BY LINDA SMITH HANCHARICK
WEST MILFORD — The township has set up a temporary compost pile at the Recycling Center for residents’ yard debris after the state closed down Triple T Construction/Organic Waste Solutions, the owner of the mulch pile at the center.
The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) cited Scott Ridings, owner of Triple T/Organic Waste Solutions, on May 15 and July 12 after inspections in April and June. According to DEP Spokesman Bob Considine, Ridings was ordered to stop accepting wood materials and debris and to remove what is there and transport them to a permitted facility.
Ridings is operating on a Class C permit through the township which allows him only to accept organic materials from the township and its residents. Ridings has been accepting materials from other municipalities, including Ramapo, Allendale and Midland Park, according to the DEP. The state requires a Class B permit for these activities.
“To date, the DEP’s Solid Waste Compliance and Enforcement has issued two notice of violations (NOV) to Scott Ridings as an operator of an unpermitted solid waste facility,” said Considine in an email. “Ridings operates West Milford’s Temporary Debris Management Area and an adjacent vegetative debris processing facility, which we list as Triple T Construction Organic Waste Solutions.
“These NOVs, issued on May 15 and July 12, requested that the respondent remove non-storm debris wood materials to permitted/approved facilities or apply for Class B recycling approval immediately; cease accepting non-West Milford storm debris wood materials and remove any on-site to permitted or approved facilities immediately; cease accepting and processing wood materials and remove any on-site to permitted/approved facilities immediately,” Considine continued. “To date, the respondent has not complied. Additional enforcement action is likely for each day the respondent operates without a proper permit.”
The Class C permit makes this an exempt site, alowing 7,500 cubic yards of processed material and the same amount of unprocessed material. David Stires, the township’s recycling coordinator, said the site has “way too much,” about 56,000 cubic yards combined.
Which may be why the site has had a series of fires since June 27, culminating in a massive blaze on July 18.
Huge blaze
According to the township’s fire marshal Ron Svrchek, five blazes have been called in recently, on June 27, 28, July 6, 7 and 18. Ridings said there were three, noting the June fires were one and the July 6 and 7 fires were also one. Svrchek said he believes the fires were caused by spontaneous combustion, which was determined to be the cause of a big blaze last year at the site. West Milford Township Police are investigating, and Ridings said the state arson squad is also involved.
The July 18 fire lit up the early morning sky. It was called in at 3:41 a.m. and took firefighters nearly 14 hours to get it totally under control at 5:27 p.m. Fire companies from throughout the township and companies from surrounding towns were called to assist, including Kinnelon, Mahwah, Milton, Stone Town (Ringwood) Hardyston, Teaneck, Wayne, Highland Lakes and Erskine Lakes in New Jersey, Tuxedo, Warwick and Greenwood Lake N.Y., as well as Company 3, Apshawa, Upper Greenwood Lake and West Milford Fire Company 6 in the township. West Milford EMS and Wayne EMS were also on the scene.
Most of the companies were drafting water from Turtle Pond, South Shore Marina and Browns Point, according to Svrchek, and transporting it back to the site. They used 1.2 million gallons of water to put out the fire.
The fire was fought in 95 degree heat. Considine confirmed that the DEP was at the site during the July 18 fire.
Troubles with the township
According to an email on July 3, 2013 from township administrator Nancy Gage to the mayor and council members, the lease between the township and Triple T/Organic Waste Solutions expired and the township has been “in the process of negotiating and consideration of other alternatives for providing this service to our residents. Unfortunately, developments over the past week have caused the situation to become seriously deteriorated to the point that we have notified Triple T’s counsel that we are ceasing participation in the lease arrangement and have diverted township residents to dumping their yard waste in a temporary drop off area in the Recycling area.”
Gage did not reply to a request from The Messenger for more information on the situation.
The Recycling Center was closed July 18 and reopened later on July 19.
Bring your yard waste
The township’s temporary site for organic waste is just across from the old site in the Recycling Center, near the metal recyclables. Stires said the township is accepting yard waste there, grinding it three times a week to keep the pile small.
As for the future, Stires said he isn’t sure what will be. The township does own part of the existing compost site as well as a piece of property behind it. The township was paying rent to Ridings for use of his share of the property. The lease ran out last year and no new arrangement had been agreed upon.
Ridings would not comment further on the situation this week, saying instead he would be answering questions in a press release next week.
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