Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation announced today that Rodney Companion, doing business as Rodney’s Rubbish, was fined $27,934 for transporting solid waste on Vermont highways without a permit.
Any party intending to haul solid waste, food scraps, hazardous waste, regulated medical waste, or residual waste to or from any location in Vermont for compensation must obtain a hauling permit from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Waste Management and Prevention Division. Permits ensure that haulers safely transport and deliver waste to an appropriate final destination and follow Vermont’s recycling requirements. There are more than 450 transporters permitted to haul waste in Vermont.
Rodney Companion owned and operated a commercial waste transporter business, Rodney’s Rubbish, in Waterbury. In May 2018, Mr. Companion failed to submit the annual renewal required under his transporter permit, causing his permit to expire. DEC notified Mr. Companion that he was no longer authorized to transport waste in Vermont. Mr. Companion continued to transport waste without a permit until he submitted the required renewal application in November 2018.
Peter Walke, DEC Commissioner explains, “when a hauler engages in unpermitted activity, that creates fairness issues for others. Formal enforcement, including the imposition of penalties and recouping economic benefit obtained from engaging in those unpermitted activities helps level the playing field.”
Companion agreed to a $27,934 penalty for the violation. $18,934 of that penalty amount reflects the calculated economic benefit Mr. Companion received while transporting waste without an appropriate permit. The agreement with DEC was incorporated into a Final Judicial Order of the Vermont Superior Court, Environmental Division on March 3, 2021.
For more information about DEC’s Waste Management and Prevention Division, including support for waste transporters and list of permitted haulers, visit https://dec.vermont.gov/waste-management/solid.
Source: Montpelier, Vt. – Vermont Agency of Natural Resources 3.8.2021