BFI Garbage disposal

*After admitting that it suppressed the reports, BFI abandoned plans to expand the landfill(23, 24)

BFI continually broke the law at a landfill in Louisiana(1990)
*BFI failed to apply proper cover material
*BFI illegally disposed of infectious waste
*BFI failed to keep litter from blowing off the landfill
*BFI allowed contaminated liquid to seep from the landfill
*BFI was eventually forced to close the landfill(25-27)

The following BFI landfills have been the subject of legal or administrative actions:
* San Antonio Texas: Garbage and Sludge odors, dust and blowing debris, odors and mud
spread by garbage trucks(1996-97)(28-29)
* Donna Texas: air and water pollution(1995)(30)
* Baltimore, Maryland: water pollution (1994(32)
* Reading, Pennsylvania: water pollution(1994)(34)
* Cleveland Ohio: odor and noise(1992, 1997)(34, 35)
* San Mateo, California: storm water runoff destroys streambed(1993)(36)
* Pittsburgh, California: Odors, blowing dust, blowing trash(1993)(37)
* Ohio, Alabama, and New York: illegal burying of sludge(1991(38)
* Louisiana: odors and noise; 1400 violations of Hazardous waste regulations :
(1989, 1990, 1993) (39, 40)
* Illinois: depositing waste in excess of permit level(1997)(41)
* Virginia: odors(1997)(42)Problems/Violations
BFI and its subsidiaries have a long-checkered past when it comes to both polluting the environment and dealing fairly with competition. BFI's violations range from illegal disposal of hazardous wastes to price fixing/ anti-trust violations; and, state officials have pled guilty to accepting bribes from BFI. Recently, BFI compiled a ten-year history of their company and presented it to Pennsylvania's DER in response to questions about the company's integrity with regards to a proposed 154-acre landfill in Berks county. They admitted to the following:270 civil penalties, administrative orders, permit or license suspensions and revocations, as well as bond forfeiture actions, 10 misdemeanor or felony convictions and pleas; 24 court decrees or settlement orders and one pending courtcase.10. (It must be noted that this is merely covers the period from 1981-1991.) In addition, BFI and subsidiaries have disclosed more than $75.5 million in fines and settlements from 1972-1994. (11) This is by no means a comprehensive list. Complete data concerning fines on numerous violations are simply unavailable. This data serves to illustrate the scope BFI's violations and its history of disregard for the law.

Anti-Trust/Miscellaneous Violations

BFI's violations in this respect tend to center on illegal attempts to take over/monopolize individual markets by forcing out competitors. In more than one instance, BFI and/state officials involved with their permits or applications have plead guilty to, or paid penalties to settle charges of bribery.

1984: $3 million settlement to avoid inclusion in list of defendants being sued by NJ for price fixing and bribery of state officials.(12)

1984: Approximately $6 million out of court settlement with Conservation Management concerning a lawsuit by Conservation which alleged that BFI had bribed a Texas state senator who was to help defeat Conservation's landfill application.(13)

1985: $130, 000 settlement with state of Georgia, concerning charges of price fixing, bid rigging and customer allocation designed to undercut competitors.(14)

1987: Guilty plea and $1 million fine to the Dept. of Justice for price fixing and customer allocation conspiracy with WMI in Ohio and Michigan.(15)

1988: $350, 000 settlement with the state of Ohio, in Toledo to settle price fixing charges.(16)

1988: $6.5 million civil court judgment in Burlington Vt., for anti-trust activities including predatory pricing.(17)

1989: A New Jersey grand jury indicted John A. Pinto (BFI regional vice president, 1975-1981) for customer allocation and coercion in price fixing scheme from 1970-1984. In 1989, Pinto plead guilty and paid a $50, 00 fine. Pinto continued to receive $125, 000/year until 1984 when he retired. "As set forth in testimony before the New York State Assembly Committee, Pinto clearly had ties to organized crime, and was appointed by and reported directly to, John Drury, BFI's president."(18)

1990: $30.5 million out of court settlement resulting from a class action lawsuit brought by customers against BFI and WMI alleging price fixing and customer allocation.(19)

1994: $4.2 million fine in Kane County. IL, for price fixing.(20)

1995: Texas state employee with The Natural Resource Conservation Commission pleads guilty to accepting a bribe from BFI in exchange for a favorable permit ruling.(21)

1996: Settlement reached by BFI and WMI with Justice Dept. in Memphis Tenn., Georgia, Iowa and Louisiana for illegal contracts and other anti-trust violations. BFI agreed to stop the practices and no penalties were assessed. Concerning BFI's practices, the Justice Dept said, BFI "intentionally used restrictive contracts to inhibit competition and enhance its power over commercial customers".(22)

1998: BFI reached...