Tri-State Alert reported that a Baltimore man accused of owning and illegally dumping 250,000 scrap tires in Western Maryland pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 45 days in jail and was ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution to the Allegany County Commissioners and a fine of $300,000 to the Maryland Clean Water Fund, according to CBS News.
Michel Osei, 48, of Hanover, Maryland, was offered a land lease with favorable terms based on his proposal to operate a scrap tire recycling facility that already had millions of dollars of contracts lined up and would eventually employ up to 50 people. He began operations of the facility on July 19, 2021, collecting scrap tires from locations in West Virginia.
The Maryland Department of the Environment and the Fire Marshal ordered Osei to stop operations several times when investigations showed safe conditions were not being met.
When Osei finally abandoned the facility in September 2022, the land housed over 250,000 tires, which were left outdoors in heaping piles that were uncovered. Very few, if any, tires were ever removed from the site.
The photos are shocking.
The tires left in this state posed a dangerous fire hazard, threatened air quality, and polluted the water.
Attorney General Brown told Tri-State Alert: "Frankly, it's shocking that any company would be so reckless as to endanger the health of Marylanders in this way."
When scrap tires wear down, they release tire wear particles, a significant source of microplastics. These microplastics can make their way into water sources, posing a risk to the ecosystem, aquatic life, and human health.
Harmful substances can also be leaked into the surrounding soil and groundwater, a main reason why repurposing tires in a garden is not advised.
Tire manufacturer Goodyear is creating a tire with 50% sustainable materials, one example of a large company taking action toward a cleaner future. These tires will be especially important for electric vehicle drivers, as EVs tend to wear down tires faster than their gas-powered counterparts due to their increased weight.
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Individuals and companies have to take responsibility for their actions, and everyone needs to do their part to slow and hopefully reduce negative environmental impact.
Brown reflected that, saying: "Convictions like this are essential to safeguarding our environment and making it crystal clear that businesses must recycle and dispose of scrap tires lawfully. We simply won't tolerate such irresponsible behavior."
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