In a Westchester, New York, dump, the only thing more buried than the debris was the truth.
As the Daily Voice reported, a former municipal employee in Northern Westchester is heading to federal prison after taking bribes in exchange for allowing illegal dumping next to protected wetlands, causing millions of dollars in environmental damage.
Robert Dyckman, the former assistant general foreman for the town of Cortlandt, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison. His co-conspirator was Glenn Griffin, the owner of a landscaping company.
From 2018 to 2020, Dyckman accepted cash payments from Griffin in exchange for unauthorized, after-hours access to the town's Arlo Lane facility. Griffin used the site to dump hundreds of loads of construction waste, including concrete, rebar, bricks, and tile, near fragile wetlands owned by the Westchester Land Trust. According to federal prosecutors, the materials should never have been placed there and caused serious ecological harm.
Adding insult to injury, Griffin then billed the town for removing the same waste he illegally dumped.
Dyckman actively misled other town employees, redirected managers away from the site during dumping activity, and manipulated overtime logs to cover their tracks.
The illegally dumped debris threatened local wetlands. These swampy, marshy areas act like nature's Brita filter, helping clean our water by trapping pollutants.
Wetlands also soak up rain and floodwater, which keeps nearby homes and neighborhoods safer during storms. Additionally, they're home to a diverse array of animals, supporting a rich biodiversity.
When people dump trash or construction waste into them, it's not just bad for the plants and animals; it's also detrimental to the environment. It damages the water, compromises neighborhood safety, and disrupts the balance of the entire ecosystem.
Luckily, people can support and protect places like these wetlands by backing the groups that care for them.
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