Settlement Reached with World Recycling Company for Open Dumping

Facilities Operated Open Dumps of Solid Waste in Baltimore City and Prince George’s County

BALTIMORE, MD (December 5, 2023) – Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and the World Recycling Company (WRC) have agreed to settle a civil complaint that alleged, among other things, the company’s unauthorized acceptance and disposal of solid waste. The complaint, which was filed earlier this year in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County on behalf of the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), sought civil penalties and an injunction ordering WRC to clean up open dumps and accumulated solid waste at two locations in Maryland.

By settling the Complaint, WRC has agreed to pay a $200,000 civil penalty, remove any accumulated solid wastes at its properties, implement an environmental remediation plan at its Baltimore City facility, and improve its operational procedures.

World Recycling Company has been in operation, as a recycling, sorting, and processing facility at locations in Cheverly and Baltimore City, since 2014. In 2018, WRC was the subject of a Department of the Environment administrative enforcement action, resulting in a Consent Order. Since 2019, after its building in Cheverly was destroyed by a fire, WRC has operated an unauthorized transfer station and open dump in Cheverly, storing and dumping roll-off containers of solid waste. Since 2021, WRC has allowed solid waste to accumulate on the property, creating an open dump, a habitat for vermin, and a fire hazard, as well as putting pollutants in a position to contaminate waters of the state.

“Every Marylander deserves to live in a healthy and safe community. My office will not tolerate a company – particularly one that is entrusted with improving our environment – putting the health and well-being of our residents in jeopardy,” said Attorney General Brown. “This settlement sends a clear message that we will continue to investigate and bring enforcement actions against violators that place our communities and our environment at risk, especially in communities that are already experiencing a greater amount of environmental burden than others.”

“This enforcement action sends a clear message that the Maryland Department of the Environment will not tolerate the operation of open dumps that threaten the health of families in already overburdened communities,” said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain. “We are issuing a significant penalty, and we will make sure that the operator cleans up its act.”

The settlement ensures that WRC will be required to safeguard the State’s environment and natural resources while operating in Maryland.