A 45-foot trash mountain continues to blaze, threatening health of neighbors
The towering mound of trash at a recycling facility in Ridgeland is on fire. Still.
At night, plumes of smoke constantly billow from deep within the pile of debris, covering the air with thick layers of smog. During the day, the smell of the burning debris — a sulfuric, intoxicating odor — travels for miles. The smoke and smell have riled neighbors and attracted environmental regulators worried about potential health risks.
As fire and environmental officials douse the mound and investigate for toxins, they warn visitors to wear a mask. People shouldn’t be breathing this air, they say.
Thursday afternoon, flames peeked out of the pile again in at least three spots. Jasper County Fire-Rescue firefighters doused the mound with water for about an hour, but smoke was still rising from spots when they were preparing to leave.
As firefighters worked, trucks from garbage collection companies continued delivering debris to the facility.
The pile, part of Chandler Lloyd’s Able Contracting Inc., a construction and demolition debris facility near Okatie, has been on fire or smoldering since early June.
However, due to the company’s failure to meet Construction and Demotion Recycling Facility standards set in place by the S.C. Solid Waste Act in May 2018, neighbors have questioned the legality of Able Contracting’s business because its permit is still under review. And although DHEC is testing air and water qualities in the area, the agency refuses to release what it has found.
‘You shouldn’t be breathing this stuff in’
About 11 Wednesday night, firefighters were called to check on the smoke undulating from the pile. The department had already tried to extinguish flames earlier in the day. Lt. Jeff Jobczynski of Jasper County Fire said the department monitors the fire several times a week. Jobczynski and another firefighter walked around the outskirts of the mound with monitors to check the air quality. The fire department is working with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to determine whether the air quality readings are causes for concern.
Two DHEC workers at the site Thursday afternoon noticed flames and called the fire department. One expressed concern after hearing a reporter had visited the site Wednesday night without a mask.
“Were you wearing a respirator mask? Well, you should. You shouldn’t be breathing this stuff in.”
Although some workers and residents wear respirator masks to curb the odor and any potential toxins in the air, DHEC officials refuse to say what chemicals they’re testing for in the air and in stormwater discharges. Neighbors worry that runoff is leaving the site and entering bodies of water such as the Okatie River.
According to an email from Laura Renwick, DHEC public information officer, the department is testing for “fine particulate matter, the size consistent with smoke particles.” DHEC failed to answer questions about what toxins officials are looking for. The sensor, she wrote, provides data every 15 minutes. Renwick reiterated: “While we’ve seen levels above background levels, there haven’t been any readings that exceed the 24-hour health-based standards for fine particulate matter established by the EPA.”
Renwick said Able Contracting has an Industrial Stormwater General Permit, and DHEC staff are evaluating stormwater discharges from the site. She said the department is reviewing data from stormwater samples.
Recycling Facility?
According to DHEC documents obtained by The Island Packet, Lloyd’s Able Contracting was required to register as a Construction and Demolition Recycling Facility by July 3, 2018. Although the company registered July, DHEC required the company to obtain a Construction and Demolition processing permit by May 3, 2020 due to a recycling violation. In September 2018, DHEC issued the company a violation notice due to its failure to meet the 75 percent recycling rate requirement for recycling facilities.
That permit, required for S.C. recycling facilities, is still under review with DHEC.
Due to the investigation and the “lingering” fire, DHEC wrote Able Contracting on July 3, prohibiting the company from accepting new materials. Lloyd, along with his lawyer Tommy Lavender, a former environmental engineer with DHEC, is appealing. While the S.C. Board of Health and Environmental Control reviews Lloyd’s appeal, he is continuing to accept new debris at his facility.
Lloyd says he hasn’t been “given a fair shake” by his neighbors or the media. He says he understands why people don’t like looking at the pile of debris, but that his job is a necessity that no one else wants to do.
Workers and residents nearby say that Lloyd is a good and friendly neighbor. But they continue to worry about the smoldering mound and its potential health risks.
This story was originally published July 26, 2019 at 4:30 AM.
