Last Thursday, Judge Renee Bumb in U.S. District Court in Camden sentenced Thomas Toy of Elmer to 30 days in prison and ordered him to pay $4.2 million in restitution for illegally storing hazardous materials. Thomas Toy ran the Superior Barrel and Drum Company, a company that cleaned and processed industrial drums before reselling them. The facility was located on the border of Elk Township and Glassboro.
“There should be no tolerance for illegal dumping. What Thomas Toy did in Glassboro was a disgrace and he belongs in jail. It’s important that he is being held accountable for his illegal dumping in South Jersey. This will serve as a deterrent for others because when you break the law you should go to jail. For too long, illegal dumpers have been getting away with poisoning our communities,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The federal government is making polluters accountable. Polluters need to clean up their mess and pay for it, too. Making sure this site is completely cleaned up is important for the health and safety of this community.”
Thomas Toy was indicted for storing hazardous waste in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in January 2018. Superior Barrel and Drum Company imported many drums that contained hazardous waste, which included toxic chemicals like benzene and lead. However, the company did not have permits to store these toxic materials.
“Toy needs to be held accountable for illegally dumping waste and endangering the health of the people of Glassboro and Elk. DEP should also be held accountable for their failure to address this. These toxic chemicals have been poisoning the community for far too long, and DEP has been looking the other way and failing to enforce this site. Exposure to lead can cause kidney and brain damage, especially in young children. Benzenes are carcinogens that can cause anemia and affect the immune system, increasing risks for infections,” said Tittel. “The governor recently signed a law that will help protect New Jersey from illegal dumping by requiring more scrutiny for those involved in these industries. This will help protect New Jersey from future dumpers, but DEP still needs to do their job to enforce illegal dumping.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency removed approximately 1,800 of these drums of waste from September 2013 through September 2014. The total cost of this removal was $4.2 million, the amount that Toy has been fined as restitution.
“While the Judge’s ruling today is a win for Glassboro and Elk, the state still needs tighter regulations and restrictions on how our waste is handled. We have a long history of contaminated materials coming into our state, in part because DEP chooses not to regulate these chemicals. DEP needs to set and enforce standards for toxic materials to prevent any more possible dumping,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “It is good that the U.S. District Court is holding Thomas Toy accountable. Now the DEP has to step up and make sure there will be a full cleanup at this site.”