about odors or fumes coming from the facility, and for IDEM to seat up a satellite office in East Chicago, Hammond or Whiting.

IDEM refused to make someone available for an interview and says that it might take previous violations into account when adjusting a company’s permit.
 

READ MORE: East Chicago residents, U.S. EPA raise concerns over plans to expand hazardous waste facility

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The agency is holding both a public meeting and a public hearing on Tuesday night at the Pastrick branch of the East Chicago Public Library. The public meeting starts at 5 p.m. Central and the hearing follows at 6:15 p.m.

Richard Bamberger, a spokesperson for Tradebe, said in a statement the company looks forward to educating the public about the project.

“This new building will make the facility more efficient, improve the workplace for Tradebe employees, present an attractive appearance for the surrounding area, and create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs including many from the East Chicago area,” he said.

The public has until Sept. 23 to comment on Tradebe's hazardous waste permit. You can send questions or comments to Paula Bansch at IDEM at (317) 232-3243, pbansch@idem.in.gov, or by mail to:

Indiana Department of Environmental Management
Office of Land Quality
Hazardous Waste Permit Section
IGCN 1101
100 North Senate Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

CLARIFICATION: A previous version of this story listed the start time for the public hearing, but not the meeting. For the purpose of clarity, it has been changed to list the start times for both.

Rebecca is our energy and environment reporter. Contact her at rthiele@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele.